Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Thomas Watson was born on the 31st of May 1878 in London, England he was the only son of Thomas Watson Sr. He had one sister Rose and he and his family lived in England for their early life. He was baptised into the Church of England. When he was of age, he moved out of home leaving his family in London and migrated to Australia, building his own life as a locomotive engine driver in Adelaide.

As a very patriotic British subject, when war was declared in August 1914 over in Europe, Thomas was one of the first to sign up to the 1st AIF. His military records show that on the 19th of August 1914, having undergone the necessary formalities, including a medical examination and taking the oath to “and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force… faithfully discharge my duty according to law”, Thomas became 342 (later 448) Pte Watson T.

To note, Thomas’s personal details at this time, he was 31 years old, 5’6” ft in height, 150 lbs/68 kg, blue eyes, fair hair. On October 20, 1914, he embarked from Adelaide for war on the HMAT Ascanius (A11). It was the first ship carrying troops to leave the area and joined the convoy on the 3rd of November proceeding to Colombo.  Between late December and January, the majority of the ANZAC troops had arrived in Cairo at the training camps.  He spent 7 months there training.

 On August 5th he then embarked from Alexandria to Gallipoli arriving on the 8th of August 1915. Thomas joined the 3rd Field Company Engineers as a Sapper, digging trenches. Engineers during WW 1 were involved in various tasks such as mobility, counter mobility, construction, surveying, and tunnelling. During the evacuation of Gallipoli, four months into his service he was ill, and transferred to a hospital in Helonan, Egypt, due to dysentery.

He rejoined his company at Pozieres, France but on the 19th – 20th of July 1916, he was wounded in action during the battle. The divisions that took part in this battle clung to its gains despite almost continuous artillery fire and repeated German counterattacks but suffered heavily. By the time they were relieved by the 2nd division the battle resulted in 350 casualties for the 10th battalion, including 58 killed, 246 wounded and 46 missing. Thomas was transferred to a hospital 8 days later.

Thomas made a swift recovery and within less than a month he was back on the battle fields and transferred to the 1st Field Ambulance. At the end of that year, he was court-martial for and unspecific misconduct and sentences to three days of Field Punishment.

The rough conditions led to him contracting trench fever, a moderately serious illness caused by body lice, and he was hospitalized in France. His recovery was slow, and on July 9th, he was sent to England for better treatment. While there, doctors also diagnosed him with a medical condition. Despite suffering from severe headaches, chest and abdominal pain, weakness, and nausea, Thomas persisted through his difficult recovery.

  Finally, all his hard work had paid off and he made a full recovery, being discharged on the 31st of July. While still in England, Thomas committed an offence but was reprimanded. His time away from war Thomas also found himself a marriage to Wess Maud Watson in his home country, London, Wandsworth.

 Their marriage was certified my L. Moister on the 16th of February 1918. And though his year started off happily, full of joy for his and his wife’s family, it was the start of a rocky year. As Thomas was going in and out of court-martial and detention once he had rejoined his unit, adding up to 90 days in detention total, this year was also a time of heavy activity amongst his unit.

 He rejoined his unit on the 28th of June 1918. In his final months of service, he was detached to the 3rd Brigade Mining Company to help support there dropping numbers and rejoined the 10th battalion in the field on the 5th of August. In September 1918, he was sent back to Australia due to being unfit for further service, likely from an injury sustained between August and September. He departed for Australia from the port of Taranto, Italy, on the ship Kasir Hind to return to Australia.

Thomas Watson was officially discharged from service and demobilized from the 10th battalion on January 22, 1919, following the cessation of hostilities in November of the previous year. Watson's service spanned up to 4 years and 357 days, making his story a powerful example of the values that have shaped ANZAC identity. He was awarded a 1914/15 Star, a British War Medel , and a Victory Medal.

Bibliography:

DVA (Department of Veterans' Affairs) (2024 ), Australians in the Battle of Mont St Quentin 31 August to 3 Sept 1918, DVA Anzac Portal, accessed 20 September 2024, https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/where-australians-served/western-front/hundred-days/battle-of-mont-st-quentin-1918

Australian War Memorial (2017). Conscription during the First World War, 1914–18 | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Australian War Memorial. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/conscription/ww1.

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