THOMAS FOWERAKER

Major 94705

Thomas Austen Foweraker was born in 1906, the son of Harold Austen and M. E. N. Foweraker. His mother ran a small school called “Francis House” in Yealm Road. Little information is available at this time on his early years, but he kept his roots in Newton Ferrers and on 5 January 1940 he married Beulah Mabel Audrey Moore in Holy Cross Church. The family home was at Pheasant Cottage, Membland. Baptism records show a son, “Michael Austin” being christened in Holy Cross Church on 19 October 1941, and another son, Peter, being baptised on 14 November 1943. This was some seven months after his father’s death, and the family home is now given as Elburton.

Thomas Foweraker was commissioned into the Royal Armoured Corps, and in 1943 he was serving with the 145^th Regiment RAC, also known as the 8^th Battalion, The Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment. He was Squadron Leader of “A” Squadron when the Battalion moved from Heveningham Camp in Suffolk to Cumnock in Ayrshire in May 1942.  The Battalion then sailed from Glasgow on 16 March 1943 and disembarked at Bone, the eastern port of Algeria on 25 March.  The Battalion first went into action on 21 April, supporting 24 Guards Brigade in V Corps, as part of First Army’s final Allied offensive to take Tunis. “A” Squadron was initially in reserve, but on 23 April (Good Friday) it was committed to the battle, and ran into a fierce German counter-attack.  Foweraker’s tank was hit by an anti-tank shell, and he was killed instantly on his first day in action aged 27.

His Commanding Officer, Colonel Jackson, paid tribute to him:

“Tommy Foweraker commanded “A” Squadron for several months before we sailed for North Africa in March 1943……he had trained his squadron carefully and methodically and it was good.   On Good Friday….”B” Squadron...were held up and having a difficult time….I had to warn “A” Squadron to move to relieve them.  This was a difficult task….Tommy accepted this cheerfully and willingly.  He moved off and made a perfect take-over.  However, the enemy had decided to counter-attack, using all the tanks they could…”A” Squadron had not been in position more than a few minutes before the attack came.  I was speaking to Tommy during the whole of this battle, which was desperate and fierce.  After a little time Tommy assured me that the battle was going well, when suddenly the wireless cut out.  His tank had been hit and he was killed instantly.  His squadron continued to put up a splendid resistance and suffered heavily in consequence, but it succeeded in holding the counter-attack and thus assured the success of the whole operation.”   

He is remembered with honour at Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery (Plot 11.F.14).