SHERIDAN, Thomas Francis
| Service Numbers: | Officer, Offier |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 29th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Carisbrook, Victoria, Australia, 22 May 1880 |
| Home Town: | Carisbrook, Central Goldfields, Victoria |
| Schooling: | State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Professional Soldier |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Fromelles, France, 20 July 1916, aged 36 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Plot III. Row B. Grave 9. Inscription: THOUGH DEATH DEVIDES HIS MEMORY LIVES ON |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 10 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne | |
| 7 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, Disembarked Suez, Egypt | |
| 1 Jun 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 29th Infantry Battalion | |
| 16 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, Embarked Alexandria for B.E.F per H.M.T. "Tunisian" | |
| 23 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, Disembarked Marseilles, France | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Offier, 29th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Killed In Action | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 29th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1916-07-20 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Steve Larkins
Parents - Nicholas and Bridget SHERIDAN of Carisbrook in the Central Goldfields district of Victoria;
By the time he embarked, Thomas Sheridan was 35 yo and married to Teresa SHERIDAN, 26 Mason Street, South Yarra.
He was a professional soldier and enlisted in the AIF very shortly after the declaration of War.
However he would have been most valuable preparing the thousands of newly enslisted personnel for service, and so he did not embark for a further 15 months, on 10 November 1915 aboard the HMAT Ascanius. It disembarked its cargo of troops at Suez, on 7 December 1915.
Thomas Sheridan was promoted Captain, at Moascar, 1 June 1916. He subsequently embarked with the Battalion to join the British Expeditionary Force on 16 June 1916; and disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916 for the rail journey north.
The 5th Division took over the line opposite Aubers Ridge when the rest of the AIF moved south to pre-position for its part in the Somme Offensive.
The 5th Division was ordered to take part in an attack with the British 61st Division on the 17th July. It was postponed for two days.
The attack was a disaster for the Allies.
Thomas Sheridan was posted missing in action, 19/20 July 1916.
Placed on Seconded List, 20 July 1916. He was struck off strength of 29th Bn, 20 October 1916.
At a Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 23 August 1917, his pronounced fate was 'Killed in Action, 20 July 1916' and listed on the wall at VC Corner Cemetery.
His remains and those of 250 other Australian and British soldies, were discovered in a mass grave at a spot called Pheasant Wood. His remains wre identified by DNA alaysis in 2011 and he is now interred at the Pheasant Wood Cemeery on the outskirts of Fromelles.
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