S7701
COLBERT, Thomas Michael
| Service Number: | 2256 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Kapunda, South Australia, 16 October 1886 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Ganger |
| Died: | Springbank, South Australia, 26 February 1950, aged 63 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Cheltenham Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Alawoona & District WW1 Honour Roll, Kapunda District WW1 Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 2256, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Bakara embarkation_ship_number: A41 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 2256, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Bakara, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 2256 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Thomas Michael Colbert was born in Kapunda, South Australia, on the 16th of October 1886. His father, Daniel Colbert, was a farmer and his mother was called Bridget Agnes Reilly. He was the second eldest of 8 siblings, 2 of whom died as children. He worked as a Railway ganger before he enlisted at Keswick, South Australia on the 9th of October 1915. He was Roman Catholic, standing at 5 foot 6 inches and his chest measurement was 37.40 inches. His medical examination described his complexion as ‘fresh’. His eyes wered escribed as hazel and his hair dark brown.
Colbert embarked as a Private on the 28th of April 1916 on the HMAT A41 Bakara at Port Adelaide as part of the 9th Light Horse Regiment. His ship arrived in Egypt, and he was posted to training on the 5th of June 1916 at Tel El Kabir (Egypt). He was attached to the Imperial Camel Corps on 8th July 1916. On September 22nd he was admitted to a hospital in Abbassia (Egypt) with an infection. On the 17th of the next month, he rejoined his unit.
He was appointed Corporal sometime in November 1917. On the 30th of March in 1918, he was wounded with a gun shot wound to his right thigh and was evacuated by field ambulance to hospital. He marched in to depot 29th April 1918 and was taken on strength with the 13th Company 4th Battalion 16th May 1918. He was detached to a School of Instruction at Zeiboun 6th July 1918 and was admitted to quarantine camp on the 12th July. He left quarantine camp on 26th July and was transferred to Ligh Horse details 1st July 1918. He spent the remainder of the war in the Middle East. He returned to Australia arriving back 10th August 1919 and was discharged the following month.
On the 7th of January, Colbert married Mary Agnes MacCarthy at Our Lady of the sacred heart, Church Woodville. They had 6 children together. Thomas Michael Colbert died on the 26th of February 1950, aged 63, in Springbank, South Australia. He was buried at Cheltenham cemetery, South Australia.
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