S53847
HAYNES, Thomas Charles
| Service Number: | 2928 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Murray Bridge, South Australia, 15 September 1887 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Port Pirie, South Australia, 22 June 1952, aged 64 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Port Pirie General Cemetery, South Australia CP1, Lot 201, Grave 7 |
| Memorials: | Orroroo District Roll of Honour WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 2928, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 2928, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 2928, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Adelaide | |
| 20 Mar 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, 2928, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 2928, 32nd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Paul Lemar
Thomas Charles Haynes was born at Murray Bridge on 15.09.1887 to Thomas (1853-1890) and Sarah HAYNES nee MARSHALL (1851-1930).
Thomas Charles HAYNES joined the AIF at Port Pirie on 26.02.1916 and was allocated service number 2928. He was attached to the 6th reinforcements of the 32nd Battalion. Thomas HAYNES sailed to England and served in the Western Front in both France and Belgium.
On 13.11.1916, he suffered acute trench fever and feet and was evacuated to England for treatment.
He returned to his battalion and was wounded in action on 21.10.1917 when he received a serious gunshot wound to the face that fractured his jaw. He was again evacuated to England for treatment.
On returning to Australia in 1919, he was discharged from the AIF on 20.03.1919 with his file marked ‘discharged as medically unfit’.
32nd Battalion : The 8th Brigade joined the newly raised 5th Australian Division in Egypt, and proceeded to France, destined for the Western Front, in June 1916. The 32nd Battalion fought its first major battle at Fromelles on 19 July 1916, having only entered the front-line trenches 3 days previously. The attack was a disastrous introduction to battle for the 32nd -' it suffered 718 casualties, almost 75 per cent of the battalion's total strength, but closer to 90 per cent of its actual fighting strength. Although it still spent periods in the front line, the 32nd played no major offensive role for the rest of the year.
In early 1917, the German Army withdrew to the Hindenburg Line allowing the British front to be advanced and the 32nd Battalion participated in the follow-up operations. The battalion subsequently missed the heavy fighting to breach the Hindenburg Line during the second battle of Bullecourt as the 8th Brigade was deployed to protect the division's flank. The only large battle in 1917 in which the 32nd Battalion played a major role was Polygon Wood, fought in the Ypres sector in Belgium on 26 September.
Unlike some AIF battalions, the 32nd had a relatively quiet time during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 as the 5th Division was largely kept in reserve. The Allies launched their own offensive with the battle of Amiens on 8 August, in which the 32nd Battalion participated. It was subsequently involved in the operations that continued to press the retreating Germans through August and into September. The 32nd fought its last major action of the war between 29 September and 1 October when the 5th and 3rd Australian Divisions and two American divisions attacked the Hindenburg Line across the top of the 6-kilometre-long St Quentin Canal tunnel; the canal was a major obstacle in the German defensive scheme. The 32nd was resting and retraining out of the line when the war ended on 11 November 1918. On 8 March 1919, after the gradual repatriation of men to Australia, the remnants of the 32nd Battalion were merged with the 30th Battalion.