A headstone has been erected at the grave of Thomas Cummins, a Lurgan man who served in the First World War and played for Glenavon Football Club. Cummins died in 1919 from tuberculosis contracted during his military service and was buried in Lurgan Cemetery without a headstone.

Cummins, born in 1892, enlisted in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion of the Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1910 at age 17. He later transferred to the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers and sailed to France in August 1914, serving on the Western Front until December 1915.

He was among the pre-war soldiers known as "Old Contemptibles" who served in the opening months of the war. Cummins took part in major engagements including Le Cateau, the First Battle of the Marne, and the First and Second Battles of Ypres.

After returning to Britain due to illness, Cummins joined the 6th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers and served in Salonika with the 10th (Irish) Division. He contracted tuberculosis in March 1917 and was evacuated to Britain in July that year. He was discharged from the army on 3 September 1917 as medically unfit.

His medical board recorded that he was "a man of the highest character; served his country well and suffered in health in consequence." His illness was attributed to "active service, exposure and hardship."

Cummins died on 3 March 1919 at his mother's residence on Hill Street in Lurgan. He was buried in plot D332 of Lurgan Cemetery. His military medals, including the 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, were sent to his next of kin.

Glenavon records Cummins as one of thirteen players and officials connected to the club who died as a result of the Great War. His brother Moses Cummins, also a Glenavon player, was killed in action in France in July 1915.

A request to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to mark Thomas Cummins's grave was made on 13 August 2019. The headstone was erected on 26 May 2026, bearing the emblem of the Royal Irish Fusiliers and the inscription "10717 PRIVATE T. CUMMINS ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS 3RD MARCH 1919".

Below the cross are the lines: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Glenavon continues to remember the thirteen players and officials who died in the First World War, and Thomas Cummins now has a marked grave after 107 years.