Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Tom’s family were long standing residents of Minlaton in the central Yorke Peninsula, known by locals as the ‘Barley Capital of the World’. Born on 6th August 1907, Tom had attended the local school where he was awarded his Qualifying Certificate at the conclusion of Year 7. The same evening, he was also part of a school play called the ‘Double Wedding’. Probably more importantly to Tom was the strawberry supper, which concluded the evening for the children.
Tom also had a typical boyhood with the occasional accident, notably as a 15-year-old when the crown of his bike broke causing him to fall and become unconscious. A stint in the Minlaton Hospital followed before he again suffered a further injury the next year as he tried to start a motor lorry, instead dislocated his wrist. The same doctor again treated Tom.
He was soon able to return to his usual high-spirited activity, including playing football and cricket for Minlaton. In ’29 he was selected as part of a Central and Southern Yorke Peninsula representative team to play the Norwood Athletic Club on Easter Saturday. He was one of three players chosen from Minlaton with the others coming from Yorketown, Brentwood and Koolywartie. The city team boated over and were first given a tour of the area before the match started.
Tom was not adverse at having a laugh at his own expense. In a fund raiser for the Minlaton hospital, where the married men played the single in a game of football, he won the award for the best fancy costume in his rendition of Dolly Vardon.
By 1936 Tom was presented with an award at half time during a football match against Yorketown for having played 100 consecutive games in Association football. The local Pioneer also reported that ‘In the evening Tom was present at a dinner provided by his parents, Mr. and Mrs Geo. King. There were about 40 present including players and officials of the club. Various toasts were proposed.’
His father, George Sherriff King had a team of magnificent horses essential for his carrying and carting business. Perhaps the most challenging of his work was in the ‘removal’ of a house constructed of wood and iron, with wood floors and measuring seven metres by five metres. This was jacked up on planks and moved about 100 metres away where it was then placed on new foundations. The whole exercise took about two hours. Tom was to eventually become the owner of his father’s business post war.
With the outbreak of WWII, there was a big drive by the military in country areas to encourage local youths and men to sign up. Consequently, Tom enlisted on the 2nd July 1940, just prior to his 23rd birthday. Once in Adelaide, Tom was allocated the number SX7615 and assigned to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. Initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds before the enlistees headed to Woodside for their preliminary training. Pre-embarkation leave gave Tom time to return to Minlaton where he was farewelled.
Returning to the 2/48th the contingent then embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 19th December 1940. There the recruits completing a few months training in Cyrenaica before Tom was on his way to serve in Tobruk, Syria and Egypt. By the start of April 1941, the 2/48th were in Tobruk where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to new enlistees. They were to become the famed Rats of Tobruk.
Conditions were ever-changing and the fighting continuous. Tom’s leadership resulted in him being promoted to Lance Corporal. The Pioneer shared letters from many of the servicemen, including one from Tom, nicknamed ‘Ripper’ to the secretary of the Fighting Forces Citizen’s Funds, published in January ‘41. He wrote in part ‘Yesterday I was handed a Xmas Box from the F.F.C.F. On opening it I was surprised and exceedingly pleased to see a card in it with the name of the Yorketown Unit. As I come from Minlaton, you can imagine my pleasure on seeing the old familiar name again. Please convey my thanks to your Unit for the goods. We are in Palestine, and I have met some Yorketown boys here, including Alf. Domaschenz, Schulz brothers, Keith Bartram, and Tom Daly — they are all very well. You can imagine the difference between this country and our own in seeing a single-furrow plow being drawn by a camel or a donkey, when we have been used to tractors and big teams of horses. Kindly remember me to friends at Yorketown.’ The local Pioneer then added an address for residents to write; — SX7615 Lce.-Cpl. A. T. King. D Company, 2/48th Battn., 2nd A.I.F. Abroad.
Three months later, the paper carried more letters from Bill Shegog, Dick Foster, Les Tonkin, Col Parsons, Ern Lock, Tom King. H. S. Searle and the late Stan Button. Tom wrote "I cannot tell you how much canteen orders are appreciated as things over here aren't exactly cheap—the big item is postage stamps. Local boys all well, sparking on all six. I'm 100 per cent." —Tom King.
Allan Poole from Port Lincoln also wrote to the West Coast Recorder, with some details about Tobruk and Tom. “Ripper (Tom) King and Alby Stubberfield are here now. Ripper was in Palestine for a while with a wounded leg, but he is all right now. He says that Gordon Poole (cousin) is in Palestine with Bill. The dust has been something awful today. This morning Alby and I went out in a lorry looking for some timber; so we went on down to the beach and had a swim. It was lovely in the water, but it was not much benefit to us, as we were soon as dirty as blackfellows again.”
Poignant letters were included from Harry Searle, who was killed in October ’42 “"We are all keen to have the chance to try conclusions with the enemy as we all want to get this mess over as quickly as we can and return to the country we all love." H. S. Searle. Similarly, an interesting letter was received from the late Private Stan Button. He wrote: — "All the best to you people who are carrying on down under." He recorded his thanks for letters, canteen orders and parcels, and said, "Personally speaking there are quite a number of ideas and notions that I had that have received a severe jolt. For instance, I never thought I'd be in a country, part of which fits in with the time of the Crusaders, or before, and another part, side by side with it, using modern cars, speaking over telephones, etc. The incongruity strikes one very forcibly."
Tom was to survive the fighting in the Middle East and New Guinea, returning home on leave in June ’44 before being discharged in August. His father, George retired from the carrying business, which he had established in 1904, handing it over to Tom in 1945. A highlight occurred in January ’45 with the opening of the new 13 Ton Weighbridge at Port Vincent. The first load for weighing, wheat, was delivered by George King with Tom driving the load. While George was relieved to see Tom return from the war, unfortunately George died in February, leaving his wife, Vida Maud, daughter Doreen and Tom. Vida lived to May 51 with both parents buried in the local Minlaton Cemetery.
Tom lived to be 76 and died on the 22 April 1984. There is a memorial to his service with the highly regarded 2/48th Infantry Battalion in the Minlaton Cemetery.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.