Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Biography of Thomas Daly O’Reilly (1912–1973)

Brickmaker • Soldier (Private, 12th Australian Field Ambulance, A.I.F.) • Husband • Father

Thomas Daly O’Reilly was born on 25 March 1912 in Southwark, South Australia (today part of Thebarton). He was the son of Patrick O’Reilly (c.1880–1932) and Catherine (Kate) Daly (1877/79–1938), both Irish-connected families who had settled in Adelaide’s western suburbs. Thomas grew up primarily in Kensington and Kensington South, at a time when the area was working-class and strongly Catholic, with many families connected to the brickmaking, labouring, or transport trades.

Youth and Early Adulthood

By his teens and early twenties, Thomas was working as a brickmaker — a physically demanding and skilled occupation common in the Kensington–Beulah Park district. However, like many young men of the Depression era, he also experienced periods of instability.

Police Gazette records show that between 1927 and the mid-1930s, Thomas appeared several times in court for minor offences, most commonly drunkenness, disorderly behaviour, and an early charge involving receiving money from a person under the age of 21. These matters were typical of the era’s working-class youth, where heavy social drinking, unemployment and difficult economic conditions often contributed to brushes with the law.

It is important to note that none of the offences were major crimes, and all resulted in small fines or short periods of detention. They reflect a turbulent early adulthood rather than a criminal lifestyle.

Turning Point: Marriage and Stability

A significant stabilising moment came when Thomas married Evelyn Ethel Nolan on 25 June 1932. Evelyn had been born in 1911 at Mount Lofty and later worked as a domestic and shop assistant. The young couple settled at 11 High Street, Kensington, the address listed repeatedly on his military records.

Their marriage produced at least one daughter, Patricia Joan (“Pat”) O’Reilly, born around 1932–33, who would later marry Thomas Walter Morgan. Patricia tragically died at just 34 years of age in 1967 and is buried beside her parents.

With marriage came a noticeable settling of Thomas’s life: the Police Gazette records begin to taper away, and by the time he enlisted in World War II, his life was firmly centred around home, family and regular employment.

World War II Service

Private – SX35253 / S110054

12th Australian Field Ambulance (A.I.F.)

Thomas first joined the Australian Military Forces on 18 December 1941, attending the Kensington assembly point. His full-time duty began shortly afterward, although he was discharged after only a short period due to medical reasons.

He later re-enlisted for wartime service on 20 May 1944, this time in the A.I.F. (Australian Imperial Force), and was posted to the 12th Australian Field Ambulance — a medical support unit responsible for casualty evacuation, treatment, and movement of wounded personnel.

Key Service Highlights

Taken on strength at Wayville Camp and Woodside training areas
Posted to NT (Northern Territory) for active service support
Served in the Adelaide River region, a major military staging area
Suffered several medical issues (including rubella) leading to transfers
Classified “proficient” and granted proficiency pay
Completed a total of 846 days of wartime service
Discharged 2 December 1944 at Wayville, medically boarded but fit for civilian life
His records show he returned his Active Service Badge and signed for his will and effects — standard procedure for a soldier completing A.I.F. service.

Later Life

After the war, Thomas returned to Kensington and resumed ordinary civilian life. He continued working, maintained his marriage, and became a devoted father and later a grandfather.

Thomas and Evelyn lived for many years at 29 Green Street, St Morris, where he is recorded as residing at the time of his death. Despite early hardships, he built a stable family life and remained close to his daughter Patricia’s family.

Thomas Daly O’Reilly died on 1 December 1973, aged 61, and was buried at Enfield Memorial Park, General Section, Row AN, Site 25, alongside his wife Evelyn (buried 1997). Their daughter Patricia lies immediately beside them in Row AN, Site 24, linking all three generations together.

Legacy

Thomas’s life reflects:

The struggles of a young man growing up in Depression-era Adelaide
The stabilising influence of marriage and responsibility
His contribution to Australia’s war effort through service in a medical support unit
A later life defined by family, quiet stability, and generational continuity

He left behind his wife Evelyn, his daughter Patricia, grandchildren, and, through them, a family line that continues to honour him.

Biography by Trevor Pyatt 1/12/2025