HATHERLY, Thomas Charles
| Other Name: | Osmond, Thomas Charles Hawthorn |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | N/A |
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Assistant Cook |
| Last Unit: | M.V. Zealandic |
| Born: | Kangarilla, South Australia, Australia, 25 August 1913 |
| Home Town: | Clare, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Scotch College, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Seaman |
| Died: | Presumed Drowned, At Sea - Atlantic Ocean - sinking of MV Zealandic, 17 January 1941, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Commemorated Tower Hill Memorial |
| Memorials: | Torrens Park Scotch College WW2 Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| Date unknown: | Involvement Assistant Cook, N/A, M.V. Zealandic |
|---|
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Son of Ellis George OSMOND and Margaret Gwendoline nee HAWSON - birth registered as Thomas Charles OSMOND
The Late Mr Tom Hawson Hatherly.
LOST BY ENEMY ACTION ON
THE 'ZEALANDIC'' AFTER
BEING ON FIVE TORPEDOED SHIPS.
Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Hatherly, of 'Inchiquin,' Clare, received the sad news from the Naval authorities last week that their eldest 28-year old son, Mr. Tom Hawson Hatherly, had been lost with all hands when the ship 'Zealandic,' was recently sunk by enemy action, somewhere on the high seas.
Tom was born at Kangarilla, and later went to his parents property at Alexandrina Station, near Hallett. While living there he went to Scotch College, Adelaide, to be educated. After school-life was over he entered the Royal Australian Navy as a Cadet in Sydney, but ill-health, plus a roving disposition, eventually resulted in his transferring from the Navy to he Mercantile Marine.
While engaged in this hazardous life he took part in running the blockade on food ships operating between England and Spain, in the Spanish war won by General Franco, and had many exciting experiences in the two years he was on the job.
At the outbreak of war, the Admiralty asked for Volunteers to man and service the important work of the Mercantile Marine, and Tom Hatherly immediately offered his services.
In the past 15 months he served on five ships that have been torpedoed or lost through enemy action in all waterways of the world. In October last year he was picked up by H.M.S. 'Bluebell,' when the 'Empire Minerva' was torpedoed. He and many companions were adrift in an open boat for about a week, and Mrs. Hatherly has told us she has a prized photograph of her son after his arduous experience that he is almost unrecognisable in the picture as the result of privations then experienced in raging storms.
Other ships on which he was serving when they were torpedoed were the 'Avalona Star' and the 'Switzerland.' The name of the other vessel is unknown, and he finally succumbed in the sad fatality by enemy action in the recent loss of the 'Zealandic.'
Mrs. Hatherly, said: — 'My son seemed to bear a charmed life, and he sent his last picture, when rescued from the open boat, as a luck token after the 4th disaster, but now he has given his life for his country, and I, with other mothers and fathers, join with all the other bereaved families in their sorrow at losing their beloved ones. It is sad to think that Tom's last letter arrived the same day as we received word from the Naval authorities.'
It may not generally be known by the public, but Tom Hawson Hatherly, was named after Captain Tom Hawson, one of the earliest founders and pioneers of Port Lincoln, the deceased being a great great grand- son of that famous identity on the West Coast. With all residents of the town and surrounding districts we extend our sincerest sympathy to the bereaved family, and they have consolation in the fact that their boy belongs not to them alone, but to the Nation.