Rifleman Thomas Gregory
On the 110th Anniversary of the start of the Great War in 1914, we are revisiting our project from 2018, with the aiming of telling fresh stories and reflecting on the work we did six years ago.
Six Nottinghamshire cricketers that died on war service were featured – now we have identified a ‘seventh’ – Rifleman Thomas Gregory
John Thomas Gregory was born 22 April 1887 at Eckington, nr Chesterfield, Derbyshire to a Sutton-in-Ashfield family, Thomas and Eliza Gregory.
For many years, the family lived at addresses in North London where Thomas senior was employed as a cricket professional for Hampstead Cricket Club.
Thomas junior was on the ground staff – cricketers employed to bowl at members and senior players – at Trent Bridge from 1905-1908. He is mentioned in a report from the Nottingham Daily Express in 1908 as follows:
“Henry Cackerton was charged with theft, stealing 4 cricket shirts, a silk handkerchief, a pair of cricket boots, an overcoat and a pair of socks belonging to THOMAS GREGORY, Charles James and other members of the ground staff”.
After leaving Notts CCC Thomas played for New Hucknall Colliery Cricket Club for one season, mainly as a slow left arm bowler.
He enlisted in the Kings Royal Rifle Regiment in February 1910, at Sutton in Ashfield, giving his occupation as a coal miner. He played cricket for his regiment and a report from the weekly magazine Cricket states:
A notable performance was accomplished on Friday by a man who used to be on the Trent Bridge ground staff. He is Rifleman Thomas Gregory of the Kings Royal Rifle regiment and against the 2nd Worcestershire regiment at Aldershot he took 10 wickets at a cost of 15 runs, doing the hat trick in his sixth over.
Thomas’s performance brought him to the attention of Hampshire Cricket Club and in July 1913 he was selected to play for Hants against Oxford University. It was his only match for the county. He was out for a duck in his only innings and his bowling figures were 12-3-87-0
He was also an accomplished footballer, playing for the British Army team against the English National Amateur Football team on one occasion.
At the outbreak of World War One Thomas was stationed with First Battalion, King’s Royal Rifles Corp at Aldershot; his battalion left for France on 13 August 1914. Thomas was killed in action three months later on 27 October 1914, at Polygon Wood near Zonnebeke Belgium. His body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial; in November 1914 a memorial service was held for Thomas at St Modwen’s Church, Burton on Trent.
Thomas is remembered on the Sutton-in-Ashfield War Memorial and on the memorial at St Mary Magdalene Church in the town.
He and ‘The Six’ were featured in talks and displays at Trent Bridge during the recent match versus Surrey and his story will form part of a WWI archive chronicling the contribution made by players, staff and members at Nottinghamshire Cricket Club.
To date, our Heritage researchers have found no usable image of Rifleman Thomas Gregory – if you can help, please email heritage@nottsccc.co.uk.
September 2024