Thank you to Jane Anthony for the following research.
Thomas Henry Luff was born in about 1888, the second son of James and Eliza Luff. There were four children in the family. In the details of his death it is stated that he was born at Woking however on census details his birthplace is given as Abinger. The family lived at both Spring Cottages and Redlands in South Holmwood.
In 1901 Thomas, aged 13, was working as a garden boy. By 1911 he had joined the army and was serving in the Arabic/Cyprus/Gibraltar area with his regiment.
His battalion joined the British Expeditionary Force in September 1914. By the end of November 1914 the Battalion had suffered 676 casualties from its original strength of about 1000. Private Thomas Luff was killed in action on 29th October 1914 at the first Battle of Ypres. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate.
He was one of two men who had lived in Spring Cottages to have been killed within two days of each other. The other being Private James May.
| Son of | James and Eliza Luff, of 7, Redland’s Cottages, Holmwood, Dorking, Surrey. | |
| Regiment | “A” Company. 2nd Battalion. The Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment | |
| Number | L/9000 | |
| Date of Death | 29th October 1914 | |
| Place of Death | Ypres, Belgium | |
| Cause of Death | Killed in Action | |
| Age | 26 | |
| Memorial | Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial |
