Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Michael and Ursula McCarthy. He was killed in action at Bailleul, France.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday November 24th, 1916

LOCAL CHIT CHAT

Mr T. F. McCarthy, son of Mr M. McCarthy, C.C., of New Swannington, has been given a commission in the army, having been gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal North Lancashire Regiment. He enlisted in the Artist’s Rifles in December last year, and has been in training at Oswestry. Mr M. McCarthy, who is the County Councillor for the Whitwick Division, and a member of the Coalville Tribunal, has four sons serving in the army.

Coalville Times article - Friday September 21st, 1917

MILITARY CROSS WINNER

Lieutenant T. F. McCarthy, of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, is the second officer from the Coalville district to be awarded the Military Cross, the first having been Capt. F. Scott, son of Mr W. V. Scott, Coalville L & N.W. stationmaster.

Lieutenant McCarthy is the youngest of the eleven sons of Mr Michael McCarthy, C.C. of New Swannington, four of whom are serving in the Forces. He was formerly articled to Mr R. A. Loseby, solicitor, of Leicester, and joined the Artists Rifles immediately after passing his intermediate law examination, being gazetted to his present regiment on receiving his commission. He spent his 21st birthday last March in the trenches. He was slightly wounded in the arm during the attack in which he so distinguished himself and was recently at home on leave. The gallant officer and also his father, well-known in the public life of the urban district and county, have received the hearty congratulations of many friends.

Coalville Times article - Friday February 1st, 1918

WHITWICK OFFICER’S BRAVERY

DEEDS WHICH WON THE MILITARY CROSS

Particulars are to hand of the deeds for which 2nd Lieutenant Thaddeus Francis McCarthy, of the North Lancashire Regiment was awarded the Military Cross. The official record states: “When in charge of the battalion carrying and ration parties, he carried out his work with the greatest coolness and ability, and although by reason of the heavy shell-fire, it was of a most arduous and dangerous nature. It was due to his exertions and personal supervision that rations arrived regularly. On another occasion during an attack, he led his men forward with great coolness, setting a fine example to those around him. He afterwards took over and re-organised another company whose officers had all become casualties.”

2nd Lieutenant T. F. McCarthy is the youngest son of Mr Michael McCarthy, of New Swannington, a member of the Coalville Urban Council, and representative of the Whitwick Division on the Leicestershire County Council. The gallant young officer, before joining the army, was articled to Mr R. A. Looseby, a Leicester solicitor. He is 22 years of age.

Coalville Times article - Friday April 26th, 1918

LOCAL CASUALTIES

Mr Michael McCarthy, C.C., chairman of the Coalville Urban Council, and Mrs McCarthy, of New Swannington, on Wednesday received a telegram from the War Office conveying the sad intelligence that their youngest son, 2nd Lieutenant T. F. McCarthy, of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, was killed in action in France on April 14th. He was 22 years of age, and about six months ago was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in action. Before the war, he was articled to Mr R. A. Loseby, solicitor of Leicester, and joined up at the age of 20, after passing his intermediate law examination.

COALVILLE TRIBUNAL

The chairman said that before they commenced the business he would like to move a vote of sympathy and condolence with one of the members of the Tribunal, Mr M. McCarthy, who had received word that his son, Lieut. T. F. McCarthy, had been killed in action. A few months ago he was awarded the Military Cross, being a fine young man who he (the chairman) knew personally and it was a very severe blow to the family. He asked the members to accord a vote of sympathy with Mr and Mrs McCarthy and the family in their great bereavement. This, the members did in silence by rising from their seats.

Coalville Times article - Friday May 10th, 1918

THE LATE LIEUT. T. F. McCARTHY, M.C.

At the Holy Cross Church on Tuesday morning, a requiem mass was held for the late Lieut. T. F. McCarthy, M.C., recently killed in action. The service, of a simple character, was conducted by the Rev. M. J. O’Reilly, assisted by the Rev. J. Degan, of Coalville, and was attended by a large congregation. The Holy Cross School children, assisted by the boarders from the Ursuline Convent, Coalville, sang hymns.

COALVILLE URBAN COUNCIL

The chairman referred in suitable terms to the death in action of Lieut. T. F. McCarthy, and moved a vote of sympathy and condolence with Mr McCarthy (the chairman of the Council) and Mrs McCarthy in their bereavement, which the members silently carried by rising from their seats.

Coalville Times article - Friday May 21st, 1920

THRINGSTONE WAR MEMORIAL

UNVEILED BY COL. BOOTH AT THE PARISH CHURCH

A beautiful stained-glass window has been placed in St. Andrew’s Church, Thringstone, in memory of men from the parish who fell in the war, together with a brass tablet bearing all the names, and the unveiling was performed by Col. T. Booth at a special service last Sunday afternoon, when there was a crowded congregation, which included many relatives of the deceased soldiers.

The service was impressively conducted by the Vicar (the Rev. C. Shrewsbury) and opened with the singing of the hymn, “There is a Land of pure Delight.” Other hymns sung were, “O God our help in ages past,” “The Saints of God,” and “For all the Saints,” also the psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

The window, which faces the church entrance, depicts St. Alban, the first British martyr to die for the Christian faith, and inscribed, “Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his life’s end.”

The tablet by the side of the window bears the inscription, “To the greater glory of God, and in memory of the following who from this parish and congregation have given their lives for their country in the great war 1914 – 1919, this window is dedicated by the congregation and parishioners of St. Andrew’s.”

Here are 27 names, as follows:

1914
Pte. T. Jones, Durham Light Infantry.
1915
Pte. E. Hall, Leicestershire
Corp’l W. E. Moore, R.G.A.
Pte. I. Hall, Leicestershire
1916
Pte. E. Howe, Leicestershire
Sapper E. Robinson, Royal Engineers
Pte. L. Whitmore, Leicestershire
Pte. T. Squires, Leicestershire
Pte. M. Grainger, Leicestershire
1917
Pte. F. B. Bowler, Royal Dublin Fusiliers
Pte. R. Freeman, Leicestershire
Sapper H. Briers, Royal Engineers
A. J. Turner, telegraphist, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Pte. J. Squires, Leicestershire
Pte. L. Haywood, Scottish Rifles
Corp’l W. Sykes, Leicestershire
Pte. T. Bailey, Royal Scots
1918
Corp’l J. Bancroft, Leicestershire
Rfn. G. W. W. Howe, Rifle Brigade
Pte. J. Gee, York and Lancaster
2nd Lieut. T. F. McCarthy, Loyal North Lancashire
Pte. S. R. Dring, Leicestershire
J. T. Fortnam, Able Seaman, Royal Naval Division
L.-Corp’l A. Griffin, Sherwood Foresters
Pte. J. Morley, Suffolk
Pte. H. Freeman, Leicestershire
Pte. H. Lakin, Leicestershire

At the foot appear the words: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Having unveiled the memorial, Col. Booth proceeded to the other end of the church and from the chancel steps addressed the congregation as follows:

“My friends, I have been entrusted with the very solemn, but to me, the very proud duty, of coming here to address you, the members of this congregation on the subject of the memorial, that beautiful brass tablet which I have just had the honour to unveil, and I can assure you all that I am fully alive to the responsibility which that has involved upon me, and I am also very appreciative of the honour which it has imposed upon me. I am sure that as you heard those names read out, you could not fail to have been impressed, as I was, with the fact that these precious lives came from every class and from all ranks. What you may not have realised altogether is the width and scope of their sacrifice. I will try to explain what I mean. Reading out those names, I first find mention of men who went out at the start, in 1914, to help to stem the first wild onslaught of the Germans before we were ready; when everything was unprepared. Think of that. Then we pass on to other names of men who gave their lives in 1915, in those dull days in the trenches, when everything seemed dark, and when we appeared to be hammering our heads against a stone wall. Then I find more names in 1916, men who died in the great Battle of the Somme, which lasted for many weeks, but in which their services were rewarded by the first ray of hope which seemed to come to the nation. Then more names I find in 1917, men who took part in those hammering blows which we may regard as the period during which the war reached its height, when the storm seemed to be at its worst. Then in those terrible days in the early spring of 1918, I find more names, when the nation strained well-nigh to breaking point in her brave endeavour to stave off the last despairing effort of the Germans to overwhelm us on the soil of France. Lastly, and to me the most pathetic of all, are some few names of men who fell just as the dawn was breaking, a few days before the Armistice. Well, I have given a brief account of how those names covered that scope I spoke of at first. What then do we owe these men? I do not know whether you, or I, or anybody can yet appreciate the magnitude of that debt, but certain it is, we can never repay. What are we to do then – what must we do? Well, I think we must see to it that these men are never forgotten; that their names are never forgotten. This beautiful brass tablet and memorial window are the proof we intend to give that they shall not be forgotten. I think we must do more than this; we must see that we explain to the new generation that is coming on – explain to them what this tablet means; show them the names, and as they get older and more able to understand, explain to them what it stands for, what we really owe to these men; that we owe to them the peaceful possession of our houses, the freedom of the countryside to-day, the honour of our women and the safety of our little children. I think that is the duty for us in the future, and they will carry it on long after we are no more. Then, finally, I want to say a word to the members of this congregation who are relatives of the fallen. I know that nothing I can say is any real comfort; nothing that anybody can say is of any real comfort; but it may afford you some consolation to know that we, your fellow countrymen, are determined that the names of those beloved ones are not forgotten, and that brass tablet and window stand for all time as a witness to the noble and unselfish example of those brave souls, and I hope when you leave this church after this beautiful service, that you will feel as I do, and as all this congregation do I am sure, that their sacrifice has not been in vain.”

After the Benediction, the service closed with the singing of the National Anthem.

Research undertaken and submitted (including photograph from Coalville Times) by Andy Murby 18/10/2017