Thomas Frederick SEWELL

Thomas Frederick SEWELL Update Details

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SEWELL, Thomas Frederick

Service Number:	1634
Enlisted:	29 January 1916, Bathurst, New South Wales
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	45th Infantry Battalion (WW1)
Born:	Judd's Creek, New South Wales, 1895
Home Town:	Portland, Lithgow, New South Wales
Schooling:	Mount David Public School
Occupation:	Miner
Died:	Died of wounds, France, 12 June 1917
Cemetery:	Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension (Nord), Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France
Memorials:	Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bathurst War Memorial Carillon, Portland District War Memorial

World War 1 Service

29 Jan 1916:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1634, Bathurst, New South Wales
14 Apr 1916:	Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1634, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: ''
14 Apr 1916:	Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1634, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Sydney
12 Jun 1917:	Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1634, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Battle of Messines

Thomas Frederick Sewell of 45th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement.

Thomas Frederick Sewell of 45th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement, killed in action at the Battle of Messines June 12, 1917

On June 12 2017, it marked 100 years since Thomas Frederick Sewell was killed in action in the trenches at the battle of Messines, aged just 21 years. Thomas was born at Judd's Creek, New South Wales and went to school at Mount David Public School, New South Wales. He was of Roman Catholic religion. His occupation was miner. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal

He lived at Payne Street in Portland, New South Wales. His parents were, Henry Joseph Sewell and Elizabeth Alice Haywood. Thomas left Australia on the “SS Geramic” on 14-4 1916 . Also a board of that ship was his 1st cousin Joseph Augustine Sewell, who was killed in action just a few mounts earlier on 9th of March 1917.

Gilda and I visited the grave of Thomas Frederick in June 2004. He now lays buried in Bailleul at the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension. I guess we were the first family to ever visit his grave. To Thomas I’m his 1st cousin twice removed. (He was the 1st cousin to my grandmother Blanche Sewell). We left flowers I came back twice, once more with Gilda and once with my sister Margaret.

Now even more than ever we must think why these young man (including my grandfather F. E Nelson) came to Europe to fight and risk , or loose, their lives.
It was, so they were told and believed, to fight in THE WAR TO END ALL WARS…

…LEST WE FORGET.

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia