KELLY, Thomas Joseph
| Service Number: | 369 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | Siege Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | 1897, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Norwood Primary School Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jul 1915: | Involvement Gunner, 369, Siege Artillery Brigade, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 1915: | Embarked Gunner, 369, Siege Artillery Brigade, HMAT Orsova, Melbourne | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 369, 36th Heavy Artillery Group |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Thomas Joseph Kelly was born in Maitland in 1897 to his father Thomas Joseph Kelly and his mother Mary Elizabeth Fleet. They had 13 children in total which included Thomas and two other brothers who also went to war.
Thomas and his family lived at 194 The Parade Norwood. Thomas’ mother Mary operated a wine bar from the from the front part of the property at 194 The Parade opposite the Norwood Town Hall. Today this is the Optometrist next to Betty’s Burgers. Mary later went on to be the first licensee of the Feathers Hotel in Burnside. Thomas and some of his surviving siblings attended the Catholic school in Queen St that later became Saint Ignatius College.
On the 25th of May 1915 at the age of 18, Thomas enlisted as a Gunner at Fort Queenscliff Victoria and was assigned to the Siege Artillery Brigade 55th Battery (later became 36th Heavy Artillery Group). He was allocated Service Number 369 and departed from Melbourne with his Brigade on the ship the Orsova on the 17th July 1915 headed to England and the Western Front.
Thomas’s two older brothers has already enlisted into the army and one brother had already served in the Boer war, he likely felt he should ‘do his bit’ alongside his brothers.
Thomas’ Service statement is for the war is quite detailed. He was not disciplined and was awarded 7 days detention numerous times for inattention on parade, ‘using obscene language to his superior officers’ and drunkenness as well as being absent without leave, once for 45 minutes and once for two days.
Thomas was also invalided on numerous occasions. He contracted a disease on two occasions as well as dysentery twice and was invalided back to England in 1916. Thomas rejoined his Brigade and was later injured by gas attacks and suffered deafness.
As a Gunner, Thomas worked in a team firing 9.2 inch Howitzer guns. These heavy guns fired 16 kg shells 6700 metres. His battery has six of these huge guns which were important in the breaking down of German trench fortifications. They had to build small railways to transport the shells from storage to the guns. Thomas became deafened after getting trapped under a gun during a barrage. His service report states that he recovers from being deafened but he was well known by the wider family to be partially deaf for the rest of his life.
The Siege Artillery Brigade away from the main force of the AIF. They had a small role at the Somme but saw most of their action in Arras, Vimy and Ypres.
Thomas’ service of statement is filled with a record of his poor discipline. He was disobedient and rude and was sentenced to detention numerous times. His service was away from the front lines, but his brigade was a major target and as a result he suffered in gas attacks. It was also dirty, dangerous, loud and hard work and Thomas suffered the from effect of this service for the rest of his life.
We should be careful not to idolise the Anzacs without thought. They were young Australians who joined the AIF for many reasons, but mainly because they thought they were doing the right thing. Not all of them were well behaved but they all made sacrifices that they should be remembered for.