Biography

Family background

Thomas Edmonds Harland was born in Leeds in 1897, the son of Thomas Michael and Mary Helen Harland and the elder brother of James Pullan Harland. Mary had been born in Linton, but in 1911, the family were living at 216 Harehills Avenue, Leeds where Thomas was a laundryman. The Harland family at this time ran The Jubilee Steam Laundry, with Thomas' father, Thomas Michael Harland, as its head. In the 1908 Kelly's Directory for Leeds their business was boasting branches at Nowell Lane, Harehills Lane, Woodhouse Lane, Hunslet Road, North Street, Beaufort Place, Fenton Street, Roundhay Road and York Road in Leeds.

Service record

By 1918, and again in 1919, Thomas appeared on the Collingham absent voters list due to Naval or Military service. He served as a Private, service number M2/116096, in the Royal Army Service Corps. He enlisted in Leeds on the 28th July 1915, giving his address as 1, Nowell Lane, Leeds and his trade as Motor Driver. Thomas underwent training and served in the UK from the 28th July 1915 until the 19th August 1915. He then went to France on the 20th August, embarking on the SS Inventor in Southampton and disembarking the following day in Havre. He was then posted to be attached to 402 Company ASC with 25th Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery.

After a brief period of 7 days leave (from 3rd April 1916 to 10th April) Thomas was posted to 491 Company ASC with 11th Corps. Later he transferred again to 403 MT Company on the 15th September 1916. His transfers and posting came thick and fast a this time, first on the 25th September 1916 to be attached to 1st Anzac HA and then on the 3rd October 1916 to 87 Siege Battery Ammunition Column as part of XIII Corps. Another move, on the 12th January 1917 followed to 363 MT Company and then to 335 MT Company on the 13th April 1917.

In full, Thomas' service record shows him at the following times in the following units:

The mechanised transport (MT) companies of the Army Service Corps had a wide range of roles in transportation on the Western Front, but from the above allocations we can see that Thomas Harland served in a number of MT companies but all were associated with heavy artillery. Some of these units were 'shared' between RGA Siege Batteries and were organised into Siege Parks. Siege Parks attached to Corps were designed for work with Heavy Artillery, but were administered by the ASC. They were answerable to the Heavy Artillery for the haulage of guns, supplying ammunition to batteries when in position, and the movement of batteries, also to the MT Branch of the ASC for the upkeep of lorries and administration of personnel. The planning of parks for lorries and tractors was naturally dependent upon the positions of the guns and the situation of the ammunition railheads, but the movement of lorries was a matter for the ASC. Members of the Corps who supported the heavy guns were often involved in activities which brought them in constant danger, largely due to enemy shelling. A good number became casualties and a number received decorations for bravery.

Thomas was discharged from the Army on the 16th July 1919.

After the war

After the war, Thomas returned to the UK and rejoined the laundry industry. In 1939 he was living with his parents at "Willow Bank" on the Leeds Road in Otley where his father's occupation was Laundry Proprietor and Thomas was a Laundry Manager.

Thomas' brother, James Pullan Harland, also served in the Great War and survived, and his sister, Dora Mary Harland, served in the Voluntary Aid Detachment.

Thomas died in 1983.