Thomas Northcote

Thomas Northcote was born in the Salford suburb of Pendleton, and between the ages of 14 and 16 attended Manchester Grammar School but, by his own admission, he was not an academic. Encouraged by his brother Horace, he joined the 6th Manchester Territorials in 1911, just three months after his 17th birthday. Northcote saw service in Egypt and Gallipoli, and in 1915 was injured in the Dardanelles during the Gallipoli Campaign, and was hospitalised in Malta before returning to Manchester. After a series of operations, one of his legs was one-and-a-half inches shorter than the other, and in March 1916 Northcote was pensioned out of the Manchesters. He then returned to his job as a commercial traveller with his father’s firm selling women’s clothing.

At the time of joining the Territorial Army, Northcote was interested in wrestling, but his brother Horace converted him to rifle shooting and the pair shot together at Bisley on many occasions in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Thomas appeared in the final of the King’s Prize ten times between 1921-46, while Horace reached the final nine times. Internationally, Thomas represented England 12 times in the National Match at Bisley against Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The two siblings appeared together in it on eight occasions, and a further seven times together in the Mackinnon Cup match.