GOULD, Thomas Henry
| Service Number: | 3239 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Auburn, New South Wales, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Camperdown, Inner West, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tram Conductor |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3239 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3239, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3239, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3239, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3239 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Thomas Henry GOULD (Service Number 3239) was the name under which Thomas Henry Asprey served in the AIF, but it was not the name by which he was first known to the NSWGR&T. Asprey (which was his ‘true’ name) was born at Auburn in 1893. He joined the Railways as a probationer in the Electrical Department at the Sydney Telegraph Office in October 1909, but in 1912 was dismissed for ‘using filthy language to the station master, Marrickville, over the telephone…’ The station master had taken the precaution of having a witness listening on the telephone, before bringing the charge, and Asprey’s appeal against dismissal failed. In October 1914, under the assumed name of Gould, he joined the Tramways in Sydney as a conductor. He was released from duty in August 1915 to enlist in the AIF.
Submitted 1 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Thomas Henry GOULD (Service Number 3239) also known as Thomas Henry Asprey served in the AIF. He went by the name Asprey when he first worked for the NSW Government Railways and Tramways. Pte Gould was born at Auburn in 1893. He joined the Railways as a probationer in the Electrical Department at the Sydney Telegraph Office in October 1909. In 1912 he was dismissed for ‘using filthy language to the station master, Marrickville, over the telephone…’ The station master had taken the precaution of having a witness listening on the telephone before making the charge, but his appeal against dismissal failed. In October 1914, under his birth name Gould, he joined the Tramways in Sydney as a conductor. He was released from duty in August 1915 to enlist in the AIF.
He was sent first to Egypt in 1916. He spent two weeks in hospital with tonsillitis. He was transferred to the 53rd Battalion at the end of May. He was sent with them to France, where he landed at the end of June.
He was reported missing in action at Fleurbaix on 19th July 1916. A Court of Enquiry two months later determined that he had been killed in action on the day that he was missed. He has no known grave but is honoured at the VC Corner Australian Memorial, Fromelles.
A war pension was granted to his widowed mother.
- based on notes for the NSW Government Railways and Tramways Honour Board
Click images to start slideshow.