Thomas Ward, son of Master Mariner, Thomas, and Bessie Ward (nee Elizabeth Inkster), was born in the Shetland Isles in 1889. The family moved to South Shields shortly after, and Thomas Jnr attended the High School from 1901 to 1904.

On leaving school he trained to be a teacher, and taught at Westoe Secondary School, so he appears on both schools' Rolls of Honour.

He signed up with the Northumberland Fusiliers, but not much is known about his army career. Although various records show that he died as a Lieutenant, the school's record shows that he was a Captain.

He was killed on 11-Jun-1916 at Albert, in the Somme, by a rifle grenade, and is buried in the Becourt Military Cemetery, just east of Albert.