THOMAS, William
| Service Number: | 3299 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Burnley, Lancashire, England, October 1888 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Primitive Methodist School, Burnley, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Shell Gas Poisoning & Broncho Pneumonia., Died of wounds, No. 5 Section, War Hospital Exeter, England, United Kingdom, France, 19 May 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Haggate Baptist Chapelyard, Lancashire, England Row II, Grave No. 62, Haggate Baptist Chapelyard, Haggate, Burnley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, Daours, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3299, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3299, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3299, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Warilda, Brisbane | |
| 29 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 May 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 30 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Jan 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Apr 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 3299, 49th Infantry Battalion, German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages, GSW to right arm | |
| 25 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 3299, 49th Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918, Gassed - severe Shell Gas Poisoning & Broncho Pneumonia. | |
| 19 May 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 3299, 49th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3299 awm_unit: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1918-05-19 |
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 Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 19th May.... William (Billy) Thomas was born at Burnley, Lancashire, England in 1888.
A “William Thomas”, aged 23, was listed as a passenger on Kaikoura which departed from England and arrived at the port of Brisbane on 24th September, 1911.
William Thomas enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 10th August, 1915 at Brisbane, Queensland as a 27 year old, single, Miner.
Private William Thomas embarked from Brisbane on HMAT Warilda (A69) in October, 1915 with 9th Infantry Battalion, 11th Reinforcements & disembarked at Egypt (no date recorded). (There is a discrepancy as to the actual date he embarked)
Private Thomas was transferred to 49th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir on 29th February, 1916. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 13th May, 1916.
Lance Corporal Thomas arrived in France on 12th June, 1916 & was promoted to Corporal on 6th September, 1916. He was temporarily attached to Miners’ Corps from 10th January, 1917. He was to be Sergeant from 15th January, 1917 vice Sergeant Devin who had been killed in action.
Sergeant Thomas rejoined the 49th Battalion & his Unit on 24th February, 1917.
Sergeant William Thomas was wounded in action in France on 4th April, 1917. He was admitted to Field Ambulance with gunshot wound to right arm then transferred & admitted to Hospital at Rouen, France on 6th April, 1917. He was transferred to 11th Convalescent Depot on 15th June, 1917 then discharged to Base & rejoined his Unit at the Front on 17th July, 1917.
Sergeant William Thomas was on leave to Paris on 9th February, 1918 & rejoined his Unit from leave on 16th February, 1918.
Sergeant William Thomas was wounded in action (2nd occasion) – gassed on 25th April, 1918. He was admitted to Casualty Clearing Station then transferred to Hospital at Outreau then embarked for England on Hospital Ship on 30th April, 1918.
Sergeant Thomas was admitted to War Hospital, Exeter, England on 1st May, 1918 suffering from Mustard Gas Poisoning – severe.
Sergeant William Thomas died at 1.43 pm on 19th May, 1918 at No. 5 Section, War Hospital Exeter, England from Shell Gas Poisoning & Broncho Pneumonia.
He was buried in Haggate Baptist Chapelyard, Burnley, Lancashire, England. His mother & other relatives attended his funeral.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/burnley.html
Click images to start slideshow.