Thomas (Pop) Maloney

 




Thomas Maloney 1890-1959





This Web site is dedicated to our Granddad, Thomas Maloney who was affectionately known to us all as 'Pop' he was truly the most kind, gentle and caring person you could wish to meet, everybody to whom I have ever talked to about him always had something positive to say, I have never heard of anybody not liking him or even having anything negative to say about him, he was a really great person respected by his workmates at the railway and loved by his family and friends alike.


Very sadly my memory of him is quite short as he died when I was young, but I remember mixing his powder's in a glass of water for him, at the time I had no idea what it was or what it was for, I only know that it was 'his medicine', but my Mother has since told me that they were Cephos powders, Nana apparently gave him them for pain relief.


In those days he was a frail man who suffered badly with breathing problems, the after effects of having fallen victim to a German gas attack while in France in 1917, but I remember that in his last few years although being very poorly and confined to a bed in the downstairs parlour he was never cross and was always very appreciative of anything that I or anybody did for him. I remember my mother making him soused herrings and taking them on the bus to him, he really loved them.


When my father Cyril Frank Maloney retired from work he started to write Pop's life story, recalling conversations he had had with Pop and also my Great Uncle Billy, Pop's younger brother William Maloney. They had served together in the RAMC during WW1 and Billy kept a journal of their experiences, which my father has used to help fill in dates, times and places of events during that dreadful war, the journal belongs to Great Uncle Billy's youngest son and my fathers cousin, William Maloney, to whom we are extremely grateful for its use.


My father suffering with failing eyesight, a severe stroke and other more serious complications, has now sadly passed away after spending his last year in a Blackpool nursing home, I am therefore endeavoring to bring all the pieces together to finish the story.


This is a story of someone from a very humble background in Manchester who struggled all his life, he was born into a very poor family, his father died when he was a baby, he was brought up by his Grandparents, he went to war as a young man, enduring some horrendous experience's, he was recognised for his bravery and came home suffering with the terrible effects, that were to last the rest of his life, of a mustard gas attack in the trenches of the Somme, but he went back to work on the railway, raised a family and led a very active but austere life.



I have started by bringing the story (that my Dad has written, in black print) along with some photographs and a few notes and details I have included (in coloured print) together on this website, there is still a lot of detail missing, which I will update as I find it, if anybody is able to help fill in any details, gaps, dates etc or if you can identify any people in the photographs, I would be very pleased to hear from you, I would also be delighted to receive any photographs you might have of people and places mentioned in the story, please get in touch at




keithmaloneyemail (at) gmail.com








also visit Grandad's brothers website at-


http://williammaloney.yolasite.com








also visit my Dads and my Grandad Gleave's website-



http://cyrilfrankmaloney.yolasite.com


http://richardgleave.yolasite.com









Thank you for visiting my website's I hope that you
find them interesting,
Keith Maloney.


































Copyright © Keith Maloney 2010 - 2022


Nana and Pop with young Tom. 

Pop was mentioned for gallantry in 1917. Photo of original above and a copy that Dad has cleaned up.

Egypt 1915

Nana and Pop on Teignmouth Promenade Devon on the 9th July 1950

Pop with my Dad Cyril in 1939.

Nana with my Uncle Tom, about one month old taken in March of 1915 to send to Pop in Eygpt.

Pop outside the house in Dudley Grove.