Tom Cummings

Born in Eppleton, he was living at Fencehouses and and working as a miner at Hazard Colliery when he enlisted in the 20th (Wearsiders) Battalion DLI. He was awarded the Military Medal in July 1916 for his bravery in the same failed trench raid north of the River Lys during which Henry Lockey was severely wounded.

He also received an "Act of Courage" citation "On 29th September 1917, the horses attached to a GS [General Service] wagon took fright and galloped down the road on which there were a number of other vehicles and persons. Perceiving the danger, 20-613 Lance Sergeant T S Cummings, Durham Light Infantry, sprang to the animals' heads and succeeded in bringing them to a standstill, thereby probably averting a serious accident."

In a snowstorm on 28 April 1918, Sergeant Cummings was killed in action during an unsuccessful counter-attack near Ypres. He was 22 years old. He is buried at Duhallow Cemetery in Belgium.