SYMES, Thomas John
| Service Number: | 1352 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 May 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Jamestown, South Australia, 19 April 1894 |
| Home Town: | Unley, Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Unley Public School |
| Occupation: | Driver |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Romani, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, 1 June 1916, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Kantara War Memorial Cemetery Row B, Grave No. 14, Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Suez Canal, Egypt |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Unley Arch of Remembrance, Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 20 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1352, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1352, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Sep 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1352, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 29 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1352, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, Egypt and Palestine - Light Horse and AFC Operations, Taken on strength 3LHR 29 Dec 1915 | |
| 1 Jun 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Trooper, 1352, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, Egypt and Palestine - Light Horse and AFC Operations, ---:awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1352 awm_unit: 3rd Australian Light Horse Regiment awm_rank: Trooper awm_died_date: 1916-06-01 Died of wounds after being injured in action by a bomb blast, vicinity of Romani |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Steve Larkins
Thomas Symes was originally a native of Jamestown, where he was born on 19 April 1894
His parents were William Andrew and Martha Jane SYMES, later of Orroroo, South Australia. At the time of enlistment they were resident at View steet, Unley.
By 1915 he was working as a driver. He enlisted into the 3rd Light Horse Regiment in May 1915, and embarked in September.
He arrived too late for Gallipoli service joining his unit on 29 December 1915. The 3rd Light Horse Regiment was thereafter tasked with the defence of the Suez Canal, by establishing outposts and patrolling east of the vital waterway.
He was wounded by a bomb blast, which fracturd his leg, on 1 June 1916 near Romani, later to become the scene of a major Light Horse engagement in August 1916. He was evacuated to the Field Ambulance section of the Regiment but died of wounds the same day. He was intially buried in the field, but his remains were later relocated to Kantara War Cemetery.
Steve Larkins 19 Nov 2017
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