CLARK, Thomas Welsby
| Service Number: | S/4449 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 August 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Able Seaman |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 28 January 1920 |
| Home Town: | New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Slade School, Warwick, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Indian Ocean, 20 November 1941, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Geraldton War Cemetery, Western Australia Previously interred on Christmas Island, Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Carnarvon HMAS Sydney II Memorial, Carnarvon Walk of Remembrance, Geraldton HMAS Sydney II Memorial, Kangaroo Point H.M.A.S. Moreton Honour Roll, Mosman Bradleys Head HMAS Sydney Memorial, Spring Hill Brisbane Grammar School WW2 Great Hall Honour Board |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Able Seaman, S/4449, HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, S/4449 |
Help us honour Thomas Welsby Clark's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stan Woods
Thomas' body was found in a Carley float at Christmas Island several months after the sinking of the HMAS Sydney, and he was interred as 'unknown' on Christmas Island. In 2021 his remains were finally identified, and he is now interred in the Geraldton Cemetery in WA.
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
A. B. Thomas Welsby Clark, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Clark, of Eylstan Road, New Farm, enlisted soon after the outbreak of war. He was a grandson of the 'Pearl King,' the late Mr. Jim Clark, and of the late Mr. Thomas Welsby. He was an active member of the 12ft. Skill Sailing Club.
Sailor left £41,242
A BRISBANE sailor, who died on active service on November 20, 1941, left an estate of £41,242 gross personalty. He was Thomas Welsby Clark, formerly of Elystan Road, New Farm, who was a member of the Royal Australian Navy. Letters of administration with his will were granted in the Supreme Court yesterday.
Mis mother, Mrs. Marion Clark, widow, of 'Amity,' Welsby Street, New Farm', is the sole beneficiary.
24 August 2001
A team of RAN and RAAF personnel were deployed to Christmas Island, to conduct a search of the Old European Cemetery, to find the remains of a sailor buried there in February 1942. The remains floated ashore in a Carley float in early February 1942, and are believed to have come from HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), which was sunk in November 1941. Despite an extensive search of a portion of the cemetery, no remains were found, and the search party departed on 7 September.
A second search in October 2006 found the body. When it was found, the body was in an unusually-shaped coffin, which appeared to have been constructed around it as the body was buried "with legs doubled under at the knee" the same position it had been in when found on the raft, possibly due to mummification. Press studs and small fragments of clothing were found in the coffin. Following an autopsy and the taking of samples from the body for identification, the remains of the unknown sailor were reburied in the Commonwealth War Graves section in the Geraldton Cemetery in Western Australia with full military honours on 19 November 2008.
On 19 November 2021, the body was identified as that of Able Seaman Thomas Welsby Clark
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