First World War Medal Trio – Sergeant Thomas William Ford, 7th Bn. Middlesex Regiment T.F., later 23rd Coy., Machine Gun Corps
1914-15 Star – 2318 PTE. T. W. FORD, MIDD'X R.
British War Medal – 2318 SJT. T. W. FORD. MIDD'X R.
Victory Medal – 2318 SJT. T. W. FORD. MIDD'X R.
Thomas William (Tom) Ford was born at Hornsey, Middlesex, in 1892, and later resided at Wood Green, Middlesex. He was the son of William and Edith Gertrude Ford, who lived at 64 Station Road, Wood Green, London, an address consistently recorded across official casualty, burial, and CWGC documentation.
He enlisted for service at Hornsey, joining the 7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Territorial Force), and was issued the regimental number 2318. The 7th Middlesex was a Territorial battalion with its headquarters at Priory Road, Hornsey, drawing its men from the surrounding districts including Hornsey, Tottenham, Hampstead, and Enfield. Having accepted liability for Imperial Service, the battalion mobilised immediately on the outbreak of war.
In September 1914, the battalion was dispatched overseas for garrison duty at Gibraltar, before returning to England in February 1915 to prepare for active service on the Western Front. Thomas Ford embarked for France on 12th March 1915, landing at Le Havre the following day, and shortly afterwards coming under the command of 23rd Infantry Brigade, 8th Division. At this time, he was serving as a Private, and was already part of the battalion’s machine-gun section, a specialist role requiring training in the handling and tactical employment of the Vickers machine gun.
Throughout 1915, the 7th Battalion Middlesex Regiment saw active service in France, including actions such as Aubers Ridge and the Bois Grenier sector, where battalion machine-gun sections were heavily engaged in both defensive and supporting fire roles. As the war progressed, the increasing importance of machine-gun fire led to a major organisational change across the British Army.
With the formation of the Machine Gun Corps in January 1916, the machine-gun sections of infantry battalions were withdrawn and consolidated into specialist Machine Gun Companies. As a trained machine gunner, Thomas Ford transferred from the 7th Middlesex Regiment machine-gun section into the newly formed 23rd Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), which was attached to 23rd Brigade, 8th Division. This transition reflects a direct continuation of his machine-gun service, rather than a change in role.
The 23rd Machine Gun Company was formally formed on 15th January 1916 from the machine-gun sections of battalions serving within the brigade, including the 7th Middlesex Regiment, and thereafter served continuously with the 8th Division. As a unit, the company took part in major operations during 1916 and 1917, including the Battles of the Somme, the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, and later the Battles of Ypres.
During his service with the Machine Gun Corps, Ford rose through the ranks and attained the rank of Sergeant, holding a position of leadership within his section. His MGC service number was 21150. Machine-gun companies were frequently positioned in exposed forward locations and were prime targets for enemy artillery and counter-fire, contributing to the Corps’ exceptionally high casualty rate.
On 31st July 1917, Sergeant Thomas William Ford was killed in action, aged 25, during the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). On that day, 23rd Machine Gun Company was engaged in support of attacks in the Zillebeke sector, south-east of Ypres, including operations connected with the Battle of Pilckem Ridge and the attack on Westhoek. The fighting took place under heavy artillery fire and in rapidly deteriorating ground conditions.
Sergeant Ford’s body was not recovered at the time, and he was initially recorded as missing. During post-war battlefield clearance operations, his remains were discovered in the Zillebeke area on 27th February 1919. An official exhumation and re-burial report identifies him as
“Sergt. F. W. Ford, 23rd M.G. Coy.”, with identification confirmed by his gas mask container, recorded as “Gas Mask Insanitary”, a method frequently used when metal equipment survived long burial.
Following identification, he was reburied with full military honours in Hooge Crater Cemetery, where he now rests in Grave III. H. 14. His headstone records his rank, unit, date of death, and his parents’ address at 64 Station Road, Wood Green, ensuring his personal and military identity was formally restored after the war.
Thomas William Ford’s service represents a clear and well-documented progression from Territorial infantryman, to trained battalion machine gunner, and finally to Sergeant in the Machine Gun Corps, serving continuously with formations of the 8th Division until his death in action. The survival of detailed regimental, Machine Gun Corps, and burial records makes his career unusually well evidenced and adds considerable depth and historical value to the group.
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