THOMAS, William
| Service Numbers: | 1069, 1369 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Mouquet Farm, France, 14 August 1916, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Serre Road Cemetery No.1 IX. A. 14, Serre Road Cemetery No 1, Beaumont Hamel, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 1069, 13th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 1069, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 14 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 1369, 13th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1369 awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-08-14 |
Help us honour William Thomas's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
William was the son of David and Ann Thomas, of Maesygwrnen, Glanamman. He trained as an engineer prior to the war, and had emigrated to Australia. He enlisted at Sydney, NSW on 15 December 1914, into the 13th Battalion, Australian Infantry, who were attached to 4 Brigade, ANZAC Division. The Division moved to Egypt in late 1914, and trained there in preparation for a move to the Western Front. However, the plan was changed and the Australians, as part of the ANZAC Corps, landed as part of the initial assault on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915. William was wounded on 30 August, suffering a gunshot wound to his back, and was evacuated to Hospital in Alexandria. On 13 November he re-joined his Battalion on Gallipoli, and on 3 January 1916 the Battalion were evacuated to Mudros, and then on to Egypt. In Egypt the AIF was doubled, and the Battalions reorganised, seeing the 13th Battalion join the 4th Australian Division. On 1 June 1916 William’s Battalion marched to the harbour in Alexandria, where they embarked on a transport ship for Marseilles, and upon their arrival in France were posted to positions around Fleurbaix. In July the 4th Australian Division moved south to the Somme, to take part in the great offensive there, and on 20 July moved into position at Pozieres. They attacked Pozieres on 23 July, and after a bloody battle, captured the ridge which had held the British 34th Division off previously. The Division were moved from the line to rest at Warloy Baillon, but were moved back into positions north of Pozieres on 14 August, preparatory to an attack on the German strongpoint of Mouquet Farm. William was killed in action here on 14 August 1916, aged 30. His grave was exhumed from Hebuterne after the war, and William now rests at Serre Road Cemetery No. 1, France.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Cwmamman, Garnant and Glanamman .
The old mining communities of Cwmamman, Garnant and Glanamman sit in the Amman Valley, on the Eastern edge of Carmarthenshire. These and the immediate surrounding villages contributed many men to the war effort, and also lost many of them..
As there were originally no names on the War Memorial at Cwmamman, the rolls of names were taken from the 1922 Carmarthen County War Memorial pamphlet.
His brother fell whilst serving with British forces. He was
Private David Morgan Thomas-Service Number 201892-Died 12/04/1918-7th Bn. Tank Corps. LOOS MEMORIAL-Panel 136.
Click images to start slideshow.