Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Thomas Patrick Hayes was a 37 year old shearer when he enlisted at Tooraweenah on 12 January, 1916 with the Kookaburra Recruitment March. The medical examination described him as 5’ 8” tall, 140lbs (63kgs), 32-34” chest, dark complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, religion Roman Catholic and no distinctive marks. His sister was his next of kin, Mrs Nora Eliott of, Sackville St, Capetown, South Africa. He stated his previous service was in South Africa in the Prince of Wales Light Horse, Morphett’s Horse.
Thomas trained at Bathurst with the 45th Battalion until May 1916, when he joined the 2nd Battalion in Liverpool. He embarked at Sydney on the HMAT Wiltshire A18 in August 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth in October 1916. He marched into the 1st Training Battalion 30 October 1916. In November 1916, Thomas was admitted to hospital for the first time for pleurisy and had frequent admissions to hospitals through 1917. In between hospital admissions he was at the 1st Training Battalion, the No1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny and the No 2 Command Depot at Weymouth. He forfeited 19 day’s pay for being Absent Without Leave in May 1917 and forfeited another 2 days pay for ‘Failing to Obey Orders’ in September 1917.
Thomas commenced his return to Australia on the Hospital Ship ‘Runic’ on 20 December 1917 and disembarked at Melbourne on 13 February 1918 for onward travel to Sydney. He was discharged medically unfit in Sydney on 12 August 1918. He was diagnosed with Phthisis (Tuberculosis) and died in Randwick Hospital on 28 April 1919.
Thomas is buried in a Commonwealth War Grave at the Catholic Section of Rookwood Necropolis; a cross was erected for him at grave number 1436. The service record does not state if the next of kin, his sister in South Africa was notified of his death.
Thomas was eligible only for the British War Medal as he did not serve in France.