Thomas Herbert ELLIS

ELLIS, Thomas Herbert

Service Numbers: 2349, V4508
Enlisted: 7 May 1915
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 7th Infantry Battalion
Born: Mortlake, Victoria, Australia, 20 May 1887
Home Town: Mortlake, Moyne, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Drover
Died: Victoria, Australia, 24 September 1951, aged 64 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne
Memorials:
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World War 1 Service

7 May 1915: Enlisted
7 May 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2349, 7th Infantry Battalion
16 Jul 1915: Involvement Private, 2349, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: ''
16 Jul 1915: Embarked Private, 2349, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne
23 Jul 1916: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2349, 7th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , GSW left shoulder
21 Jan 1918: Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 7th Infantry Battalion
7 Jul 1918: Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 7th Infantry Battalion
9 Aug 1918: Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 2349, 7th Infantry Battalion, The Battle of Amiens, GSW to left ankle
14 Jun 1919: Discharged AIF WW1, Corporal, 2349, 7th Infantry Battalion, 3rd MD

World War 2 Service

19 Jul 1940: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, V4508

Help us honour Thomas Herbert Ellis's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Evan Evans

From David Ellis

105 years ago today the battle at Pozières in France was raging with the AIF heavily involved. 

LCpl Thomas Ellis of the 7th Battalion AIF was also involved in battle on this day and was wounded in the shoulder. A letter he wrote home (see documents), which was then published in a local newspaper is included here.

I have always been intrigued at the tone of his letter it is quite different to how we think the men must of felt after the sights, sounds and smells they endured. I assume it is was intended to cheer up his family back home in Western Victoria as by this time there were three Ellis brothers (Thomas, Percy and Abel) in France and another (Bill) at Broadmeadows camp.

This wound kept Tom in England until 1917 when he returned to his unit and fought right through to the end of the war. He was again wounded in action at Lihon Wood in 1918. After the war he was active in the 7th Battalion Association. He passed in 1951.

Another of David Ellis' relations, Pte John (Jack) Brown SERN 3729 of the 5th Battalion AIF was in the thick of this fighting and sadly was killed in action, unlike many soldiers who were wounded, killed or posted as missing in action there is no Red Cross statement on file as to how he met his fate.

In the pictures below you will see the field in which Jack was exhumed from (and believed to have died in), the trench map of this area (dated 08/08/1916, this date will come up again), the record of his exhumation by the Canandian War Graves Unit and his final resting place in the Pozières British Cemetery.



As many who become involved in researching family history would know there are many coincidences in life. One that pertains to this story is that I have two sons....Tom and Jack, both were named before I knew anything of our family history.

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Biography

Thomas had 3 brothers who served:
Abel Ellis SN 3976A 14th Btn
Percival Augustine Ellis SN 1736 14th Btn
William Donald Ellis SN 7479 6th Btn