LAKE, Thomas
| Service Numbers: | 6784, W75553 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 July 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 15th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) |
| Born: | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, 24 July 1898 |
| Home Town: | Trafalgar, Kalgoorlie/Boulder, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Merredin, Western Australia, 3 November 1991, aged 93 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Merredin Cemetery, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Boulder Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6784, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6784, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Argyllshire, Fremantle | |
| 9 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6784, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Jun 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 6784, 11th Infantry Battalion, embarked England for Fremantle on board HT Somali | |
| 15 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 6784, 11th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 23 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant, W75553 | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , W75553, 15th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) | |
| 5 Jul 1944: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , W75553, 15th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Lance Corporal Thomas Lake (Service No:6784) enlisted in the AIF on 21 July 1916 as a Private with 80 Depot Battalion, and on 9 November 1916 was attached to 11th Infantry Battalion when he embarked with his Unit from Fremantle for Devonport on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire. Promoted to Lance Corporal on 12 January 1919, he embarked from England for Fremantle on 1 June 1919 on board HT Somali, and was attached to 11th Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 15 August 1919. Lieutenant Lake served in WWII with the Volunteer Defence Corps - 15th (WA) Battalion - from 23 April 1942 to 5 July 1944.
Tommy was born in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1898 (BDM NSW Reg No:26940/1898), second of four children of James Lake (b1870 in Durham, England) and his first wife Margaret (Maggie) Ann Jones (b1873 in Glamorgan, Wales). James was a Miner in 1888, arriving in New South Wales on board the Austral, and Maggie arrived in Adelaide, South Australia in 1881 on board the Collingrove. James and Maggie married in Wickham, New South Wales in 1895, and moved to the Western Australian Goldfields with their two sons in the early 1900s. James was a Miner at Trafalgar via Boulder in 1906 when Maggie died. He remained at Trafalgar until 1916, when he remarried to Elizabeth Barnes (nee Hardcastle; b1865 in Lancashire, England) - Elizabeth (a Widow) had immigrated in 1902, arriving in Fremantle with her children on board the Oruba. Her first husband was killed in a mine accident in Collie in 1905. James and Elizabeth settled in Collie, where James worked as a Miner until his death in 1939.
Tommy worked as a Labourer at Traflagar, and served in the Senior Cadets (84th Battalion) before enlisting in the AIF in 1916. Following his Discharge, Tommy settled in Merredin, where he worked as a Labourer and Barman, and in 1923 married his first wife Hilda Isabell Jenkins (b1899 in Wagerup, Western Australia). Tommy and Hilda divorced in 1936, and in 1938 Tommy remarried to Gwendoline (Gwen) Agnes O'Connor (b1910 in Narrogin, Western Australia) - Gwen was a Dressmaker in Northam. Tommy and Gwen settled in Merredin, where they raised their family and Tommy was an Auctioneer, Hardware Merchant/Storekeeper and Agent, and Petrol Station Owner. Tommy died in 1991 and Gwen in 1993.
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