Private Thomas Edgar Dear
1/5th Battalion, the Devonshire Regiment
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: 1892
Place of Birth: Teignmouth
Date of Death: 21 November 1917 aged 25
Buried: Deir el Balah Cemetery, Israel & Palestine,
Deir al-Balah War Cemetery
Gaza Strip Plot. B. 156. Remembered on Seafront Memorial and St. Michael’s Church, Teignmouth, Devon.
Awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal
and the Territorial Force War Medal
Private Thomas Edgar Dear age 25. Born in Teignmouth 1892 he was baptised on 4 December 1892, the son of Samuel, a coachman, and Emma Dear at St. Michael's Church.
Known as Edgar, in 1901 he was living with his parents and three brothers at Venice House. By 1911 he was living with his mother, now a widow and his youngest brother Leslie at Vine Cottage, Dawlish Road; he was working as an upholsterer’s apprentice.
Devonshire Regiment
cap badge
Territorial Force War MedalEdgar was part of the Teignmouth Territorial group, number 1194, and later was serving with 1/5th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, service number 240155.
He died of wounds on 21 November 1917 and is buried in Deir el Balah Cemetery, Israel & Palestine. Remembered on Seafront Memorial and St. Michael’s Church, Teignmouth, Devon.
Download commemorative certificate (PDF)
Gratuities for the amount of £4.10s.1d were paid to his mother and three brothers, however, Samuel and Leslie requested their gratuities went to their widowed mother Emma who was still living at Vine Cottage Dawlish Road Teignmouth in 1918.
“Mrs Dear of Mere Lane heard that her second son Pte T E Dear of Devonshire Regiment was killed in recent advances on Palestine. Prior to the war he worked for A A Welch of Bank Street. He was in the Teignmouth Territorials and volunteered for service in India. After 28 months he came home on leave for a month and then returned to India, but after six months was transferred to Egypt for operations in Palestine. Mrs Dear has three other sons in service, the eldest in the Devon's and has served in France most of the war. Her third son is in Canadian Expeditionary Force and is presently in hospital in Epsom recovering from illness. The fourth son was in RN but was invalided out; has been recalled up under the Review for General Service Act and is now a signaller with RGA”. Teignmouth Post - 30 November 1917
