Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Thomas (Tom) David McKenzie was born on the 4th of October 1882 in the city of Adelaide. He was the son of Mrs. Johanna McKenzie and the sibling of Edward McKenzie and Alice McKenzie. This is his story. (National Archives of Australia 2019)

Thomas David McKenzie was a legendary footballer in the SANFL (South Australian National Football League). He made his debut in 1900 and was selected for the South Australian squad that very year. He was a three-time Magarey medallist, once with West Torrens (1902) and twice with North Adelaide (1905, 1906). He captained West Torrens from 1911-1913, and won the 1905 grand final with North Adelaide. (Australian Football)

Although Tom had unquestionable talent, he did not get paid very well. No one who played football could do it as their occupation in the early 1900s. Payments of 5 shillings were common. His day job was as a boilermaker's assistant. On the 15th of July 1915, Thomas David McKenzie signed up for World War 1 and was placed in the 32nd infantry battalion. 

His date of embarkation was the 18th of November 1915. Tom boarded the HMAT Geelong A2 with no military experience, and set sail for Egypt. The 32nd Infantry Battalion was moved up to France to fight on the Western Front in July 1916. They were to fight in trench warfare.

 Their first major battle was at Fromelles, France, on the 19th of July 1916. The whole of the Australian 5th Division fought alongside the 61st British Division against the fortified German Forces. As a feint to keep the Germans from joining the battle at The Somme (see figure 3), where the Allied Forces had begun an offensive attack on the 1st of July, the soldiers would strike the ridge which the Germans were holding. The attack was disastrous. Both Australian and British soldiers were assaulted under open fire in broad daylight. (Battle of Fromelles)

The experience was overwhelming. On the 21st of July Thomas was admitted to hospital with shell shock. A fortnight later, he went AWOL from the rest camp for several hours and was docked four days pay. He was able to return to active duty on the 16th of September.

Every so often the soldiers would get mail from home. Every soldier would be waiting expectantly of news, and it was the same on this day for Tom. All the soldiers were waiting and hoping, that there would be some joy in this sorrowful time of war. On this day there was one letter left but it wasn’t a faded yellow colour, like all of the others. It was stark white, with a border of black at its edges. I can only imagine the jolt of fear that would’ve shot through his body as the officer walked toward him. That wasn’t a letter. It was a telegram coming with the dismal news of the death of someone close to the soldier. As he opened the letter and read it, it’s impossible to put into words the sorrow that he felt as he read the news of his father’s death. (Sachse, J 2016)

Although his father wasn’t much of a fatherly figure for Tom and his siblings, the news of his death would have really hurt him. In a time such as this, or any other time for that matter, any sorrowful news would’ve really affected a soldiers feelings and the way he acted. I cannot put into words the way he must have been affected by that shocking news.

Tom was wounded in action for a second time on the 27th of November 1916 with a shell wound to the left buttock, front of the left thigh and right arm. It was a miracle that he was not shot fatally in the middle of the body.  He was discharged on the 17th of April 1917 but was soon again in hospital with an infection. He didn't rejoin his unit until the 1st of August 1917.

He returned to Australia on the 13th of April 1919. Unfortunately, he didn’t continue playing SANFL when he returned home. He became a worker on the Islington Railway in Adelaide. He was injured twice in the First World War, and very nearly didn’t make it home. He died on the 28th of November 1927 at the age of 45. Tom was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Bibliography

32nd Australian Infantry Battalion n.d., Canberra, accessed 4 April 2019, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51472>.

Australian Imperial Force, Nominal Role n.d., The Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accessed 8 May 2019, <https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1067615/large/5373829.JPG>.

Tom McKenzie player bio n.d., Australian Football, accessed 4 April 2019, <https://australianfootball.com/players/player/tom+mackenzie/789>.

Battle of Fromelles n.d., The Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Ashley Ekins, accessed 1 May 2019, <https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/fromelles>.

FIRST WORLD WAR EMBARKATION ROLL Thomas David McKenzie n.d., The Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accessed 8 May 2019, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1876017>.

How many people died in WW1? 2000, History on the net, accessed 10 May 2019, <https://www.historyonthenet.com/how-many-people-died-in-ww1>.

National Archives of Australia 2019, accessed 7 May 2019, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=1950716&isAv=N>.

Premier’s ANZAC Spirit School Prize 2018 – William Charles Westbury – By Neva van Raalte 2018, Veterans SA, accessed 8 May 2019, <https://veteranssa.sa.gov.au/story/premiers-anzac-spirit-school-prize-2018-william-charles-westbury-by-neva-van-raalte/>.

Thomas David McKenzie enrolment form n.d., National Archives of Australia, accessed 14 May 2019, .

Thomas David McKenzie 2016, The AIF project, Canberra, accessed 4 April 2019, <https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=201057>.

Trench warfare n.d., Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed 11 May 2019, <https://www.britannica.com/topic/trench-warfare>.

Trove WW1 n.d., Trove, Canberra, accessed 8 May 2019, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/result?q=WW1>.

Sachse, J 2016, A Boy called Tom, NA, Adelaide.

Photos

HMAT A2 Geelong 1915, Photograph, BritwhistleWiki, accessed 14 May 2019, <https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/HMAT_A2_Geelong>.

Page 1 of service record 1915, Enrolment Form, National Archives of Australia, accessed 14 May 2019, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=1950716&S=1&N=45&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=1950716&T=P&S=1>.

Trenches at Fromelles 1916, Photograph, The Australian War Memorial, accessed 11 May 2019, <https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/fromelles>.

Tom D. McKenzie n.d., Photograph, SANFL, accessed 10 May 2019, <https://sanfl.com.au/inside-sanfl/hall-of-fame/tom-d-mackenzie/>.

The Western Front 1915-1916 n.d., Map, Families, and Friends of the First AIF Inc., accessed 15 May 2019, <http://fffaif.org.au/?page_id=5174>.