THOMAS, David John
| Service Number: | 561 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 44th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | St. Dogmaels, Cardiganshire, Wales, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Claremont, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 1 June 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Strand Military Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Wallonie, Belgium Plot II, Row D, Grave No. 9 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Midland Junction Municipality Roll of Honour (Large) |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 561, 44th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 561, 44th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Fremantle |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
David was born at St. Dogmaels, the son of Elizabeth Thomas, later of Brynteg, Henllan, Cardiganshire, Wales, and the late Lewis Thomas. He had emigrated to Australia prior to the war along with his brother James Louis Thomas, and after the declaration of war, both brothers enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. David attested at Perth into the 44th Battalion, AIF, and embarked at Fremantle on 6 June 1916 aboard the HMAT Suevic, bound for England. David was then posted to his Battalion in France on 16 March 1917, after spending two months in hospital in England. The Battalion spent most of May 1917 training near Armentieres, and at the end of the month moved to Ploegsteert, where they took up billets in the catacombs, providing working parties within the wood. David was killed during his first day at Ploegsteert on 1 June 1917. He was 34 years old, and is buried at Strand Military Cemetery, Belgium. His brother, Private James Louis/Lewis Thomas, Service Number 2936, 48th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F., died the previous year. The brothers are honoured on the Sarnau War Memorial-Sarnau lies astride the A487 road from Cardigan to Aberystwyth, about ten miles east-north-east of Cardigan. The men of the area who fell during both World Wars are commemorated on several war memorials which are housed inside the Memorial Hall. These memorials commemorate the seventeen men of the village who fell during the Great War.
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