Thomas James Russell was born on 14th March 1881. He was the first child of Robert and Ann Russell (nee Corkin), who had six more children after him - John, born 1st February 1883, Jane, born 22nd July 1885, Robert, born 31st October 1887, William George, born 13th October 1889, Joseph, born 2nd July 1891, and Samuel, born 17th April 1893, died 29th April 1893, he only survived for twelve days.

On 22nd April 1905, TJR  married Sarah Jane Best. Sarah was the daughter of Joseph and Lizzie Best, and had five siblings, George, Francis (Frank), Emma, Lily and Ephraim. TJR was working at Spence Bryson’s linen factory in Portadown where he was a foreman, and he and Sarah set up home in Park Road, Portadown. They were very happily married and by the time war broke out in 1914, they had five children, Robert, born 5th March 1906, Lily, born 19th January 1908, Annie, born 24th December 1909, George, born 6th May 1911 and Eileen born 15th June 1913.  

Thomas James Junior, was born on 9th September 1916, just over two months after his father was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1st July, 1916.

In September 1914, the call went out for volunteers to enlist in the armed forces, and TJR, with his brother Joseph and his brother-in-law Frank, answered the call, along with  many men from Portadown and the surrounding area. William George, TJR’s younger brother, had already enlisted in 1908 aged 18. His brother John and sister Jane (Jenny) had both emigrated to Canada, and his brother Robert married and later went to live in Belfast.

TJR, Joseph and Frank were enlisted into the 9th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers and went within days to train at Clandeboye in Co. Down. The training lasted for over a year, and also included time spent training in England at Chyngton Camp, Sussex in the summer of 1915.

 

In October 1915 the vast majority of the men of the 9th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers sailed for France, but a small number stayed behind. Joseph and Frank went with the main body of men but TJR stayed behind with a small number of others. It is still unclear why this happened, most likely those men were kept behind to help with training new recruits, or there is a possibility that some of them were ill.

 

In 1916 TJR finally went to France, arriving there on 30th March.

 

Thomas James Russell has no known grave, but is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Pier 15 and Face A.

 

 

 

 

Rosalind McClean