Biography:
Thomas Cunningham Gillespie was born 14 December 1892, the younger son of Thomas Paterson Gillespie and Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Chalmers, of Longcroft, Linlithgowshire, and brother of Second Lieutenant Alexander Douglas Gillespie (College 1903-1908), Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who fell on 25 September 1915 (see individual entry).
He came to Winchester College from Cargilfield School in September 1905 and was in K House, Kingsgate House, one of the founder members of the house. He became a Commoner Prefect, rowed in School IV in 1910 and 1911, was President of Boat Club in his last year, played in Commoner XV and took a leading part in the work of Natural History Society.
Thomas left Winchester in the summer of 1911 for New College, Oxford, and rowed in the College VIII for three years, accompanying them to Stockholm in 1912 for the Olympic Games. He was also a leading member of the University O.T.C. and intended, after taking his degree in 1914, to enter the Regular Army.
He was gazetted to the 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers within a few days of the outbreak of the war and left for the front almost immediately. He served a couple of weeks on the Aisne under continuous shell-fire and then orders were given to try and advance eastwards across the La Bassee Canal. Thomas was killed near La Bassee on 18 October 1914. His body could not be recovered, and with no known grave, he is commemmorated on Panel 15 of the Le Touret Memorial.
A volume of his brother Douglas's Letters from Flanders was published by Smith, Elder, in 1916. It contains a brief memoir of both brothers by the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev. Hubert Burge, Headmaster of the College during Gillespie's time. In it Douglas Gillespie describes his search for the chateau where Tom spent his last night before going into action and his reaction to the news of his death.