CAMBRIDGE, Thomas James
| Service Number: | 18846 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 November 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 7th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Windsor, Hawkesbury, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Windsor Superior Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Mercer |
| Died: | Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, 13 January 1959, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, NSW |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 18846, 7th Field Artillery Brigade | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 18846, 7th Field Artillery Brigade, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: '' | |
| 11 May 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 18846, 7th Field Artillery Brigade, HMAT Argyllshire, Sydney | |
| 25 Jan 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Driver, 18846, 7th Field Artillery Brigade, embarked England for Sydney on board HT Ceramic | |
| 10 May 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Driver, 18846, 7th Field Artillery Brigade |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Gunner/Driver Thomas James Cambridge (Service No:18846) served for two years in the Militia (Signaller; 41st Battalion) prior to enlisting in the AIF on 23 November 1915 as a Gunner with 7th Field Artillery Brigade. Gunner Cambridge embarked from Sydney for Southampton with his Unit on 11 May 1916 on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire. Gunner Cambridge - remustered in 1916 as Driver - served on the Western Front 'at Armentieres, Ploegstert, the Somme, and every subsequent battle in which the Third Division engaged' (Trove: Obituary; 1959). Gunner Cambridge embarked from England for Sydney on 25 January 1919 on board HT Ceramic and was attached to 7th Field Artillery Brigade at Discharge on 10 May 1919. His brother Keith also served in WWI. In WWII Thomas served as a Warrant Officer (Service Nos:NX166312/N78942), and siblings Rolf and Clive also served in WWII.
Thomas was born in Windsor, NSW in1892, third of eight children of Thomas William Cambridge (b1860 in Windsor, NSW) and Alice Amelia Haslem (b1859 in Maitland, NSW). Thomas Snr followed in his father's and grandfather's footprints, and was the third generation Letter Carrier when he and Alice married in Windsor in 1886. They settled in Windsor where they raised their family and Thomas Snr was a Letter Carrier/Mailman/Postman until retirement. Thomas Snr did his mail deliveries on horseback and was 'known for his unvarying courtesy and obliging nature' (Windsor & Richmond Gazette: 1942).
Thomas attended Windsor Superior Public School and worked as a Mercer for Messrs MH Pulsford and Co Windsor before enlisting in the AIF. Following his Discharge, he returned to Windsor and again worked for MH Pulsford & Co before becoming a Storekeeper. In 1925 he married Ruby Kathleen Beecroft (b1898 in Windsor, NSW) and they settled in Windsor where Thomas was a Storekeeper, later moving to Tebbutt where he was a Dairy Farmer, and then to 'Fairfield' where he was a Milk Vendor until retirement.
In 1930 Thomas was appointed to the Commission of the Peace for the State of NSW, and in 1949 was appointed a Member of the Local Land Board for the District of Windsor. Thomas was one of the oldest serving members of Lodge Richard Coley at Windsor and served on the Hawkesbury Dairy and Ice Society, Hawkesbury Race Club, and Hawkesbury Show Association and was a member of the Windsor RSL Sub Branch and Ex Servicemen's Club. Thomas died in 1959 and Ruby in 1968. Thomas was described in his Obituary (Trove) as 'One of those widely known and esteemed personalities whose passing makes it difficult to visualise certain gatherings without his presence'.
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