b. 31/07/1889 Fetcham, Surrey. d. 13/08/1969 Swindon, Wiltshire.
DATE OF AM ACTION: 15/10. 04/12, and 06/12/1915 Laventie and Fleurbaix, France.
Thomas B Hankey
MC AM
Thomas was born at Fetcham on 31st July 1889, the fourth son and seventh child of John Barnard Hankey, and the first of the three children of his second wife Ellen Gertrude Moon (1860-1946). He was educated at Eton.
Following the outbreak of war in 1914, Thomas became a second-lieutenant in the 12th Kings Royal Rifle Corps. On three occasions in France, towards the end of 1915, he was in charge of a party under instruction in throwing live grenades, when an activated grenade fell to the floor of the trench. On each occasion he seized the grenade and hurled it out of the trench only moments before it exploded, thereby saving many from death or serious injury.
For such gallantry (not in face of the enemy) he was awarded the Albert Medal in Gold, only 76 such awards having been made since institution of the medal in 1877; it was superceded by the George Cross in 1949. Thomas was also awarded the Military Cross and the Legion d’Honneur.
Thomas was a tea planter in Ceylon, and played cricket for that country in 1926/27. He was married to Ethel Margaret Thomson on 28 Apr 1927. They had three children, Molly, Jean and John, all born in Ceylon.
AM CITATION:
On the 15th October, 1915, Second Lieutenant Hankey was in charge of a party under instruction in throwing live grenades. A man who was throwing a grenade- with a patent Noble lighter became nervous when the-lighter went off and dropped the grenade at his feet. Second Lieutenant Hankey at once picked up the grenade and threw it out of the trench. There were four men in this section of the trench. On the 4th December, 1915, while Second Lieutenant Hankey was in charge of a party under instruction in throwing live grenades, a man pulled the pin from a grenade and threw the grenade straight into the parapet. Second Lieutenant Hankey at onoe picked up the grenade and threw it over the parapet. There were four men in the throwing pit at the time. On the 6th December, 1915, Second Lieutenant Hankey was in charge of a party under instruction in throwing live grenades from a catapult. A live grenade was placed in the pocket of the catapult, the fuse was lighted, and the lever released. The grenade for some reason was not thrown by the catapult, and fell out of the pocket on to the ground. Second Lieutenant Hankey, who was standing on the other side of the catapult to that on which the grenade lay, rushed at the grenade, seized it, and threw it away. The fuse was a short five second fuse, and the grenade exploded on hitting the ground 15 yards away. There were eight men near the catapult at the time, and ten others not far away.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
