He was educated at Sheffield Collegiate School and at Neuwied in Germany.

[1] He worked in the family business of Naylor Vickers & Co.[1] Tom Vickers, together with his brother Albert [la], took over the business in the 1850s.

[2] Tom developed the firm into a leading steel casting business using the German Riepe process and in 1867 it was incorporated as Vickers, Sons & Co Limited with himself as Chairman.

[2] Tom Vickers lived at Bolsover Hill and became Commanding Officer of the Hallamshire Rifles in 1871 and Master Cutler in 1872.

[3] He handed over the chairmanship of the company to Albert Vickers in 1909 and died in London in 1915.