Thomas Cotgrave HEWITT

HEWITT, Thomas Cotgrave

Service Number: Officer
Enlisted: 17 April 1915
Last Rank: Captain
Last Unit: 26th Infantry Battalion
Born: Wingen, New South Wales, Australia, 31 March 1881
Home Town: Toowoomba, Toowoomba, Queensland
Schooling: King's School Parramatta, Sydney University
Occupation: Science Master Toowoomba Grammar School
Died: Killed In Action, France, 29 July 1916, aged 35 years
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Memorials: Baulkham Hills Patriotic League Roll of Honor, Castle Hill Public School Roll of Honour, Norwest Mitchell Remembers Roll of Honour, Toowoomba Club, Toowoomba Grammar School T C Hewitt Memorial Plaque, Toowoomba Grammar School WW1 Honour Board, Toowoomba Grammar School WW1 In Memoriam Honour Board, Toowoomba Roll of Honour WW1, Toowoomba St Luke's Church WW1 Honour Roll, Toowoomba War Memorial (Mothers' Memorial), Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France)
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World War 1 Service

17 Apr 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 26th Infantry Battalion
24 May 1915: Involvement Captain, 26th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: ''
24 May 1915: Embarked Captain, 26th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Brisbane

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Biography contributed by Faithe Jones

Son of Henry Vigors and Mary HEWITT, Baulkham Hills, New South Wales

CAPTAIN THOMAS C. HEWITT, formerly science master at the Toowoomba Grammar School, was killed in action in France on July 20. The late Captain Hewitt, whose parents  reside at Baulkham Hills, was educated at The King's School, Parramatta, and was a Bachelor of Arts of the Sydney University. He was connected with the staff of the Toowoomba  Grammar School from 1907 until March, 1915, when he enlisted. Captain Hewitt held a commission prior to enlisting, and had charge of the Grammar School cadets, and was also acting area officer for Toowoomba for some time. He was attached to the 26th infantry battalion of tho A.I.F., and saw about three months' service at Gallipoli. He arrived in  France about March 29 last, and letters received by Mr. G. P. Barbour from Captain Hewitt last week stated that he (Captain Hewitt), at the time of writing, had charge of 200  yards of the front line trenches. Captain 'Tom' Hewitt, as he was known to his many friends in Toowoomba, was very popular, both with the pupils of the Grammar School and the 
general public. He has also numerous friends in W.A., where, for some years, he belonged to the staff of the Guildford Grammar School, under the late Major W. Stewart Corr. He  was unmarried, and was 35 years of age. He was at The King's School for about four years, half the time under Dr. Harris, and two years with the Rev. A. H. Champion, so that his connection with Mr. Corr was considerably longer than the time spent in W.A. His younger brother, H. D. Hewitt, who is also an old boy of the school, is at present serving with the artillery in France.

AN INTERESTING MEMENTO OF
THE WAR.
Yesterday, we were shown by Mr. Stanley Hobson, an interesting, though somewhat depressing memento of the present war. This was in the form of a copy of "L'Organiste  Moderne," a book containing elementary exercises for the organ. On the fly leaf of this volume was inscribed:— "Stanley Hobson, Esq., Toowoomba, with best wishes from Captain Tom Hewitt, 26th Battalion, A.I.F, France.
This volume was lying in the ruins of the Chapelle d'Armentiere among the debris of a fine organ.—T.H." Captain Hewitt will be remembered as one of the Grammar School  Masters who was among the first to join the colours. This little volume bears evidence of harsh treatment. In the top right hand corner there is a complete perforation by a bullet,  and several semi-perforations indicated the effect of shrapnel or other missiles. When received by Mr. Hobson the book was still damp from the exposure and bore adhesion of  broken masonry. Mr. Hobson is naturally very proud to be the possessor of the memento and is grateful for Captain Hewitt's remembrances.

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