Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Thomas John HENDRICK, MM (1893 -

Tom Hendrick was born in a small town called Ellesmere, in Shropshire, England in 1893. He had an older brother Alfred and two sisters Cordelia and Edith. When Tom was a teenager he left England by himself and travelled to Western Australia to start a new exciting life in a Western Australian colony. When he arrived in Western Australian the government was hiring young men to clear bushland for farming. Despite this being hard labour Tom took the job as he was desperate for any work. The landowner would take them out into the bush on his dray with tools, a tent and some water, and food. He would drop them off in the bush for weeks at a time. They would have to work until the landowner came back with more provisions. He would sometimes take the tired men back to Perth for a day or two for a more comfortable couple of days. 

When the Australian government started advertising about going to war it sounded very appealing to Tom. He had been clearing land for farming for a couple of years and when the government made war sound like an awesome place, Tom and his 3 friends decided to join the army and set off for war.

Tom joined the 28th Infantry Battalion which left Australia in June 1915. After they left Australia they spent two months training in Egypt. Training was high intensity with exercises for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. Training was harsh with the hot and sandy conditions. They then moved on and landed in Turkey in September 1915 for their first battle at Gallipoli. The 28th Battalion reinforced the weary New Zealand and Australian Divisions. The 28th Battalion had a relatively quiet time at Gallipoli with few battles. Tom departed Gallipoli in December, the Battalion only suffered light casualties. The Battalion then when back to Egypt for rest. During this time in Egypt he got caught in a brutal sandstorm that damaged his eyes. He suffered desert blindness and was taken to hospital in Cairo. While he was in hospital his Battalion left Egypt so instead he joined the 32nd Battalion which was from South Australia. 

In July 1916, the 32nd Battalion went to the Western Front for the first time. They fought a battle in Fromelles, France. The battle was a disaster, the 32nd Battalion suffering 718 casualties, 75 percent of the Battalion’s strength. Later in 1917 the Battalion was involved in several important battles near Bullecourt.

They were fighting around Bullecourt as part of the great British Arras Offensive.  During this time when Tom’s Battalion was marching away from the front, for rest, an English Battalion was marching in to replace them. Tom realised this was his brother Alfred’s Battalion so he went to look for him. He found his brother and they spent precious time together. Sadly, this was the last time Tom saw his brother because Alfred was killed the very next day.

In the second battle of Bullecourt Tom showed much gallantry, courage and powers of leadership for which he received a military medal. Brigadier E. Tivey, commanding the 8th Australian Infantry Brigade, provided the following description in support of the recommendation for the medal:

'During the operations of this Battalion near BELLICOURT between 29th September/1st October 1918 Sergeant HENDRICK showed much gallantry, courage and powers of leadership. On the 29th September the Left flank of the Battalion was dangerously exposed through a gap having occurred there. Realising the serious position he took forward two Lewis Gun Teams and opened fire on the advancing enemy. The effect of this action was most marked; the flank being effectively protected and the hostile troops driven back in disorder. This was only one instance of Sergeant HENDRICKS valuable services throughout the operations. At all times his coolness and determination set a fine example to the men under him and the bravery and promptness with which he carried out his duties greatly assisted his Company Commander in the whole of the attack.'

Tom fought his last major battle between the 29th September and the 1st of October when the 3rd Division was part of the attack on the Hindenburg Line across the top of the 6 kilometre St Quentin Canal tunnel near Riqueuval. 

The AIF was withdrawn for rest and reinforcement after the capture of Montbrehain on the 5th October and was still out of the line when the Armistice was declared.

After the war, Tom came back to Adelaide because he was now part of the 32nd Battalion and all his friends were now from South Australia. He did not go back to Fremantle because he had no family there and had lost connections with all friends that he had been working with.

He married a young woman, Laura, that he had met on one of his leave periods in England during the war. They had kept in contact for 2 years since they first met. They settled in the Riverland on a soldier settler’s block in Renmark, where they brought up three children in a peaceful environment on the land. 

Bibliography

Record Search n.d., National Archives Of Australia, accessed 8 March 2017, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx>.

School Resources 2017, RSL, accessed 8 March 2017, <https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/education/school-resources>.

Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries n.d., Australian War Memorial, accessed 8 March 2017, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/awm4/>.

Think Piece: Father and Son 2016, Anzac Centenary, accessed 8 March 2017, <http://anzaccentenary.sa.gov.au/story/think-piece-father-and-son/>.

RSL War Memorial n.d., RSL, accessed 8 March 2017, <https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/>.