COLVIN, Thomas
| Service Number: | 3458 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Maybole. Ayrshire, Scotland, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Weeaproinah, Colac-Otway, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm hand |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 4 October 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3458, 5th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3458, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne |
A short but honourable life
Thomas was my second great uncle (my father's great uncle).
He was born in Maybole in Scotland, before his parents settled with their growing family in Burnbank, Hamilton, Scotland.
Thomas's father (also called Thomas) sadly passed away from cardiac arrest on Boxing Day 1913, leaving his wife and children, the youngest of whom was only 9 at the time. As the oldest son, Thomas registered the death, and would have been seen as the man of the family. It was only a few years later that Thomas enlisted in 1915, only to be killed in action 1917.
We may not have known you Thomas, and you may not have lived to marry and have children. But we honour your memory and we carry you with us. I would love to find a photograph of Thomas, and if I do, I shall post here.
Submitted 22 February 2021 by Julie Griffin