#England #Kent #Military #Sandwich #WWI
Thomas Henry DRAYSON was the youngest of seven children born to James Dixon DRAYSON (1861 – 1922), a Brewer’s Drayman, and Agnes CLARK (1859– 1931). [Her birth is registered as Agness Clark and appears she is known as Isabel A. Clark for a time].
James’ family background is around the Eastry / Worth areas of Kent for at least a couple of generations. Agnes was born in Ticehurst District, Sussex but other than that don’t know much about her background. Possibly her family is actually from Horsmonden in Kent. They married Q3 1881 in Eastry District. They were both in their early 20s.
Bertie had five brothers – Ernest Dixon DRAYSON (1883 – 1963) James Charles DRAYSON (1885 – 1956), Bertie DRAYSON (1889 – 1968), Arthur John DRAYSON (1891 – 1959) and William DRAYSON (1896 – 1981).
There was just one girl in the family – Ethel Elizabeth Agnes DRAYSON (1887 – 1947). Some of his siblings married and had offspring. Most seem to have remained in Kent as well.
In the 1891 Census his mother and brother Arthur are found in Rams Hill Corner, Horsmonden, Kent where his mother is presumably staying with her widowed parent, Sarah KEMP (1825 – TBA) and married sister.
I don’t actually know when his grandmother passes away so it may have been soon after this time as she was 66 then and quite a trip for a fairly new baby to be taken on.
The rest of the family are in Mystery House, Moat Sole, Sandwich, Kent. They have a housekeeper. James is described as a Brewer’s Cellarman. [James is actually found with his family in Moat Sole in 1871 Census so returned to same location once married having spent some time in Ramsgate per 1881 Census.]
There are bigger gaps between the last two children so it is possible that a couple of children were lost as William isn’t born until 1895 and then Thomas came along in latter part of 1899. His birth registered Q4 1899 in Eastry District.
In the 1901 Census the family are this time shown as the first property in Moat Sole after Cattle Market. They no longer have any help in the house and the person missing from the family is Ethel.
Do not need to look far for her though since turns out she’s next door with her paternal Grandmother Harriett DIXON (1824 – 1919) who was widowed twice by this point.
His eldest brother Ernest married Alice Maud STROUD (1884 – 1972) in 1904 and his sister Ethel married Thomas CASTLE (1884 – 1968) in 1908 so they have moved on with their lives. By 1911 Ernest has two children and Ethel one.
In 1911 Census Thomas, aged 11, is at school. His siblings Bertie, 22, and William, 15, are also still with their parents at 13 Moat Sole, Sandwich. His father is described as a Brewers Drayman and brothers are Labourers at the Colliery I believe. Looks like they may have been working above ground.
On 03 July 1915 Arthur marries Flossie Rosetta FAGG (1890 – 1958) in Sandwich. He must have known her for over four years by this time since she is the eldest daughter of the people where he was boarding in 1911.
Regarding Thomas’ military career we have evidence that in the 1914 – 1918 war he was in the 6th Battalion Buffs (East Kent Regiment) 1 serving in France and Flanders. He was a Private with Service Number G/26658. Cannot seem to find his main service record.
He was killed in action on 23 August 1918 2 and is commemorated at the Meaulte Military Cemetery which is in the Somme, France. On 05 March 1919 £5 5s and 4d was sent to his father and then another £3 war gratuity on 09 September 1919.
His brothers Ernest, Bertie and Arthur all definitely served in the war but not sure about James or William. They made it home again and his brother Bertie married in 1917.
Four years later his father died in 1922, aged 61, at 2 Mill Lane, Eastry, Kent and is buried at Boatman’s Hill Cemetery in Sandwich. His mother Agnes died in 1931. She left her effects to Thomas’ labourer brothers Ernest and Bertie.
Thomas Henry DRAYSON was a 2C 3R to me on his paternal line. The nearest shared ancestors are my 4x Great Grandparents Charles DRAYSON (1788 – 1845) and Mary Ann KEMP (1789 – 1873).
I have some DNA matches to their descendants as looks like some branches went to the USA and Canada which makes it easier to find the connection as they aren’t interrelated as much as I am in Kent.
Footnotes –
Most research undertaken using Ancestry, FreeBMD and Google Maps. Additional resources listed below if utilised.
- Forces War Records – https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/239/buffs-east-kent-regiment ↩︎
- Forces War Records – https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/records/1535521/private-thomas-henry-drayson-british-army-buffs-east-kent-regiment/ ↩︎
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