Thomas Henry Norman POWELL

POWELL, Thomas Henry Norman

Service Number: 255
Enlisted: 23 September 1914
Last Rank: Staff Sergeant
Last Unit: 2nd Field Ambulance
Born: Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, 1894
Home Town: Brunswick, Moreland, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Clerk
Died: Accidental (Injuries), Northolt, England, 24 April 1917
Cemetery: Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Memorials: Coburg Moreland State School No 2837 Honour Roll
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World War 1 Service

23 Sep 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 255, 2nd Field Ambulance
19 Oct 1914: Involvement Private, 255, 2nd Field Ambulance, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '22' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wiltshire embarkation_ship_number: A18 public_note: ''
19 Oct 1914: Embarked Private, 255, 2nd Field Ambulance, HMAT Wiltshire, Melbourne
16 Mar 1916: Discharged AIF WW1, Staff Sergeant, 255, 2nd Field Ambulance, Discharged to the Royal Flying Corps and appointed 2nd Lieutenant.

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Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks

2nd Lt. Thomas Henry Norman Powell was one of 123 Australians who were discharged from the AIF on 16 March 1917 and were made 2nd Lieutenants in the Royal Flying Corps.

The first casualty of this group of Australians, Powell fell out of his Maurice Farman aircraft whilst training at Northolt in England, on the 24 April 1917, only 6 weeks into his training. Cause of death was stated as a fractured skull. He was given a full AIF burial service in London, at the Brookwood Military Cemetery. The funeral was conducted by Chaplain J. Crookston from A.I.F HQ and the funeral party consisted of about 30 men of the South African Regiment and an Officer. There was much disagreement between the AIF and the RFC over who was to pay for his funeral costs, until the AIF quite rightly pointed out that Powell had been discharged from the AIF and had died whilst training with a RFC unit, the 2nd Reserve Squadron. Powell had enlisted in September 1914 and served as a Staff Sergeant with the 1st Australian Division Headquarters.

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