29015
THOMAS, James Alfred
| Service Number: | 1577 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 March 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bowden, South Australia, Australia, November 1887 |
| Home Town: | Thebarton (Southwark), City of West Torrens, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Australia , 12 July 1949, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Section: KO, Road: 19, Site No: 29 |
| Memorials: | Lower North Adelaide War Memorial WW1, North Adelaide Christ Church Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1577 | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 1577, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 1577, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 18 Jun 1919: | Discharged Australian Army (Post WW2), 1577 |
Help us honour James Alfred Thomas's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide High School
James Alfred Thomas was born during November 1887, in Bowden, South Australia, Australia. Later he lived in Thebarton, South Australia, Australia with his mother, Elizabeth Thomas. There is no information on James’ education or pre-enlistment life, however he did record that he was a labourer on a military information form.
James Alfred embarked at the age of 27, at the end of May 1915 to the First World War. His unit was the 27th Australian Infantry Battalion. After going to Egypt to train for 2 months, they went to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in September of 1915. At the end of 1915 James and his battalion were evacuated to Egypt. A few months later the battalion went to France but James was ill. He initially went to the England and only joined his unit in France in August 1916. Apart from two periods of leave to the UK, he remained with the 27th Battalion in France. We possess no digital copies of any journal or diary, so it is unknown whether he was satisfied with his fighting experience during war. On the 28th of March 1919, he returned home to Adelaide, Australia. James Alfred was discharged from the Australian Military Forces on June 18, 1919.
There was no information to be found on what he had achieved after being discharged but James unfortunately died on the 12th of July 1949 at the age of 61. He is now buried at AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide, South Australia.
Bibliography:
· James Alfred THOMAS n.d., Virtual War Memorial, viewed 20 May 2020, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/356617>.
· Thomas J A n.d., viewed 21 May 2020, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3001868>.
· FIRST WORLD WAR EMBARKATION ROLL James Alfred Thomas n.d., Virtual War Memorial, viewed 20 May 2020, <awm.gov.au/collection/R1926911>.
· 27th Battalion (Australia) 2020, viewed 2 June 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27th_Battalion_(Australia)>.
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