Thomas Ostler: – [Heath 1906–1912]
Tom Ostler fought and died at Messines.
He was born on to William Henry and Anne Ostler of 5 Heath Avenue. His father was secretary of the Halifax Education Committee and his older brother was Alan Ostler. He attended Heath from to . On leaving Heath, he was employed at the West Yorkshire Bank.
Service history: he enlisted in as No. 2512 initially joining the the 2nd/4th West Riding Regiment (Territorial), (described by Halifax Courier as a ‘Pals’ battalion for secondary schools). In he received a commission to become 2nd Lieutenant with the 11th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment.
Fate: he was stationed near Zillibeke in Belgium in the 23rd Division. He was attached to the 89th Trench Mortar battery and was killed in action on .
The unit was part of an operation called the Battle of Messines. This was famous for the largest non-nuclear explosion of all time. 19 mines were exploded from underground tunnels and the operation was a spectacular success. Although overall casualties were slight the unit war diary noted that casualties amongst officers were high. He is buried at the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground (Transport Farm), near Ypres, Belgium.
With thanks to David Millichope