Tom Cobb One Man’s Service In The Marines

A former footman from Essex achieved the rank of colour sergeant during an eventful two decades

Tom Cobb was born in Canning Town in Essex in 1882. As a teenager, he worked in a London household as a footman but it wasn’t the role he really wanted. As soon as he turned 18, he applied to join the Royal Marines in London. He was successful and started as a private in the Royal Marines Light Infantry on 1 August 1900.

At Deal in Kent, some deficits in his schooling were addressed via classroom teaching, but Tom’s military training began too. In his first year he received field training, and learned skills such as how to use a rifle. He met the service requirement for swimming proficiency, and was taught how to fire a ship’s gun. His progress was rapid, and within three years he was promoted to corporal.

Tom became an expert in gunnery, and also trained other marines in swimming and gymnastics. In 1909 he reached the rank of sergeant. In 1911 he married Lilian Shepherd,

and the following year when his 12 years of service expired he re-enlisted.

In 1914, shortly after the First World War broke out, Tom was sent to Ostend but was captured by the Germans at the Siege of Antwerp and spent four years in a prisoner-of-war camp at Döberitz, near Berlin. The photograph here was taken in the camp.

After returning home, he received his war medals and a long service good conduct medal, and was promoted to colour sergeant. Yet in 1919 Tom suffered an injury which invalided him out of the service.