Friends of the Somme - Mid Ulster Branch  
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Updates for Staff Surgeon Thomas Dickson Liddle
Date Information
05/04/2024
05/04/2024
07/08/2018
07/08/2018 From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 10th April 1915:
07/08/2018 LIDDLE – 2nd April, on board H.M.S. Thames (suddenly), Staff Surgeon Thomas Dickson Liddle, Royal Navy, youngest son of the late Edward Liddle, of Cookstown.
07/08/2018 From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 10th April 1915:
07/08/2018
07/08/2018 The many friends of the family of the late Mr Edward Liddle of Cookstown were shocked tom, learn of the death of his youngest son, Dr T D Liddle, which took place on Friday. Being staff surgeon on one of the vessels of the Mediterranean Fleet, it was assumed that he had been killed or wounded in the operations at the Dardanelles, but this was not the case. For some time he was indisposed, but his illness was not regarded as sufficiently serious to acquaint his brothers, the first intimation they received being of his death, which took place on board the vessel at Sheerness. Dr Liddle was educated at the Academy and took his medical course at in Queens College, Belfast, graduating in the Royal University with the triple degrees of M.B., B.Ch. and B.A.O. in 1904. He decided to join the Royal Navy and in the entrance examination he took second place, and was appointed to the Mediterranean Fleet. For a couple of years he was cruising about and had an opportunity of visiting all the important cities along the Mediterranean, including Constantinople where, with the other officers of the Fleet, he was entertained by the Sultan of Turkey. Returning to England, he spent a number of years at the Royal Navy Hospital at Haslar. He was then sent to the Australian station, where he saw a good deal of the Antipodes. Accompanying an expedition to the Pacific Islands with Sir H May, the Governor of Fiji, he nearly lost his life, as the party was attacked by the natives on one of the islands and a bullet passed close to his head. On his return to England he was promoted to the rank of Staff-Surgeon, and was appointed to H.M.S. New Zealand. In 1913 he was transferred to H.M.S. Thames, the depot ship of the Submarine Fleet stationed at Sheerness, where he was when he died.
07/08/2018 Arrangements were made by his brother, Mr Robert Liddle, solicitor of Kilrea, to have him interred in Co0kstown, but the Admiralty decided to inter his body at Sheerness.
27/11/2017 Staff Surgeon Thomas Dickson Liddle died on 2nd April 1915.
27/11/2017 The 1901 census lists Thomas as age 21, boarding at house 83 in Rugby Avenue, Belfast, not far from Queens University.
27/11/2017 Thomas Liddle was born on 23rd January 1879 in Cookstown. He was the youngest of seven sons, all born in Cookstown.
27/11/2017 Known family: Edward Liddle, Eliza Liddle, Robert Liddle (born 21st May 1866), James Liddle (born 5th March 1869), Unknown male Liddle (born 31st May 1871), Edward Liddle (born 2nd March 1873), William Liddle (born 26th September 1875), Henry Liddle (born 18th April 1877), Thomas Liddle (born 23rd January 1879).
27/11/2017 Thomas’ father, who was also a doctor, worked for a time at Hungerford Road, Crewe, England.
27/11/2017 Edward Liddle died in Cookstown on 12th November 1899. He was 69 years old.
27/11/2017 The 1901 census does not list Thomas as living with the family at house 13 in James Street, Cookstown. His mother was a widow and the Liddle family had a hardware shop in the town.
27/11/2017 Thomas Dixon Liddle was the youngest son of Edward and Eliza Liddle. Edward Liddle and Elizabeth Crothers were married on 13th June 1865 in the district of Cookstown.
27/11/2017 Thomas passed his surgical exams at Queens University on 23rd November 1903 and immediately joined the Admiralty.
27/11/2017 His brother was a doctor and practised at Market Street, in Portadown.
27/11/2017 Eight years later, on 23rd November 1911, Thomas became a Staff Surgeon.
27/11/2017
27/11/2017 Staff Surgeon Thomas Liddle’s last ship was H.M.S. Thames, which he joined on 7th January 1913. HMS Thames as submarine depot ship.
27/11/2017 There were extenuating circumstances which called for a post mortem to be held. The results of the post mortem were read by Staff Surgeon Hughes. The cause of death was given as morphia poisoning, self administered, but whether by intent or misadventure, there was insufficient evidence to prove.
27/11/2017 Thomas was interred in Sheerness (Isle of Sheppey) Cemetery, Kent, England.
27/11/2017 The CWGC record Staff Surgeon-Thomas Dickson Liddle as the son of Edward Liddle and Eliza Liddle of Cookstown, County Tyrone.
27/11/2017 Over the years Thomas worked on many different ships and had at least two spells in Haslar Hospital.
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