NAYLOR, Thomas Christopher
| Service Number: | 2867 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Eidsvold, Queensland, Australia, 26 June 1893 |
| Home Town: | Bundaberg, Bundaberg, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Bundaberg State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Surveyors Assistant |
| Died: | Killed in action, Dernancourt, France, 5 April 1918, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension Plot X, Row H, Grave No. 20. ALSO IN MEMORY OF ARTHUR WILLIAM H. NAYLOR E. KENT REGT. THE BUFFS MISSING MAY 28TH 1915 |
| Memorials: | Lutwyche St. Andrew's Anglican Church Lynch Gate, Maryborough State High School Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2867, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2867, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ayrshire embarkation_ship_number: A33 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2867, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ayrshire, Sydney | |
| 25 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 24 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 5 Apr 1918: | Involvement Lieutenant, 49th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1918-04-05 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Thomas Christopher Naylor was the son of William Addison Naylor and Jessie Naylor, of Brisbane, Queensland.
His brother, who was in America when the war started, rushed to Britain and enlisted. G/5059 Corporal Arthur William Hurworth Naylor 2nd Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) was killed in action on 28 May 1915, on his 26th birthday.
Thomas enlisted soon after his brother’s death in June 1915, and when he arrived in Egypt in early 1916, he was transferred to the 49th Battalion. He was a good soldier, a was promoted to Corporal then Sergeant before he was wounded at Mouquet Farm on 3 September 1916. He was evacuated to England with severe gunshot wounds to his right arm and buttock.
He rejoined his unit at the front in June 1917 and within two months was promoted to Second Lieutenant. He was congratulated by the 4th
Division Commander for obtaining very satisfactory reports at an Infantry Course at the 1st Anzac Corps School. He was promoted to Lieutenant at Christmas 1917.
Thomas Naylor was killed in action during a counter attack by the 49th Battalion at Dernancourt on 5 April 1918. He was seen to be killed by machine gun fire whilst moving about to check the position of men on his left flank. One witness, Private Allard, stated that Naylor “was one of the finest chaps one could possibly have for an officer.” Another, Private Tilghman, said “he was a very good sort, one of the best officers in the line.”
His mother, Jessie Naylor, signed Thomas’s Roll of Honour form, “The proud and sorrowful mother of two splendid sons”.
She also included “His elder brother Authur W H Naylor living in America when War was declared joined an English Regiment to save time and was killed on his 26th birthday May 28th 1915 at Ypres, he was with East Kent Buffs.”
Most of Thomas Naylor’s personal effects were lost when the ship transporting them to Australia, the S.S. Barunga, was sunk by a German submarine.
His remains were found in an isolated grave near Dernancourt in 1920 and reinterred in the Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension. His mother, Jessie Naylor, was quite determined to have Thomas’s grave inscribed with the details of his missing brother, despite some opposition from the authorities.
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