Thomas Avery was born in Chailey around 1879.  When the 1901 census was taken, the family was living at 13 South Street, Chailey.  The family comprised Thomas Avery (head of the household, aged 48), his wife Caroline (42) and their seven children: Thomas (21), Edith (18), Rose (16), Frederick (13), Harriett (9), Arthur (6) and Harry (2).  Thomas senior worked as a carter on a farm.  His son Thomas was a brick-maker (presumably working at Norman’s, locally) and Edith worked as a general domestic servant.  The family also had a boarder, 22 year old Frank Funnell who worked as a labourer in at the local brickyard.

Tom Avery appears in Chailey Parish Magazine for the first time in November 1916, noted as a Private, serving with the Army Veterinary Corps in France.  He survived the war and appears to have served until the end, finally appearing in the parish magazine in July 1919.  He was given the army number SE/21101.

After the war, Tom Avery married the late Harry Gates’s wife and at one stage lived at Flint Cottage on Chailey Common.  Tom Avery died of cancer long after the war had ended.

Another Avery, J Avery, also served in the First World War and it is possible that Tom was related to him.  Like Tom, his brothers Harry and Arthur both served in the army during World War 1 and both survived.

Sources & Acknowledgments

• 1901 Census of England & Wales
• Chailey Parish Magazine
• The National Archives – Medal Index Card
• Interview with Chailey resident Reg Philpott in 2003.