SHEEHAN, Thomas
| Service Number: | 453 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 November 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 5th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Killarney Queensland, Australia, January 1891 |
| Home Town: | Killarney, Southern Downs, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Illness - war related, Atherton, Queensland, Australia, 4 October 1929 |
| Cemetery: |
Atherton Rockley Road Cemetery Anglican, Row B, Plot 26 |
| Memorials: | Killarney War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Nov 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 453, 5th Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 453, 5th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Vestalia embarkation_ship_number: A44 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 453, 5th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Vestalia, Sydney | |
| 25 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Trooper, 453, 5th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW to mouth and hand severe Invalided to Australia | |
| 29 Mar 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Trooper, 453, 5th Light Horse Regiment, 1st MD, wounding Gallipoli |
Help us honour Thomas Sheehan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From: The Digger Stories Podcast
Trooper 453 Thomas Sheehan was wounded while spotting for Billy Sing. He was a single labourer from Killarney, Qld born in 1891. He returned home on New Years Day 1916, after being wounded and sick with enteric fever. He tried to re-enlist in 1917 as Thomas Gibson. He failed to turn up to the Brisbane Drill Hall when required and instead was caught in company with a man begging according to biographer, John Hamilton. He was fined £11 for failing to report, using obscene language, yes the ‘F’ word and making a false statement. He was discharged in early 1918.
Hamilton didn’t have the luxury of Ancestry.com or Trove when he wrote his book and found nothing about Thomas after this. Now I can tell you that his sad tale continued. He was found dead on the roadside at Atherton, Qld on 4 October 1929. The autopsy found that he had died of acute alcoholism, cerebral congestion and coma.
There is absolutely no doubt it was him, as the coroner noted he had 2 fingers missing and a scar on his forehead. Thomas is buried at Atherton Rockley Road Cemetery.
Listen to a podcast episode on Billy Sing on your favourite podcast app or here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/.../Episode_6.4_Billy_Sing...
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