Sergeant Thomas Edward Stockley 7th Queen's Own Hussars & War Department Police
The Man Thomas Edward Stockley was born on Sunday 17th February 1901 in Ottershaw, Surrey. Son of William Stockley a Carpenter and Martha Eliza nee Heath he was one of nine children. Cecil W born in 1893, Florence Dorothy 1895, Winifred 1897, Naomi E 1899 Catherine 1899, Bertha 1904 and two siblings who died in infancy.
Thomas was Baptised on 5th May 1901 in the Parish of Ottershaw and the family lived at 24 Spinney Road, Chertsey. Sadly Thomas’ mother Martha died in in 1910 aged 43 and buried in Christ Church Cemetery, Ottershaw.
By 1911 William and the family lived on Brox Road, Ottershaw, possibly in an Estate property as William was listed as an Estate Carpenter and Cecil a Domestic Groom. Thomas aged 10 was still at school.
When he turned 18 in 1919, Thomas enlisted into the regular Army. He served a full career and was promoted to Sergeant in the 7th Hussars with service number 531966. He was awarded the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in Army Order 224 of 1937.
During the last quarter of 1927 aged 26 Thomas married Olive Loftus in Newport.
Thomas transferred as a Police Constable into the War Department Police in 1939. The Army Department Constabulary was a security police force in the United Kingdom formed as a result of the Special Constables Act 1923. Originally, the Army used serving soldiers to guard its establishments and the only call for police was at places like the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. A War Department Constabulary was formed in 1925 and renamed the Army Department Constabulary in 1964 when the War Office was replaced by the Army Department of the Ministry of Defence. In 1971 the Ministry of Defence Police absorbed the ADC along with the Air Force Department Constabulary and the Admiralty Constabulary.
In the census of 1939, Thomas is shown as living with Olive at 43 West Crescent, Beeston, Stapleford, Nottingham. He served in the Police during World War II and was awarded the Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45. He was later awarded the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in about 1961 aged 60 and probably at the time as his retirement.
Olive died in Surrey during the second quarter of 1967 aged 72 and Thomas 14 years later in January 1981 aged 79. He was buried in St Mary The Virgin Church, Sunbury, Surrey, London on 4th February 1981.
Thomas was Baptised on 5th May 1901 in the Parish of Ottershaw and the family lived at 24 Spinney Road, Chertsey. Sadly Thomas’ mother Martha died in in 1910 aged 43 and buried in Christ Church Cemetery, Ottershaw.
By 1911 William and the family lived on Brox Road, Ottershaw, possibly in an Estate property as William was listed as an Estate Carpenter and Cecil a Domestic Groom. Thomas aged 10 was still at school.
When he turned 18 in 1919, Thomas enlisted into the regular Army. He served a full career and was promoted to Sergeant in the 7th Hussars with service number 531966. He was awarded the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in Army Order 224 of 1937.
During the last quarter of 1927 aged 26 Thomas married Olive Loftus in Newport.
Thomas transferred as a Police Constable into the War Department Police in 1939. The Army Department Constabulary was a security police force in the United Kingdom formed as a result of the Special Constables Act 1923. Originally, the Army used serving soldiers to guard its establishments and the only call for police was at places like the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. A War Department Constabulary was formed in 1925 and renamed the Army Department Constabulary in 1964 when the War Office was replaced by the Army Department of the Ministry of Defence. In 1971 the Ministry of Defence Police absorbed the ADC along with the Air Force Department Constabulary and the Admiralty Constabulary.
In the census of 1939, Thomas is shown as living with Olive at 43 West Crescent, Beeston, Stapleford, Nottingham. He served in the Police during World War II and was awarded the Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45. He was later awarded the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in about 1961 aged 60 and probably at the time as his retirement.
Olive died in Surrey during the second quarter of 1967 aged 72 and Thomas 14 years later in January 1981 aged 79. He was buried in St Mary The Virgin Church, Sunbury, Surrey, London on 4th February 1981.
The Story The group of medals awarded to Thomas E Stockley were seen on Norman W Collett’s web site during September 2015 and after a few days deliberation were acquired on 17th of the same month.
They were of interest due to the unusual combination of the Army Long Service Medal and Police Exemplary Service Medal, representing two careers spanning a total of 40 years. Whilst not a rare combination, they are not that often seen together.
There were a few Thomas E Stockleys on Ancestry.UK, so it was not initially possible to piece together a detailed biography.
However, in May 2021 David Collett, from whom the medals were originally purchased, made contact to advise more information was now available on Ancestry and giving a few details he had already acquired.
This additional information enabled a far greater search of Ancestry resulting in a more detailed biography and finding Thomas’ middle name, Edward.
With thanks to David Collett of Norman W Collett, Orders Decorations and Medals.
They were of interest due to the unusual combination of the Army Long Service Medal and Police Exemplary Service Medal, representing two careers spanning a total of 40 years. Whilst not a rare combination, they are not that often seen together.
There were a few Thomas E Stockleys on Ancestry.UK, so it was not initially possible to piece together a detailed biography.
However, in May 2021 David Collett, from whom the medals were originally purchased, made contact to advise more information was now available on Ancestry and giving a few details he had already acquired.
This additional information enabled a far greater search of Ancestry resulting in a more detailed biography and finding Thomas’ middle name, Edward.
With thanks to David Collett of Norman W Collett, Orders Decorations and Medals.
7th Queen's Own Hussars. In 1689 the Scottish army raised 12 independent cavalry troops, half of which were merged into a single regiment on the English establishment in 1690 for policing duties in Scotland. This new unit was named the Queen’s Own Regiment of Dragoons after Queen Mary II, who had recently joined with her husband King William III in seizing the throne from her father James II. The regiment’s first 25 years included two deployments to the Low Countries and ten years on the Scottish establishment. It was disbanded for ten months from April 1714 and February 1715, before facing the Jacobite rebels at Sherrifmuir nine months after its re-formation. 1715 also saw it renamed ‘The Princess of Wales’s Own’ after Caroline, consort of the future King George II, though it returned to being ‘The Queen’s Own’ in 1727 when George acceded to the throne. The unit was then out of action for 27 years, until it re-mobilised in 1742 and charging at both Dettingen and Fontenoy. It moved back to Scotland in 1756 and added a light troop, which was used in the late 1750s in raids on northern French ports. The regiment as a whole fought at Warburg in 1760 before entering another 30 years’ home service before the French Revolutionary Wars. They deployed to the Netherlands in 1794 and 1799 before ten years in Britain. In 1801 Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, became the regiment’s colonel and he remained in the role until 1842, even after losing a leg at Waterloo (1815). Paget also gained the regiment an upgrade to hussars in 1807, the second-ever British regiment to gain that honour. It served in Spain in 1808 and 1813, spending the interim recruiting after severe losses. It was also heavily engaged at Waterloo, charging more than 12 times in four hours and losing 64 killed and 120 wounded. It then saw no more action until the Indian Mutiny in 1857, where it won its first and second Victoria Crosses. It remained in India until 1871. The 7th spent the next 46 years in England and South Africa, along with a total of 18 years in India. They only joined the First World War in 1917, when they were deployed to Basra and Baghdad against the Ottoman Turks. The unit remained in Iraq on occupation duties until May 1919. The inter-war period saw it in India, England and Egypt, during which time it also mechanised, in 1936. The 7th's Second World War service began in North Africa from 1940 to 1942, when it redeployed to cover the retreat through Burma, fighting the last 150 miles as infantry after having to destroy its tanks. It then re-equipped in Egypt before fighting alongside 2nd Polish Corps in Italy for the last two years of the war, for which it gained the honour of wearing the crest of the city of Warsaw on its sleeve. It served as occupation troops in Germany twice during the late 1940s before becoming the first armoured unit to deploy to Hong Kong in 1954. It kept order there during the 1956 riots, returned to Britain in 1957 and a year later amalgamated with the 3rd Hussars to form The Queen’s Own Hussars.
Medal Details:
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (Military): 531966 SJT.T.E.STOCKLEY. 7-H.
- Police Exemplary Service Medal: CONST. THOMAS.E.STOCKLEY.
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This page last updated 14 Jun 21