FOSTER, Thomas
| Service Numbers: | 1868, 1868A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 March 1916, Hindmarsh, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 1884 |
| Home Town: | Hindmarsh, Charles Sturt, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Marist Brothers Roman Catholic |
| Occupation: | Rope maker |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Broodseinde Ridge, Belgium, 5 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery Plot 1, Row F, Grave 69 - Also Commemorated in Cheltenham Cemetery, S.A., Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Rosewater Marist Brothers Port Adelaide Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1868, Hindmarsh, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1868, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1868, 5th Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Adelaide | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1868A, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Broodseinde Ridge | |
| 5 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1868A, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Broodseinde Ridge, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1868A awm_unit: 43rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-10-05 |
Thomas Foster 1868A
Thomas Foster was the son of Thomas and Ellen Foster and was born in Geelong, Victoria in 1884 and was one if twelve children.
Thomas originally enlisted with the 5 Pioneers Battalion but later swapped to the 43 battalion to be with his youngest brother Edward Joseph Foster. Consequently he has two service numbers
On the 4 October 1917 Thomas and Edward were both on ANZAC Ridge but some distance apart. Late that morning Thomas was told that his youngest brother Edward had been killed.
It was unfortunate that Thomas and some of his mates were pinned down by a machine gun. Whether Thomas was overcome with grief or the war had taken its toll nobody knows, but Thomas leapt from the trench and raced towards the machine firing his rifle.
He was fatally wounded and died the next morning and is buried in the Reservoir Cemetery, Ypres
Submitted 6 September 2014 by Carol Foster
Biography
Originally was with 5 Pioneers but transferred to the 43 Battalion to be with his youngest brother
Rank - Private
21 May 1916 Disembarked Suez
29 May 1916 Embarked Ivernia at Alexandria
17 July 1916 Transferred to 43 Battalion
24 August 1916 To active service Etaples
4 October 1917 Wounded in action
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Son of Ellen and Thomas Foster, George Street, Hindmarsh, South Australia. Brother of 289 Edward Joseph Fostervof 43 Btn. Killed in action 4 October 1917; 1665 Private John Foster of 48 Btn. Returned to Australia 2 June 1919; 2921 George Foster of 32 Btn. Returned to Australia 22 May 1919
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