Thomas Colin (Tom) WATSON

WATSON, Thomas Colin

Service Number: 4797
Enlisted: 1 October 1915, Lismore, New South Wales
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 20th Infantry Battalion
Born: Werris Creek, New South Wales, Australia, 31 January 1897
Home Town: Lismore, Lismore Municipality, New South Wales
Schooling: Lismore High School, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Clerk
Died: Killed in Action, France, 7 November 1916, aged 19 years
Cemetery: Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval
Plot II, Row B, Grave No. 10,
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Baulkham Hills William Thompson Masonic School War Memorial, Lismore & District Memorial Honour Roll, Sydney United Grand Lodge Honour Roll
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World War 1 Service

1 Oct 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4797, Lismore, New South Wales
13 Apr 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 4797, 20th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: ''
13 Apr 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Corporal, 4797, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney
7 Nov 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4797, 20th Infantry Battalion, 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4797 awm_unit: 20 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-11-07

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Biography contributed by Evan Evans

From François Berthout

Pte 4797 Thomas Colin Watson,
20th Australian Infantry Battalion,
5th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division
 
On the fields of the Somme, from Amiens to Villers-Bretonneux, millions of poppies undulate as far as the eye can see, through them and their petals which open under the sun, live the souls of a whole generation of men who fought with bravery and fell for freedom but who never ceased to live because forever young, they stand proud and silent but present behind their graves which stand in the white and eternal cities through which they walk solemnly among the roses and the poppies, eternal symbols of their lives and their sacrifices, silent witnesses of their courage, of their youth that today we carry with respect and gratitude on our hearts to honor the memory of these young heroes over whom we will always watch so that their names, across the fields of the Somme and beyond, in our hearts and our thoughts live forever.

Today, it is with the utmost respect and the deepest gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these very young men, one of my boys of the Somme who gave his today, his life, his all for our tomorrow.I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 4797 Thomas Colin Watson who fought in the 20th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division, and who was killed in action 105 years ago, on November 7, 1916 at the age of 19 on the Somme front.

Thomas Colin Watson who was affectionately known as "Tom" was born on January 31, 1897 in Werris Creek, New South Wales, and the son of Thomas Henry and Mary Amelia Watson, of 101 Union Street, South Lismore, New South Wales. was educated at Lismore High School, New South Wales and before the outbreak of the war served in School Cadets from the age of 10 then in Senior Cadets (latterly holding a commission), and worked as a clerk. His last known address was Scotia, Union Street, South Lismore, New South Wales.

Thomas enlisted on October 1, 1915 in Lismore, in the 20th Australian Infantry Battalion, 12th Reinforcement, as Acting Corporal and after a period of six months of training, he embarked with his unit from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A40 Ceramic on April 13, 1916 and sailed for England.

Thomas was disembarked in England on June 9, 1916 and was sent to the 5th Training Battalion at Perham Downs, Wiltshire and underwent a period of training on Salisbury Plain. A little over a week later, on June 17, he was severely reprimanded for having used an indecent language in a public place in the hearing of the public then four months later, on September 9, he embarked with his battalion and proceeded oversas for France.

On September 11, 1916, Thomas arrived in France and was disembarked at Etaples where the same day he joined the 2nd Australian Divisional Base and was reverted to the rank of Private and promoted to the rank of Acting Corporal then the following month,on October 2, he joined his battalion near Ypres and was once again reverted to the rank of Private and on October 9 joined Steenvoorde, Poperinghe on October 12, Reninghelst on October 15, Nordpeene on October 18, Zouafques on October 21 and on October 25, were sent to the Somme and arrived at Pont-Remy then marched through Ailly, Ribemont where they bivouacked until November 4 and marched through Mametz, Montauban and on November 7, arrived at Flers, in the front line in the "Switch Trench".

Unfortunately, it was on November 7, 1916 in Flers, while he was joining the Switch Trench that Thomas met his destiny and was instantly killed by a shrapnel in his head, he was 19 years old.

Today Thomas "Tom" Colin Watson rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "He died for freedom."

Thomas, it is in the first moments of a life full of promises, hopes and dreams that with conviction and courage you answered to the call of duty to join your comrades and your brothers in arms to do your bit,your part in the trenches and on the battlefields of the great war for which a whole generation of men gathered around common causes and marched with determination on the soils of northern France, through fields of peaceful poppies which soon, under tons of shells and the bite of fire and steel turned into fields of death swept endlessly by machine guns who spit out the apocalypse under rains of bullets that hit thousands of young men in courageous charges who ran bayonets forward to face their fate in the face of hundreds of mouths of fire and one after another silently dropped their rifles at their feet and fell through the lines of barbed wire which scarified a whole youth on bruised grounds which were only shell holes everywhere in which fought friends and enemies whose blood flowed endlessly under the sun of the Somme who saw so much bravery and sadness that these young men shared during four years of a merciless war which was to end all wars but which marked the bloodiest century in the history of mankind and which mowed down a whole generation of men who served and fought side by side with pride in the trenches many of which died in the mud but who together gave their today for peace and freedom and made their country proud through their courage and dedication, loyalty and sacrifices, they fought shoulder to shoulder in the more beautiful spirit of mateship which allowed them to go through the darkness of war and found in each other the strength to fight and to move forward in what were the darkest hours of history.They were young and came from the other side of the world and fought beyond bravery in France, for a country they knew nothing but that they learned to know and love and for which they fought with all their heart and were deeply admired by their French brothers in arms who described the Australian soldiers as the bravest men in the world who always had a smile and nothing could frighten and no words would be strong enough to express everything they did for us and the love, respect, admiration that we have and always will have for them and for the Australian people with whom we are honored and proud to be bound in an indestructible friendship which was born in the trenches and which, in this darkness, was the hope and the light of our Diggers and our Poilus who fought and fell side by side for the peace in which we live thanks to their unity under fire and together, were stronger than anything.Today, the Australian and French flags fly in the autumn wind at Villers-Bretonneux and at the cathedral of Amiens and in the schools, in gold letters is inscribed since 1918 "Do not forget Australlia", and c it is with these words in my heart that I will always watch over the young Australian soldiers, our sons of France, our children, my boys of the Somme to keep their memories strong and alive and to maintain their stories with care,to bring them back to life with love and gratitude so that their names live forever.Thank you so much Tom,with all my heart and soul,for everything. At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.

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