John Henry TOLLIS

John Henry TOLLIS Update Details

If you confirm that you want to proceed with the update, this record will be locked for editing by all other users until you have finished. You will have 7 days to complete your changes before they will be automatically submitted.

Do you want to proceed?

TOLLIS, John Henry

Service Number:	3844
Enlisted:	8 September 1915
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	1st Infantry Battalion
Born:	Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia, date not yet discovered
Home Town:	Alexandria, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling:	Alexandria Public School, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation:	Tailor's cutter
Died:	Killed in action, Pozieres, France, 22 July 1916, age not yet discovered
Cemetery:	No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France
Memorials:	Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial

World War 1 Service

8 Sep 1915:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3844, 1st Infantry Battalion
11 Dec 1915:	Involvement Private, 3844, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Mooltan embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: ''
11 Dec 1915:	Embarked Private, 3844, 1st Infantry Battalion, RMS Mooltan, Sydney

Help us honour John Henry Tollis's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks

John Henry (Jack) Tollis was the son of Reuben Thomas Tollis and Elizabeth Jane Tollis, of Alexandria, New South Wales.

He was reported to be only 18 years of age when he was killed during the taking of Pozieres. His elder brother, Captain Thomas William Tollis 33rd Battalion AIF, was killed in action over two years later on 22 August 1918, aged 29.

John Henry (Jack) Tollis enlisted at the age of 17 years, and was employed at Grace

brothers' tailoring department.

Jack arrived in Egypt during February 1916 and was killed in action about five months later. He was reported by a number of witnesses to have been killed by shellfire in No Mans land on the 23 July 1916. One witness said he and a man named Vidler (3852 A.H. Vidler) were both killed by the same shell, they were both in B Company and killed about half way across no mans land. The same witness knew that Tollis had an elder brother who was an adjutant in the 1st Battalion when they were in Sydney. The bombardment was so heavy it was not possible to bury anyone.

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia