MINNIS, Thomas Lister
| Service Number: | 133 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 February 1915, at Keswick |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 17 October 1889 |
| Home Town: | Waikerie, Loxton Waikerie, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Orchardist |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Berri, South Australia, Australia, 27 February 1965, aged 75 years |
| Cemetery: |
Berri Cemetery, S.A. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Corporal, 133, 27th Infantry Battalion, at Keswick | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement Corporal, 133, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked Corporal, 133, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 8 Nov 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 133, 27th Infantry Battalion, GSW shoulder | |
| 11 May 1917: | Honoured Military Medal, German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages, For conspicuous gallantry in action near WARLENCOURT on 28/2/17. An attempt was made to enter MALT TRENCH on the afternoon of February 28th. Sgt. Minnis led a party of bombers up LOUPART ROAD, bombed two M/Guns on either side of the road, temporarily drove off the teams and tried to cut the wire, which however proved too heavy. This was in broad daylight. He made two or three attempts to get through the wire within a few yards of the enemy. He was wounded by a German rifle grenade and lay still feigning death until dark when he made his way back to WARLENCOURT. |
World War 2 Service
| 28 Oct 1939: | Enlisted Keswick, SA |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Thomas Lister Minnis was born on the 17th of October 1889 in North Adelaide, South Australia. He was an orchardist before the war. He lived in Waikerie and owned a farm with his mother and father. They had citrus orchids and sold their products to the locals. However, sometimes they would send citrus foods down to Adelaide to be sold in markets. Thomas had no previous military service.
Thomas Lister Minnis Enlisted on February 2nd, 1915. He was 25 years old. He was put in the 27th battalion and his rank on enlistment was Corporal. He was an infantryman and had the regimental number 133. He embarked from Adelaide on the 31st of May 1915 on the HMAT Geelong A2. He arrived on Gallipoli with the 27th Battalion in September 1915 and served through to the evacuation. During this time, and after the evacuation to Egypt, he was steadily promoted to Sergeant.
After the Gallipoli campaign came to an end, the 27th battalion traveled to Egypt where Thomas got promoted to Lieutenant. They then came up with a plan to travel to France with the rest of the infantry while the Light horse regiments stayed back to defend the Suez Canal. They landed in Marseilles on 11/3/1916 and marched towards the Western front. When they arrived, they immediately relieved a different battalion of duty to rest, recuperate and receive re-enforcements.
Thomas was shot in the left shoulder on the 8th of November 1916. He was evacuated and spent some time in a convalescent camp near Rouen, and then returned to his battalion on the 26th of November 1916. During this time the battalion was recovering from the battle. Over the next few months, it was reasonably quiet for the Anzacs.
On the 28th of February 1917, Thomas Lister Minnis was hit in the nose by shrapnel during the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg lines, during fighting near Warlencourt. It was during this fighting that he performed the actions for which he won the Military Medal. He traveled to hospital and from there went to a war hospital in England. He stayed there for 6 months before traveling back to his battalion and rejoining on the 8th of September 1917. A little while after he returned and fought in the 3rd battle of Ypres and Menin road. A little while later he became sick. No one knew what he had for a few days but the medical unit diagnosed Thomas with primary Syphilis. He was sent to another war hospital in France on the 26th of January 1918. He had many blood samples taken. He had a slow recovery but eventually rejoined the 27th Battalion on the 18th of May 1918. Thomas fought in 1 battle after this. Merris. On the 1st of May 1918, the battle started. This was one of the final attempts by the enemy to gain ground and make it to Paris. The enemy failed in this attempt and had to withdraw. This battle went for nearly 2 months and ended on the 30th of June 1918.On 21 July 1918 he was detached for officer training, and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 3 January 1919.
Once the armistice was called he traveled back to Australia and reunited with his family.
After the war, Thomas lived with his family for a few more years. Later he decided to move out of his home to Berri. Berri is a town near Renmark that is situated next to the Murray River. When he died, he was buried with the other World War I veterans at a cemetery for those who died in the war that lived in Berri and those who survived the war and came to live in Berri.
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