Current Information:

Age-21

1, Sharsted Street, Kennington Park

On 13th January, 1915, the 4th Rifle Brigade of 80 Brigade, 27th Division, marched to Dickebusch to the south of Ypres and on the following day took over some nearby trenches where they remained until relieved on 16th January. The battalion diary offers no further information about this but the enemy often seemed to know when an inter-battalion relief was taking place in the front line opposite them and then did as much as they could to disrupt it. This meant targeting the approach communication trenches with their artillery and keeping up a high level of machine-gun and rifle fire. Reliefs therefore were times of extra danger and many a soldier was killed or wounded during them and this may have been the fate of Thomas Cheek who was killed on 16th January.