GALL, Thomas
| Service Number: | 2810 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Dugandan, Scenic Rim, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Boonah State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Warneton, Belgium, 1 August 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Boonah War Memorial, Brisbane 42nd Infantry Battalion AIF Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 2810, 42nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 2810, 42nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Sydney |
Narrative
Thomas Gall #2810 42nd Battalion
Tom Gall reported that he had been born in Ipswich to parents James and Elizabeth Gall. By the time that Tom presented himself for enlistment in Brisbane on 31st October 1916, his father had died. He stated he was a 23 year old labourer of Dugandan.
Tom reported to Enoggera where he was allocated to the 6th reinforcements of the 42nd Battalion. Less than two months after enlistment, Tom travelled by train to Sydney where he boarded the “Demosthenes” on 23rd December 1916. He had allocated 3/- of his daily pay to his widowed mother.
Soon after arriving in England, Tom was hospitalised with mumps. Upon discharge on 14th April 1917, Tom was placed in the 11th Training Battalion at Sutton Veney.
The Battle of Messines had begun on 6th June 1917 and the 42nd Battalion, as part of the 3rd Division AIF had been engaged since the first day. Tom was taken on strength by the 42nd on 13th July. The battalion was at that time rotating in and out of the line near Warneton on the southern end of the Messines Ridge. Tom’s file records that he was posted Missing in Action on 1st August. A court of inquiry a week later determined that he had been killed in action.
An enquiry to the Red Cross Wounded and Missing Service; probably instigated by his mother could only locate one witness to Tom’s fate. The witness claimed Tom had been killed instantly by shell fire and there was no trace of him after the explosion. Tom had only been with his unit for two weeks.
Tom’s mother was awarded a pension of 2 pounds per fortnight in October 1917. She duly signed for her son’s medals and memorial plaque in 1922.
Thomas Gall is commemorated on the sandstone tablets of the Menin Gate Memorial in the city of Ypres (Iper) in company with over 50,000 British and Dominion soldiers who lost their lives in Belgium and have no known grave. This sacrifice is commemorated each evening with a remembrance ceremony which includes the playing of the last post.
Submitted 6 April 2021 by Ian Lang