FORD, Thomas James
| Service Number: | 862 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 25th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Alpha, Queensland, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Townsville, Townsville, Queensland |
| Schooling: | St. Mary's Catholic School, West End, Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Storeman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 14 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Townsville Cenotaph, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 862, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 862, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Brisbane | |
| 12 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 862, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Mooltan embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 12 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 862, 25th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mooltan, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Thomas Ford was an original member of the 25th Battalion and served at Gallipoli from the 4 September 1915. He was evacuated with severe enteric fever a few weeks later and evacuated to Egypt. He was so sick that he was returned to Australia for 3 months change on the 13 December 1915.
He enlisted again by the end of January 1916, only a few weeks after his return to Australia. He was back fighting at Pozieres by mid-August 1916. He was reported missing at Flers, 14 November 1916.
His younger brother, 365 Cpl. Henry Francis Ford, also of the 25th Battalion AIF, was also reported as missing at Pozieres on the 29 July 1916, aged 19.
The two brothers were both declared as killed in action by Courts of Enquiries during August 1917, which was a great shock to their widowed mother, Mrs. Christina Ford of Townsville, Queensland.