Thomas Henry Baker

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher.

Thomas Henry Baker was born in the September quarter of 1918 in the Pontypridd, Glamorganshire Registration District, the son of Frederick & Alice Baker (née Baldwin).

We see him for the first time on the 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921. The family were living at 2, Oxford Street, Treforest, Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, and Frederick Baker was the head of the household. He was 28 years and 4 months old, had been born in Pontypridd, Glamorganshire and was an ‘Underground Rider’ at the Great Western Colliery. He states he was an ‘Employer,’ but I wonder if he understood the census question. Alice Baker was 28 years and 2 months old and had been born in Dry Brook, Gloucester. Their children were Joe Baker, 6 years and 8 months old; Ivy Baker, 5 years and 1 month old; Thomas Baker, 3 years old; and Ronald Baker, 4 months old, all born in Pontypridd.

Sadly, I have no information on Thomas Baker, in neither his early or teen years. But he met and married Lilian Alice White in September 1940. She was recorded as living in Dorchester in the 1939 Register and was working as a shop assistant in Woolworths. They lived at 13, Mill Street, Fordington and in 1944 they had a daughter, Patricia. According to the Western Gazette, dated the 30th of June 1944, which reported his death, Thomas worked as a miner before he joined up and was at Dunkirk in the evacuation of the troops between 26th of May 1940 and the 4th of June 1940.

Thomas was to find himself fighting again on D-Day in a desperate battle and laid down his life for our freedom. He was serving with the 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment which landed on Gold Beach on D-Day. He is recorded as having died of wounds and was buried in Ver-sur-Mer. He was reburied on the 2nd of February 1945 in the Bayeux British Cemetery where he now lies.

I am not sure if Lilian Alice Baker remarried, but I did find a marriage for that name in the March quarter of 1946 to a Raymond Giles and the 1939 Register shows her name edited with a new surname of Giles.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

Unfortunately, we do not have a photo of Thomas Baker. If you are aware of one, or you are related to Thomas, we would love to hear from you so we can add to his story.