S6128
ALLEN, Thomas
| Service Number: | 3508 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Cork, Ireland, June 1878 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Barman |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 19 January 1955 |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (General) Adelaide, South Australia Catholic Western Ground, Row L, Site Number 35 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 3 May 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (Second) | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Polygon Wood | |
| 1 Mar 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918 | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion, The Battle of Amiens | |
| 2 Oct 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3508, 32nd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Thomas Allen was born in June 1878, near the town of Cork, Ireland. Not much is known about his early life other than the name of his mother Mrs Catherine Allen (whom he listed as his next of kin on his enlistment forms) and his residential address - 99 Hutt Street, Adelaide, South Australia. He was a barman by occupation, and, as stated in his description upon enlistment, had a medium complexion, brown eyes, and dark brown hair.
With no previous military service on his record, he enlisted as an A.I.F. Private in Adelaide on the 5th of June 1916, aged 38 years old. He embarked from Adelaide on 12 of August 1916 on board the HMAT Ballarat, arriving in Devonport, England 49 days later the 30th of September.
His service number was 3508, and he was first appointed to the 2nd Depot Battalion (depots were centres for collecting, sorting, and despatching reinforcements to units in the field), later being Taken on Strength by the 32nd Infantry Battalion.
Side-by-side with the rest of his Battalion, Allen fought in the Second Battle of Bullecourt (France, 03/05/1917 - 17/05/1917), the Battle of Polygon Wood (Belgium, 26/09/1917 - 03/10/1917), and in the German Spring Offensive (France, 01/03/1918 - 31/05/1918).
On the 30th of November 1917, he was admitted to the 8th Australian Field Ambulance due to Gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach) until the 9th of December 1917, when he was discharged to duty and re-joined his unit in Belgium.
After a brief leave to England (05/01/1918 - 21/01/1918), he was admitted to 7th Australian Field Ambulance on the 25th of May, this time for Dyspepsia (upper abdominal discomfort). He re-joined his unit on the 3rd of June 1918, in time to take part in the Battle of Amiens (France, 08/08/1918 - 11/08/1918).
On the 5th of July 1919, Allen commenced his return to Australia on board 'Port Melbourne', disembarking in Adelaide on the 18th of August 1919. As agreed upon in his enlistment forms, he served for a further two months, before finally being discharged on the 2nd of October 1919.
Thomas Allen died at the age of 77 on the 19th of January 1955 and is buried in West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide with his mother and father.
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