MAHER, Thomas James
| Service Number: | 4816 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Rochester, VIctoria, Australia, 4 January 1892 |
| Home Town: | Cootamundra, Cootamundra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Shunter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Ration Farm Military Cemetery, la Chapelle-D'Armentieres Plot VI, Row F, Grave No. 41 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Tatura R.S.S. & A.I.L.A. Sub-Branch Honour Roll, Tatura War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4816 | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4816, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4816, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Sydney | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4816, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4816 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Thomas MAHER (Service Number 4816) was born on 4th January 1892 in Victoria. He began working at the Railways on 30th August 1913, as a porter in Junee. He progressed to 3rd class shunter on 16th September 1914. He was granted leave on 10th September 1915 to join the AIF. He was 23 when he enlisted. He embarked at Sydney on HMAT A15 ‘Star of England’ on 8th March 1916.
On 20th April 1916, he was taken on strength of the 53rd Battalion at Ismailia (Egypt). Two months later, on 19th June 1916, he embarked from Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Forces and disembarked at Marseilles on 28th June. He wasn’t in the field long before he was reported missing in action in France on 19th July 1916 – the Battle of Fromelles – and then later that day was declared dead. He was at first buried at Bois Grenier and his remains were later located, exhumed and re-interred in Ration Farm Military Cemetery, La Chapelle-D'armentières, Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France.
His mother, following his death, received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal on his behalf.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Statiion Honour Board.
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