Tommy The Trencher

My featured song for November 2022 is Tommy The Trencher from my forthcoming album The Hermitage Suite.

I wrote this song with Ian Erving around 1994 in our Sunday Night songwriting sessions. It was based on the letters from my Great Uncle Thomas Mackin from the trenches of WW1 France. We did perform the song in our guise as The Dog’s Dinner and it was a natural contender to appear on my album ‘The Hermitage Suite’.

Thomas Mackin was killed on 10th May 1917 in Arras during WW1; he was only 22 years old. A year earlier he lost his cousin Daniel Mackin in The Battle Of The Somme and he had written a letter to his Aunt and Uncle informing them of Dan’s death attempting to provide them with some comfort that he had prayed over Dan’s grave by saying that not many soldiers had one of their own pay their respects.

Whilst Dan’s grave is locatable in France, Thomas is just a name on a wall as his body was never recovered. He lies somewhere in Arras with many other fallen soldiers. Ironically, for a life cut so short, my family kept every one of Thomas’s letters sent from the trenches. His voice has been preserved more than any other family member from that generation. Many descendants of our family have been given his name (including my own son) and his memory lives on. Each of his letters was signed off with kisses to his baby sister Elie.

When I was a young lad, I had the privilege of visiting the wonderful Mr John McGrogan who was actually with my Uncle Thomas when he was killed. John told me what happened to Thomas and also had his account recorded by my Uncle Patrick who was able to capture a fantastic interview from this WW1 veteran who would go on to live till the great age of 95.

Mr McGrogan also wrote a fantastic war poem that is now displayed proudly in the library of St. Peter’s Catholic College. He was a true hero and faced some horrific sights. When I read this poem years ago along with my Great Uncle’s letters, I wrote the song ‘Tommy The Trencher’ with my friend Ian Erving. I have embellished my recording from 25 years ago ready for the re-release of my album ‘The Hermitage Suite’ which will available in May 2023. Here is a new video for ‘Tommy The Trencher’ to mark my respect for Remembrance Day 2022.

My late Uncle Patrick Mackin was a history teacher at St. Michael’s School in Middlesbrough. When Cannon Street was being demolished, some pupils gave him a tin containing 30 postcard photos from WW1 that had been found in a demolished property. The quality of these photos is astounding and Uncle Pat was looking at where to send these photos just before his death two years ago. I have restored them and colourised them within this video and I will be sending them to The Imperial War Museum as they may be the only copies in existence. One photo shows an ambulance with Middlesbrough Yorks displayed on it.

The photos also show the valuable contribution that Indian Soldiers provided during the war. The bravery of many of our Indian and African nation’s brothers and sisters is often overlooked. I have also restored and colourised photos of South Bank families such as The Conways, The Livingstones and one of Mr John McGrogan within the video. I paid my respects to all my local cenotaphs: South Bank, Grangetown, Eston, Normanby, Smith Dock’s Park, Redcar, Middlesbrough and Thornaby. I also visited the wonderful artwork in Eston, Grangetown and Redcar.

The names on the war memorials across the UK along with the distant sepia photos make it difficult to remember the real humans behind the imagery. With colour provided to the photos, I feel that a more stark reality is recovered, highlighting the true tragedy behind every loss. The tear stains on the letter that Sgt Maddison sent my Great Grandparents informing them of Tommy’s death are simply heartbreaking.

I am sure that every family in the UK has a similar experience of loss.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. We will remember them.