Tom was born on the 17th March 1884, the eldest son of Edward and Charlotte Carey. He was apprenticed as a Carpenter/Wheelwright to a man called Kelk Miller at Minting, Lincolnshire.

On the 1st August 1916 he enlisted in the Royal Naval Air Service. He was based at RNAS Longside, near  Peterhead in Scotland.

RNAS Longside, was a Airship Station. It`s airships patrolled to the North of Scotland and the North Sea.

Tom was the Petty Officer in charge of the maintenance crew. On the 1st April 1918 the RFC and the RNAS were combined to become the Royal Air Force. RNAS Longside become RAF Longdside. They had their own monthly journal, called the Battlebag: The Longside Journal.

March 1918
P.O.Tom Carey`s salute fascinates us ! We hope he won`t be angry if we tell him that he, quite unconsciously, raises his right foot simultaneously with the arm ! No offence P.O.

June 1918
P.O. Carey
A well known figure on the station. He fills two distinct posts. During the day, he is to be found in his maintenance shop on the port bow of the victualling stores, or else making tours of the station to see if his men are at work on the numberless jobs which fall to a maintenance P.O.

In the evening, he takes his turn "at the bottom" as duty regulating P.O.

Our sketch artist has caught him in a typical pose, even the pencil has not been forgotten !

P.O. Carey takes an active interest in the social functions held at Peterhead for the benefit of the ship`s company and the naval ratings who find themselves doing duty in the eastern port.

May your shadow never grow less, Tom !

He came to Scunthorpe in around 1920. He set up his own business. He had two lorries hauling steel from the local steel works. He later added removals and a taxi service to his business. His head office was at 31 Smith Street, Scunthorpe, in the front room. By 1938 he had 4 removal vans, and two flat bed lorries.

He would do the taxi service himself. He would take people on holiday. He would take a family to Blackpool one Saturday and pick them up the following Saturday. If he had two bookings it was not unknown for him to do the trip to Blackpool twice in a day. A 268 mile round trip, and before the days of motorways.

On 1st August 1940, Tom got married to Louisa Ann Millson, a widow who lived on East Common Lane. They were married at Scunthorpe Register Office and they had there reception at the Wortley Hotel.

Tom`s wife died in 1955, and Tom himself passed away on 21st October 1958, at Scunthorpe Hospital.

I`d like to thank A.Taylor of Scunthorpe for the photo of Tom`s wedding, and the Fleet Air Museum for cartoon of Tom.