RICHARDS, Thomas Henry
| Service Number: | WX2780 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 2/2nd Forestry Company RAE |
| Born: | Marrinup, Western Australia, 15 August 1915 |
| Home Town: | Busselton, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Timber Worker |
| Died: | Busselton, Western Australia, 22 December 1995, aged 80 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| Date unknown: | Involvement Sapper, WX2780, 2/2nd Forestry Company RAE |
|---|
Help us honour Thomas Henry Richards's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Tom was the third of six children of Thomas (Tommy) William Richards (born 1883 in Capel Shire, Western Australia) and Flora Elizabeth Jane Scott (born 1888 in Bunbury, WA). Tommy had worked as a Labourer and Timber Worker in Murray Shire and Busselton, and he and Flora married in 1911. The couple settled at Marrinup Mill, WA where Tommy was a Timber Worker (Faller) before relocating to Busselton in the 1920's.
Tom worked in the Timber Industry and in May 1940 he enlisted in the Australian Army (Sapper; Service No:WX2780), serving with 2 Australian Forestry Coy RAE. The Forestry Coys were those soldiers who kept up the supply of timber to build bridges, roads, army camps and repair bombed buildings. Tom was one of the 67 Western Australian timber workers selected, and undertook basic training at Northam, WA before deploying to Scotland (Pickering Brook Heritage Group Inc). Tom was Discharged in April 1944. Sister Rita (Private; Service No:WF91005) and Brother-in-Law Frank Bertram Green (Trooper; Service No:WX17433) also served in WWII.
Tom returned to Busselton, WA and continued work as a Timber Worker. He married Jessie Thompson Pollock (born 1913 in Glasgow, Scotland) in the late 1940s and they settled in Busselton. Tom died on 22 December 1995 and Jessie in 1999.
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