TOLLIS, Thomas William
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 April 1916, An original officer in D Company 33rd Bn |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia, 6 May 1889 |
| Home Town: | Rockdale, Rockdale, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Cleveland Street Superior Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Accountant |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 22 August 1918, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Beacon Cemetery, Sailly-Laurette Plot I, Row A, Grave 3. |
| Memorials: | Rockdale Municipal Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 33rd Infantry Battalion, An original officer in D Company 33rd Bn | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1916: | Involvement Lieutenant, 33rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Marathon embarkation_ship_number: A74 public_note: '' | |
| 4 May 1916: | Embarked Lieutenant, 33rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Marathon, Sydney | |
| 22 Aug 1918: | Involvement Captain, 33rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 33rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1918-08-22 |
Help us honour Thomas William Tollis's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Daryl Jones
Son of Reuben and Elizabeth TOLLIS. Native of Sydney, New South Wales.
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Captain Tollis was the son of Reuben and Elizabeth Tollis of Alexandria, New South Wales. He was married to Daisy May Tollis, South Ashfield, New South Wales. He had two infant children when he enlisted in April 1916.
Thomas’s younger brother, 3844 Pte. John Henry Tollis 1st Battalion AIF, was killed in action at Pozieres on 22 July 1916, aged 18, only two weeks after Thomas Tollis arrived in England.
Tollis applied for a commission in the AIF during November 1915, as he had held the rank of Lieutenant in various Sydney regiments before the war. He was appointed a Lieutenant in the original 33rd Battalion on 1 February 1916.
He was sent from England to France in late 1916 and was promoted Captain during February 1917. He was wounded in action on 20 September 1917, during the Battle of Menin Road. He was evacuated to England with a severe gunshot wound to his shoulder.
He rejoined the 33rd Battalion in February 1918 before he was killed in action on 22 August 1918.
He was originally buried in Taille Wood British Cemetery, near Albert, France, but his remains were moved to the Beacon Cemetery during 1920.
He left his will to his wife, Daisy May Tollis. She never remarried but lived until 1976, passing away at age 86. She had to endure the death of her only son in World War Two, Captain Keith Belmore Tollis, who was killed in action in New Guinea on 17 March 1944. He was only four years old when his father died in 1918.
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