ROPER, Thomas

Thomas Roper was the son of Thomas and Hannah Roper of 20 Engine Lane, Lye. He enlisted in the Worcesters and was then transferred to the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner. He served in C Battery, 84th Brigade, which was with the 18th Division in Artois. In 1918 it faced the first German Spring offensive of the 21st March. The artillery was crucial in any attempt to halt the German advance but the German barrage had given priority to counter-battery fire. The British artillery suffered great losses and among them was Gunner Thomas Roper who was killed in action on the first day. He was 28 years of age and is commemorated on the Loos, Lye and Wollescote and Lye church Memorials.