THOMAS, Alfred Clarence
| Service Numbers: | 6909, 6909A, 6996 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 July 1917, Melbourne, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Clunes, Victoria, Australia, 24 July 1896 |
| Home Town: | Clunes, Hepburn, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Clunes State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Hairdresser |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 May 1918, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Clunes War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Jul 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6909, 22nd Infantry Battalion, Melbourne, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Nov 1917: | Involvement Private, 6909A, 22nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Nov 1917: | Embarked Private, 6909A, 22nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne | |
| 19 May 1918: | Involvement Private, 6996, 22nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6996 awm_unit: 22 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-05-19 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Pte 6996 Alfred Clarence Thomas enlisted in the AIF on his 21st birthday.
He was taken on strength of the 22nd Battalion in France on 20 April 1918 and killed in action only a month later during the 6th Brigade's attack at Ville sur Ancre on 19 May 1918.
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
Alfred Clarence Thomas enlisted in the AIF in Melbourne on 24 July 1917, his 21st birthday.
He embarked overseas on 21 November 1917 and eventually arrived in Southampton, England on 2 February 1918, after stopovers in both Egypt and Taranto, Italy on the way.
He joined the 6th (Brigade) Training Battalion at Fovant Camp in Wiltshire the same day, where he was also promoted to acting Lance Corporal and issued with the new service no. 6996 due to duplication.
On 15 April 1918, he reverted to Private and embarked for France. He arrived there two days later and was immediately marched out and taken on strength of the 22nd Battalion, in the field near Lavieville, on 20 April 1918.
One month later the 22nd Battalion took part in the 6th Brigade’s successful attack and capture of the village of Ville sur Ancre, and it was here on 19 May 1918 that Pte Alfred Clarence Thomas was killed in action.
He was buried nearby at the time however the location of his grave was subsequently lost, and he has no known grave.
He is remembered on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.
Source: Extract from "Clunes War Memorial WW1" by Robert Wight, June 2022.