Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Enlisted aged 16 years

SPODE Thomas Erroll  #7476  5th Field artillery / 2nd Div. Ammunition Column
 
Thomas Spode was the youngest of eight children. His father, Copeland Spode had married twice; the first marriage resulting in six children. After his first wife’s death, he married her niece. This second marriage resulted in two sons, Eric Copeland and Thomas Erroll.
 
The Spode name is well known as a manufacturer of fine English china and given the frequency of names such as Copeland and Josiah in the family, it is reasonable to assume that Copeland Spode was a descendant of this famous family. Copeland Spode was for some time a farmer in the area surrounding what is now the University of Queensland at St Lucia but around the time of his marriage to Emily, his second wife, in the 1880’s he gave up the land to work as a clerk for a number of divisional boards centred around Caboolture. When the Redcliffe Shire was established out of the old Caboolture Divisional Board, Copeland became the first Shire Clerk. He retained this position until 1909 and by all accounts was a well-liked administrator. It is reasonable to assume that the recording of the names of Thomas and Eric on the Woody Point and Humpybong Rolls of Honour were a result of this association.
 
When Thomas Spode presented himself for enlistment on 19th July 1915, he was only two months over the minimum age of 18. He reported he was born at Red Hill and attended school in South Brisbane before being tutored privately by his father to be a clerk.
 
Thomas was inducted as a driver in the Field Artillery. Field Artillery at that time comprised of an 18 pounder rapid fire artillery piece, attached to an ammunition limber, with the whole assembly drawn by six horses. Each right hand horse in the three pairs had a driver mounted. There was obviously a lot to learn about handling such a system and Thomas was quickly transferred to Sydney where extensive training took place. On 18th November 1915, Thomas boarded the “Persic” for overseas. He had allotted 3/- of his daily pay of 5/- to his mother.
 
After a period of training in Egypt, Thomas again boarded ship for Marseilles, arriving in late March 1916. Once the artillery arrived in France, they took a number of trains to the large English Camp at Etaples on the French Coast near Le Havre where they took possession of new guns and equipment. With the opening of the Battle of the Somme in July, the artillery supported the attacks by the 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm. The Somme offensive continued until the winter when the front was closed down.
 
In 1917, the Australians were located in Belgium around the town of Poperinghe in preparation for the coming summer offensive in the Ypres salient. The Flanders campaign required much larger quantities of artillery than had been available on the Somme. In the opening of the Battle of Messines, General Plumer planned to use three and a half million shells. The logistics of moving such a mountain of ammunition to the front required a sophisticated transport system which began with ammunition trains being loaded at the factories in England and then being ferried as a complete unit across the channel to then run on the French and Belgian rail networks to large towns. From there the ammunition and other supplies were transferred to a network of light railways which could be quickly laid and in the event of enemy damage, repaired quickly as well. The final journey from the light rail head to the firing line was achieved by horse or mule drawn wagon. This was the job of the Divisional Ammunition Column.
 
On 4th August 1917, Driver Thomas Spode was Transferred to the 2nd Division Ammunition Column. On 9thSeptember on the road between Dickebusch and Busseboom, Thomas fell from the wagon he was driving and was crushed under a wheel. He suffered fractured ribs and chin as well as a broken hand. He died of his injuries later that day and was buried in the nearby cemetery at Godewaersvelde.
 
In spite of the fact that he died the same day as he was injured, his family were advised some nine days later by telegram that Thomas was injured and dangerously ill. The news of his death was not conveyed for another week and it was two months before the family learned of the circumstances of his accident.
 
In November of 1917, Thomas’s brother in law, Lieutenant Edmonds wrote to base records enquiring about the issue of a death certificate. He stated this was necessary to finalise Thomas’s estate as his parents were dependant on his allotment. He wrote that Thomas’s father, Copeland Spode was too feeble to work.
 
At the end of the war, Thomas’s medals were issued to Copeland Spode along with a commemorative plaque and a memorial scroll. In total four sons of the Spode family enlisted for the Great War, but only two of them; Thomas and Eric are commemorated on the Rolls of Honour at Redcliffe. Thomas and Eric were the sons by Copeland’s second marriage to Emily and it is possible that it was as a result of Emily that those names were placed on the rolls.

Thomas's parents were Copeland Spode and Emily Isabel Andrews. His father was the Redcliffe Shire Clerk 1903- 1908. Thomas attended the Humpybong State School and enlisted July 1915. He was accidentally killed in a fall from a moving vehicle. Thomas was a driver and his injuries would be consistent with going under a wheel of a General Service Wagon on which he was apparently riding. His older brother Eric Copeland [2639] also enlisted.

COURAGEOUS TO THE LAST