THORNE, Cecil Benjamin
| Service Numbers: | 501, R501 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 August 1914, Pontville, Tasmania |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Waratah, Tasmania, Australia, 9 September 1895 |
| Home Town: | Waratah, Waratah/Wynyard, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Waratah State School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Flers, France, 6 January 1917, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France), Waratah Roll of Honor 1918, Waratah War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 501, Pontville, Tasmania | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked 501, 12th Infantry Battalion, Departed Australia on HMAT A2 Geelong in October and Arrived Egypt 2 December 1915 | |
| 30 May 1915: | Wounded 501, 12th Infantry Battalion, Gunshot wound to left arm including compound fracture. Returned to Australia 8 October 1915 from Plymouth UK (1st AGH) as unfit for active service after a period of rehab in Malta and England. Deemed fit in March 1916 at 9 AGH Launceston, Tasmania. | |
| 29 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, R501, 12th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 29 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, R501, 12th Infantry Battalion, RMS Orontes, Melbourne | |
| 6 Jan 1917: | Wounded 501, 12th Infantry Battalion, From the book, The Story of the Twelfth by LM Newton: 'A well known & original member of the Battalion, Pvt CB Thorne of B Company was killed by shellfire and was buried by the Padre on the outskirts of the village. His death caused gloom in his Company.' | |
| 6 Jan 1917: | Involvement Private, 501, 12th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 501 awm_unit: 12th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-01-06 |
Story of the Twelfth
From the book, The Story of the Twelfth by LM Newton: a well known and original member of the Battalion, Pvt C.B. Thorne of B Company was killed by shellfire and was buried by the Padre on the outskirts of the village. His death caused gloom in his Company.
Submitted 8 March 2020 by Michelle Gravett
Biography contributed by Rex Wright
Cecil enlisted on 26 August 1914, just 22 days after Britain declared war. He was 19 years old and 5 feet 7 inches tall, dark complexion, brown eys and brown hair.
He was allocated to the 12 Battalion that departed for Europe in October on HMAT A2 Geelong as part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. After landing in Egypt on 2 December the battalion trained for many months and embarked for Gallipoli just a few days before 25 April 1915. On 30 April he sustained a gunshot wound and compound fracture to the left arm and was evacuated to various hospital ships, Malta and eventually to the 1st Australian General Hospital in England where it was decided in October 1915 that he was unfit for further service and was to be returned to Australia. His recovery was so good that in March 1916 the 9th General Hospital in Launceston Tasmania deemed that he could return to active duty after a month furlough.
Cecil was included in the 16th Reiniforcments and boarded SS Orontes on 29 April 1916 to return to the war. He joined the Australian base depot at Etaples in June 1916 and was taken back on strength of the 12th Battalion on 4 August 1916 where he was involved in battles around Ypres before returing to the Somme for the winter. At the end of December 1916 the battalion was fighting around Flers in France. Cecil was killed in action on 6 January 1917 at Flers although no detail is known. His body was never found or identified.
Cecil is commemorated on the war memorial in Waratah, Tasmania and on the wall of the Australial War Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France.
References:
NAA service record. Wkipedia 12th battalion 1st AIF and the bood "In search of the 600, a history of the Thorne family" by David Thorne
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