Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Family Life

Thomas Balfour Cooper Sard was born on the 27th of November 1892 to Samuel Austin Sard (1860 - 1925) and Barbara Alice (nee Cooper - 1868 - 1950).

Family History

Thomas's father, Samuel, was less than one year old when he had departed from Plymouth, England in 1861 to South Australia with his father Richard William Sard (1827 - 1905) and mother, Deborah (1830 - 1898). After arriving, the family settled in the Port Adelaide Area. Richard had been a rope and sail maker and able seaman prior to immigrating to Australia. The Sard family had been well off and owned "Sard's Ship and Rope Chandlers" factory in Bermondsey, London. The ropes were manufactured and laid out in long rows called "rope walks".

The Sard family also owned a row of rental houses nearby for their factory workers. After the business had been passed down to his older brother, Richard decided to take to the sea and travelled widely including voyages to Sydney and the Dutch East Indies. This was in the decade before deciding to immigrate to South Australia.

In Australia, family life was not easy. Richard and Deborah lived in Dale Street Port Adelaide initially and unfortunately police records show two episodes of domestic violence. Then tragedy struck in 1975 when three of the family's young girls all died in 1875 within 60 days of each other from Scarlet Fever.

On 17 November 1887, at 27 years of age, Samuel Austin Sard married Barbara Alice Cooper in Port Adelaide, South Australia, and they were later residing in Spring Street, Queenstown. Thomas Balfour Cooper Sard was their third born of seven children.

Thomas's father Samuel had a variety of employment during his life and was working at a flourmill where he suffered a broken leg in 1900.

In 1911 his father was fined again for allowing a cow to stray onto the Port-road plantation.

In 1912, Samuel was working as a wharf labourer, when a newspaper reported that he had discovered a dead man.

Thomas's father, by age 65 was working as a ship's cook, however sadly, in October 1925 he is reported to have died on board a ketch returning to Port Adelaide.

Education

Thomas's early schooling was at the Port Adelaide Public School (opened 1878) and in late 1906, age 14, he sat for and passed the Pupil Teachers Examination which allowed him from 1907 to complete his secondary education at the Pupil Teacher's School in Grote Street Adelaide (became Adelaide High School from 1908). Pupil Teachers would act as monitors and assistant teachers while they also had to study and sit for the junior and senior public examinations.

While at Adelaide High School he was a member of the First XV111 Football Team and in 1909 played a match against the old scholars.

Teaching Career and Football

In 1910, he received a promotion while teaching at Kilkenny. That winter, he was playing football with the Portland Imperial Football Club, playing in the SA Football Association. The following year the team merged with Port Adelaide Football Club to become the Port Adelaide II's (Seconds Team).

In the summer of 1911, he was also turning out for the Ethelton Cricket Club.

In 1912, he received an appointment to be “Locum Tenens” as the temporary Head Teacher at the Sutherland’s school, a small country town north of Adelaide, just east of Eudunda.

In May 1912, he was appointed to a provisional teaching position at Kooringabie and Tallala, on the West Coast of SA and was playing tennis for the local team. After a day's tennis in October 1912, he was reported as providing some of the music at the dance. His musical talents seem to be part of his life story as he is often reported as performing at his sporting club socials.

In June 1913, he passed Intermediate Freehand Drawing at the Adelaide School of Art. He also continued playing football with the Port Adelaide Football Club B Grades when they played off against Sturt in the Grand Final in August 1913. Although Port had finished minor premiers they were defeated in both the regular grand final and the challenge final.

The following week he played in an Adelaide High School Old Scholars v Present Scholars match.

Adelaide University Enrolment

In 1913 while still teaching he was also selected to attend the Teachers Training College and was able to take relevant subjects at Adelaide University. In 1913 he was enrolled in the Arts Faculty studying the subject "Education" and passing with a Division III level. In 1914 he was studying and passed Botany.
University Sport

While studying at Adelaide University student, Thomas played two seasons of cricket (1913/14 & 1914/15 in B Grade) and one season of football (1914 in A Grade).

Already recognised as a talented young footballer, he was a good acquisition for the University team and his only season of football for the "Blacks", saw him regularly amongst the best players. His first game was a pre-season trial match against league team North Adelaide.

Later in the year after a fine season he was a member of the victorious 1914 Intervarsity football team and was awarded a Blue that year.

Now an assistant teacher at Hindmarsh School during the 1915 football season, Thomas was no longer eligible to play with University and he returned to his original club, Port Adelaide, where he played two league games. Playing most of his games with the Port Adelaide B Grade, he was a member of their premiership team. In 1916, he played with the Port Adelaide Patriotic League team, before enlisting in October 1916.

World War I Service

Thomas Balfour Cooper Sard's Service Record shows him enlisting on 1st of October 1916, with the commissioned rank of 2nd Lieutenant (Special Draft AIF Officers). He would have been a suitable candidate, having previously had two years experience in the Senior Cadets (between 14 - 18 years of age), and is listed also as having nine months with the AIF, probably undergoing officer training. The "Special Drafts" of suitable men for officer training was in response to shortages of officers on the Western Front, a result of the horrific losses at Gallipoli and in France.

At the time of enlisting for service abroad, Thomas was nearly 24 years of age, 5 ft 5¾ in tall and weighing 146 lbs. He was not married and his mother, Barbara Alice Sard who was living at 4 Park Terrace Eastwood, was listed as his next of kin.

It is unclear from his service records where he was sent initially after enlisting in October 1916 and it was not until the 28th of February 1918, before he embarked for overseas service from the Port of Melbourne on the troop ship HMAT Nestor A71.

Arriving in Liverpool England on the 20th of April 1918, Thomas was sent to the No. 3 School of Instruction for Infantry Officers, Kandahar Barracks at Tidworth in Wiltshire, England. Following his training course, on the 20th of July 1918, he embarked for France from Southampton and arrived at Le Havre on the Normandy coast the following day. Two days later he was assigned to the 32nd Battalion.
Thomas remained in the "Field", until the 14th of December 1918, when he was granted leave in England until Christmas Day after which he re-joined his Unit in France. Thomas had been promoted to Lieutenant on the 27th of September 1918.

Service records do not give details of any action he saw, but some idea comes from the following Extract from Australian War Memorial Reference AWM4/23/49/1-23/49/44.

"Unlike some AIF battalions, the 32nd had a relatively quiet time during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 as the 5th Division was largely kept in reserve. The Allies launched their own offensive with the battle of Amiens on 8 August, in which the 32nd Battalion participated. It was subsequently involved in the operations that continued to press the retreating Germans through August and into September. The 32nd fought its last major action of the war between 29 September and 1 October when the 5th and 3rd Australian Divisions and two American divisions attacked the Hindenburg Line across the top of the 6-kilometre-long St Quentin Canal tunnel; the canal was a major obstacle in the German defensive scheme.

The 32nd was resting and retraining out of the line when the war ended on 11 November 1918. On 8 March 1919, after the gradual repatriation of men to Australia, the remnants of the 32nd Battalion were merged with the 30th Battalion."

Thomas remained in France until late January 1919 and returned to Australia, departing France from the Port of Boulogne and then boarding the HMAT Anchises (A68) at Devonport, England on the 28th of February, arriving in Adelaide on the 11th of April. He was formally discharged to return to civilian life on the 28th of April 1919. He received The British War Medal and The Victory Medal.

After World War 1 - Return to Teaching and Football

On his return from the War Thomas resumed teaching and returned to his football career. The absence in the War years and frequent school transfers would mean he was unable to have a long career at league level. His first appointment after being discharged was at Sturt Street School in Adelaide and during his time there 1919 and 1920 he managed to play 7 games for the Norwood League team. A teaching appointment until July 1920 in Port Pirie also saw him play some games with the Proprietary Football Club and then was able to complete the season with Norwood.

1921, Thomas re-enrolled at Adelaide University, studying and passing Economics. Also, during the winter, he played 7 league games for North Adelaide. Thomas was then appointed to the New Barmera School, which was opened in January 1922. The Education Department could not have made a better choice as its first head teacher.

A newspaper article (see document) titled "A Teacher Loved By Scholars and Parents", shows how well he was thought of by the Barmera community. Thomas took an interest in all the local sports and although now in his early thirties he was still a good footballer and cricketer. While in Barmera, he also developed a keen interest in golf. He involved himself in wider club activities, presenting a musical item (vocal) at a football club social and similarly at a golf club function in 1924. The following article was written at the time "Tom" Sard received a transfer to Nuriootpa in April 1925.

No sooner had he been transferred to the Nuriootpa Higher Primary School, Thomas received notice of his appointment as the head teacher at the upgraded Millicent School.

On the 6th of January 1926, Thomas married Jean Leggat Riddoch, eldest daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Thos. Riddoch of St Peters. Jean was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1906. Thos. Riddoch had been a professional golfer.

Thomas and Jean had three children (all girls), with their first daughter born on the 22nd of November 1926, in Millicent. Thomas stayed involved with football and coached and played for a local team (The Warriors). It would be characteristic of all his school appointments, that he became involved not only in education duties, but also in local sport and community affairs.

In 1928, after three successful years at Millicent, Thomas was transferred back to the Riverland, as Head Teacher at Waikerie Higher Primary School. After the High School was established at Millicent, his position would have been downgraded, so he was relocated to Waikerie to maintain his status. On the 14th of March 1931, daughter number two, was born at Waikerie. He was a vice-president and league delegate for the Waikerie football club.

In 1932, Thomas was appointed Headmaster of the Murray Bridge Primary School. On the 14th of November 1933, Jean and Thomas had their third daughter born at the Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, Murray Bridge.

By 1935, Thomas was acting as Registrar of Murray Bridge Technical School. He was a member of the Murray Bridge Golf Club Pennant team. In January 1937, he returned to Adelaide to be Headmaster of East Adelaide Public School. In August that year he played in the AIF Golf Cup at Kooyonga.

In 1941, after 5 years at East Adelaide School, Thomas was transferred to Black Forrest Primary School. A Police Report of the day then indicates he was living at Somerton South Australia.

By 1943, Electoral Rolls have Thomas and Jean, living at Tarlton Rd Summerlea (later Somerton Pk).

During the 2nd World War, Thomas's younger brother, Samuel Austin Sard enlisted. He had also enlisted in WW1 but was still in the Mitcham Camp at the time of the cessation of hostilities and did not serve overseas. Unfortunately, Samuel was taken prisoner by the Japanese, however he survived and was eventually repatriated to Australia at the end of the War.

Thomas was still Headmaster at Black Forrest Primary School in 1948.

Newspaper records are not available after 1954, however Thomas was still headmaster in April 1954, when he reported the theft of a 16mm projector from the school. He would have been 61 years of age at the time so it would be anticipated that he would have remained at Black Forrest Primary School until retirement.

During his later years, he had moved to New South Wales and in 1968, he is in the NSW Electoral Rolls, living at 46 Ernest St Belmont NSW; probably on holidays and residing with a family member.

His Army Records show that in retirement in 1969, he was living at Flat 6, 22 Sussex St. Glenelg. His records were being sought by the South Australian Branch of the Repatriation Department in connection with an application lodged for repatriation benefits.

Thomas Balfour Cooper Sard passed away in 1971 at the age of 78. He is interred at the Centennial Park Cemetery, Adealide.

Thomas's wife Jean passed away on the 8th of August 1992, aged 86.

Profile added with the permission of the author Rob O'Shannassy.

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project (in the period 2015-2019) please see the document attached.