THOMAS, Harry Wynne
| Service Number: | 13283 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 October 1921 |
| Last Rank: | Chief Petty Officer |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Perth (I) D29 WW2 |
| Born: | Perth, Western Australia, Australia , 10 October 1903 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Sunda Strait, Netherlands East Indies, 1 March 1942, aged 38 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom Panel 73 Col 2 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, East Fremantle HMAS Perth (I) Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 19 Oct 1921: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Chief Petty Officer, 13283 | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement 13283, HMAS Perth (I) D29 WW2 | |
| 3 Feb 1942: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, London Gazette: 3 February 1942 on page 554 at position 2 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Chief Stoker Harry Wynne Thomas (Service No:13283) enlisted in the RAN in Sydney, NSW on 19 October 1921. Stoker Thomas was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 1 January 1939 - included in the ships on which he served were HMAS Cerberus, Sydney, Margeurite, Canberra, Vendetta, Platypus and Stuart. Chief Stoker was on board HMAS Perth in the Sundra Strait, Java Sea nr Indonesia on 1 March 1942 when the light cruiser, along with the American heavy cruiser USS Houston and Dutch destroyer HNLMS Evertson engaged in heavy battle with the Imperial Japanese Navy - all three Allied ships were sunk, as were five Japanes ships. Chief Stoker Thomas was Mentioned in Despatches - London Gazette; 3 February 1942.
Harry was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1903, sixth of eleven children of Watkin (William) Wynn Thomas (b1861 in Worcestershire, England) and Mary Elizabeth Avery (b1863 in Warwickshire, England). William was a Draper in 1890 when he and Mary married in Melbourne - Mary had immigrated earlier that year on board the Oruba. In 1989 William and Mary moved to Perth, Western Australia with their five children, and settled in Victoria Park, where William was a Draper/Storekeeper.
Harry was a Stoker in the RAN in Sydney, NSW in 1924 when he married his first wife Elizabeth Clare Seaman (b1904 in Northam, WA). Following Elizabeth's death in 1933, Harry remarried in 1934 to divorcee Rita Beatrice Smith (nee Anthony; b1905 in Stockton, Newcastle, NSW). Harry was KiA in 1942. Rita later remarried and died in 1994.
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