Corporal Thomas William Priday (1912/1913– 9 December 1939) was the first British Army soldier to be killed in action during the Second World War.[1]
Thomas William Priday | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1912/1913 Redmarley, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 9 December 1939 (aged 26–27) near Metz, France |
| Buried | Luttange Communal Cemetery, France 49°16'19.3"N 6°18'53.0"E |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Service number | 4031789 |
| Unit | King's Shropshire Light Infantry |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Early life
The son of Allen L. Priday and Elisabeth A. Priday of The Gravel Pits,[2] Redmarley in Gloucestershire. His baptism is recorded as having taken place on 1 June 1913 in Redmarley.[3] Priday travelled to Canada aboard the Canada Pacific Line ship 'Montrose' in 1930 to work in farming.[4] He returned to the UK in 1932 aboard the 'Duchess of Atholl' of the same line.[5]
Service in France
Following the declaration of war by the United Kingdom and France on Nazi Germany on 3 September 1939[6] a British Expeditionary Force (BEF) under the command of Lord Gort was sent to France. Although technical personnel had been arriving since September 4, the force began their move as a whole on September 10.[7]
Lord Gort outlines in his dispatches that he made arrangements in November 1939 for a British brigade to serve on the Saar Front under French command.[7] It was while serving in this capacity that Corporal Priday was killed in the area of Metz.[1] On 9 December 1939 he was out on a night patrol when the group he was with lost their way in the dark. Corporal Priday stepped on a French landmine and was killed. He was buried with full military honours at Luttange Communal Cemetery.[8][9] The funeral was attended by the French General in command of the area as well as a detachment of French troops.[2] He died at the age of 27 while serving as a corporal with the 1st Battalion of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI).[9]
His death was reported in The Times on 1 January 1940 under the headline 'First British Soldier Killed in Action'.[2]
Priday's younger brother Archibald served with the same battalion.[2]
His family reside in Gloucestershire.[citation needed]