Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Thomas Cumming Gow was the eldest son of Richard Gow and Martha Jane Cumming. Thomas was born on 26 November 1892; his birth, like so many of his siblings, took place on the remote Dargo High Plains. Thomas was working as an engine driver at Harrietville when he enlisted in Melbourne on 24 June 1916. He was twenty-four years old. Slightly shorter than his younger brother Norman, he was still reasonably tall for the time, at 5 feet 10 inches and weighing a healthy 153 pounds. Thomas had grey eyes and black hair; his complexion is described as fresh. At Broadmeadows, Thomas was assigned to the 58th Battalion of the 15th Brigade, 5th Division, A.I.F. After only five months of training, Thomas proceeded overseas on the HMAT Nestor (A71), embarking from Melbourne on 2 October 1916. The reinforcements disembarked at Plymouth on 16 November.

The 5th Division had been savagely mauled at the Battle of Fromelles in 1916. While crossing no-man’s land during an attack on German positions, the entire 15th Brigade was caught in withering machine gun fire, halting its assault. The British command organised a second assault; however, it was soon understood that supporting artillery had failed to neutralise the enemy gun positions. Realising the futility of continuing an attack under these conditions, the assault was cancelled at the last minute. Tragically, the order to stand down came too late for the 58th Battalion, which had already mounted an attack on the German defences. The losses were horrendous. The battle resulted in the greatest single loss of Australian troops. A total of 5,533 Australians were killed, wounded, or captured in a twenty-four-hour period. This was equivalent to the total Australian casualties in the Boer, Korean, and Vietnam Wars combined!

When Thomas reported to the 58th Battalion HQ on 7 February 1917 the division had just endured a frigid winter on the Somme and had recently taken up positions around the village of Ancre. With the onset of spring 1917, the German army enacted a new defensive strategy and withdrew to fortified positions along the Hindenburg Line. Allied divisions pursued the retreating Germans, with the 5th Division involved in numerous skirmishes. The allied armies now began to attack the fortified German defences, with the 5th Division taking part in the Second Battle of Bullecourt. The division successfully repelled a German counterattack on 15 March and was finally withdrawn from the front line on 25 May. Thomas must have made an impression on his superiors because on 20 June, he was promoted to lance corporal, and again on 24 August, he was promoted to corporal.

In September, the 5th Division was moved to the front line in Belgium in preparation for the Third Battle of Ypres. The division had enjoyed almost four months of rest, and the allied command now wanted it to take a leading role in the attack on Polygon Wood. The 15th Brigade was selected for the right flank, where the fighting was expected to be the fiercest. Thomas reported sick to the 2nd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station on 20 September, just six days before the battle was to begin. Thomas couldn’t return to duty until 23 December 1917; returning to the frontline just in time to celebrate Christmas and catch up with fellow Harrietville native John Bromley, who was at that time attached to the newly formed Australian Corps HQ. The 5th Division spent the winter around Messines, briefly being rotated onto the front in November–December and again in February–March 1918.

The division was resting in the rear at Messines when the German offensive began on 21 March 1918. Quickly, the division was sent to reinforce the defences around Corbie. In early April, the Germans advanced towards Villers-Bretonneux. The town occupied the high ground to the south of the Somme River, and its capture would allow the Germans to threaten Amiens with their artillery. On 4 April, the Germans launched an assault on the town with fifteen divisions but were repulsed by troops from the British 1st Cavalry Division, the Australian 9th Brigade, and Canadian troops. After the first battle, the forces holding the town were relieved by the British 8th Division. This division had been badly mauled during the first German assault in March and was now severely depleted. To make matters worse, the division had only recently been reinforced by young British draftees with very little training. On the evening of 23 April, the Germans attacked with gas and tanks, smashing through the allied defences, and capturing the town.

British General Henry Rawlinson responded at once, ordering the Australian 13th and 15th brigades to attack. The 13th Brigade had suffered heavy losses at nearby Dernancourt, so Rawlinson proposed to envelop the town with the Australian brigades and then assault the centre with two British battalions. The 58th Battalion was held in reserve during the attack. The commander of the 13th Brigade, General Thomas Glasgow, insisted that the attack be postponed until 10:00 pm so that the troops could advance under cover of darkness; Rawlinson agreed. The attack took place on the night of 24 April, and despite the darkness, German machine guns caused many casualties among the Australians. Artillery was used sparingly before the attack because no one was sure of where the Germans actually were, so the Australians set about clearing the German positions with Lewis guns and grenades. Eventually the Germans were surrounded, although some managed to escape via a railway cutting. The Australian troops suffered almost 1,500 casualties in the attack, with 500 due to mustard gas alone. The British troops conducting the frontal assault suffered heavy losses. By the morning of 25 April, the town had been recaptured and handed back to the villagers. However, the fighting was not yet over, and the 58th Battalion was soon brought in to strengthen the Australian position. The French now tried to consolidate the allied gains by committing their Moroccan Division to an attack on the German lines south of Villers-Bretonneux. The Australian troops were astonished to see masses of Moroccan troops advancing across the exposed plateau in broad daylight, in what was plainly suicide. A storm of machine gun fire soon poured out from the German positions, and the Moroccans were cut down. The unsuccessful attack left 3,500 dead and wounded. At the end of May, the 5th Division was withdrawn from the line and did not return until the middle of June, taking up positions between Dernancourt and Sailly-Laurette.

During the Battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918, the 15th Brigade was committed to a diversionary attack around Ville-sur-Ancre. Afterward, the brigade took part in peaceful penetration operations, continually harassing the German defenders. Meanwhile, the Allied Command planned their masterstroke, Hundred Days Offensive. The allied offensive was an enormous undertaking, for which the commanders had been preparing ever since the Germans were stopped in April. In the British zone alone, over 400 miles of broad-gauge railway and 300 miles of light railway had been laid. More than 900 locomotives were using the main lines alone! This enormous network of trains was now used to bring the allied divisions to the front in preparation for the assault.

The famous offensive began with an attack on the Amiens sector on the morning of 8 August 1918. The 5th Division launched its attack with the 8th and 15th brigades, which followed closely on the heels of the 2nd Division’s advance. On the opening day, the 58th Battalion captured the village of Bayonvillers after the 59th had suppressed the German machine gun fire that was emanating from the town. The speed of the Australian advance caught the Germans by surprise, but they quickly recovered and began bringing their artillery to bear on the 15th Brigade, which formed the Australians’ right flank. Allied field artillery tried to keep up with the advancing troops and, where possible, was able to provide supporting fire. German field guns were attacked by tanks and infantry. The Germans, recognising the value of the tanks, deliberately targeted them with artillery, knocking many of them out of action. The rapid advance was causing problems for the allied heavy artillery, which was having trouble raising elevation to keep ahead of the advancing troops. The 15th brigade was forced to halt as the artillery was now too close, and in fact, some rounds exploded among the 57th Battalion, killing several men. While waiting for the artillery to lift, many men of the 15th Brigade began having breakfast, and as they ate, they noticed the leading regiment of the 1st Cavalry moving to attack the German positions. The allied artillery, still falling short, burst among the cavalry, killing men and horses. The cavalry eventually broke through the enemy lines in front of the Australian positions and caused great confusion among the Germans until machine guns were brought to bear, quickly cutting down the horses. Perhaps the greatest achievement of the day was the exploits of sixteen British armoured cars that broke out behind the cavalry. Impervious to machine gun fire, these cars raced through the German rear areas, destroying enemy transport with impunity.

The 15th Brigade pushed on towards the town of Cerisy on the banks of the Somme River. The approach to the town was made difficult by two German field guns, which constantly harassed the approaching troops. As luck would have it, the battalion was met by six British tanks, which quickly advanced into the town, forcing the German gunners to flee for their lives. The troops of the 15th Brigade, having secured the town, were now faced with a murderous hail of machine gun fire from across the river. In addition, the brigade came under intense artillery fire from two different directions, which soon accounted for the tanks, setting them on fire. Eventually, the German artillery was silenced by counter-battery fire or outflanked by allied troops. The Germans now retreated towards Proyart, and the allied advance slowed as each battalion reached its assigned objective. Low on ammunition, the allies settled down to resupply their divisions. The 15th Brigade was serviced by three tanks that hauled in supplies, but some brigades had less support. Aircraft were also used to drop supplies.

The night of 8 August was almost entirely peaceful; British artillery fired occasionally, and the Germans ceased fire missions altogether. On the morning of 9 August, the 2nd Canadian Division found itself facing a large German force. The 15th Brigade supported the Canadian flank as they advanced against the dug-in German positions. The 58th Battalion came under heavy shelling from enemy artillery and machine gun fire. British aircraft helped silence some of the machine gun positions; the rest were eliminated with mortar fire or Lewis gun teams. By now, elements of the 1st Division had started to pass through, and officers of the 15th Brigade ordered a halt, but not without some difficulty as the troops were eager to push on. The troops of the 1st Division noted the lines of German dead, the result of the last fierce action fought by the 15th Brigade. The 15th Brigade, now exhausted and having suffered over 400 casualties, was withdrawn along with the rest of the 5th Division. Thomas, while resting at Villers-Bretonneux with the rest of his division, would not have known that his younger brother Norman had fallen at Proyart.

The 14th and 15th brigades moved onto the front line during the night of 16 August, and they would hold the line while French and British divisions pushed forward. Soon, elements of the 1st and 3rd Australian divisions would also join the attack. Thomas was promoted to sergeant on 23 August; incredulously, he had been performing that role since Sergeant John Stewart had been killed in Belgium in October 1917. The Australian 1st Division was withdrawn on 26 August, and the 2nd Division continued the advance against the German positions, capturing the villages of Herbecourt, Flaucourt, Barleux, and Biaches. The 5th Division was tasked with exploiting any opportunity to cross the Somme River and capture the village of Peronne. Crossing the river was, however, proving difficult. The commander of the 15th Brigade, Harold ‘Pompey’ Elliot, intended to push across at Happlincourt, but as his troops moved down the river during the night of 29 August, the attack was suddenly called off. Monash decided that the 15th Brigade would attack across the river at Peronne. Unfortunately, while manoeuvring along the river, Thomas was wounded. Evacuated to the 12th General Hospital at Rouen, France, the wound was serious enough to keep him there until 10 November, just one day before the war ended. Even though the fighting had stopped, the hospital wards were still full of injured men, so Thomas volunteered as a blood donor. This service earned him three weeks of special leave. Thomas finally rejoined his unit in December 1918 and was on leave in England for Christmas. Finally, on 13 May 1919, Thomas was on his way home to Australia onboard HMAT Port Melbourne (A16).

After the war, Thomas lived with his parents at 16 Westbourne Street, Prahran, where he was employed as a tram driver. In 1927, he married Fernetta Victoria Smith, and the young couple settled at 4 Kendall Street, St Kilda. The couple remained childless. Thomas died in 1961, and Fernetta in 1989.