TOVELL, Timothy William
| Service Number: | 2198 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 November 1916, Enlisted Toowoomba, Queensland. |
| Last Rank: | Mechanic |
| Last Unit: | Australian Flying Corps (AFC) |
| Born: | Norwich, Norfolk, England. , 28 April 1878 |
| Home Town: | Jandowae, Western Downs, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Builder and Undertaker. |
| Died: | Natural Causes , Brisbane, Queensland , Australia, 26 August 1966, aged 88 years |
| Cemetery: |
Albany Creek Memorial Park-Cemetery & Crematorium, Queensland |
| Memorials: | Jandowae War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Nov 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Mechanic, 2198, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Enlisted Toowoomba, Queensland. | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Nov 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Mechanic, 2198, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Enlisted Toowoomba, Queensland. | |
| 30 Oct 1917: | Involvement 2198, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Oct 1917: | Embarked 2198, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), HMAT Aeneas, Melbourne | |
| 6 May 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Mechanic, 2198, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Returned to Australia. |
Timothy William Tovell.
2198 Private (Pte) Timothy William Tovell, an air mechanic with No 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, with the French orphan boy Henri Heremene who became the squadron mascot after he wandered into their Christmas dinner on 25 December 1918. No 4 Squadron was stationed at Bickendorf airfield Cologne, Germany, at the time. Henri was renamed Digger and he attached himself to Pte Tovell. It was established that from about the age of six he had been a mascot to several British units and had been wounded in the knee near Ypres. His father had been killed in action with the French Army and his mother was killed in a bombardment. The medical section calculated his age as eleven and 25 December 1918 was set as his birthday. A special uniform was made for him and he moved with the squadron in February 1919 to France and England. He was smuggled to England in a modified oat sack and a special tailored AIF uniform was made for him in London. The squadron embarked on the transport ship Kaisar-I-Hind for Australia on 6 May 1919 and Digger was smuggled on board in a sporting equipment hamper. The ship's Captain discovered he was on board but let him stay and with the aid of the Queensland Premier, who was on board the ship, special permission was granted for him to land in Sydney and move to Queensland. Pte Tovell and Digger arrived at the Tovill family home at Jandowae where Digger was accepted as a family member. The family later moved to Cooroy and later again to Brisbane. The French Consul agreed that Digger could be adopted by Tim Tovell but he could not be naturalised until he was 21. In 1926 at the age of 18 Digger left for Melbourne to work for the RAAF as a civilian member at Point Cook until he was naturalized at 21 and considered for entry into the service. On 24 May 1928 Digger died from injuries received when his motor cycle collided with a taxi the night before. Henri Heremene (Digger) Tovell was buried in Fawkner Cemetery where a special memorial stone was erected over his grave. His full story is told in the book Flying Matilda by N. Ellison. There is evidence of Henri signing his name as Honore, stating it is his real name.
Courtesy of The RSSILA Sub Branch Brisbane.
Submitted 30 May 2022 by Lynette Turner
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Digger had adopted and been adopted by the No 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps squadron on Christmas Day 1918. He moved with the unit to France and was smuggled to England as the journey home began. He was smuggled on to the homeward bound transport ship, Kaisar-I-Hand, and after being discovered was granted permission to land in Sydney and move to Brisbane with Private T.W. Tovell, an air mechanic with the squadron, who had looked after him from the first day. Private Tovell adopted Digger after discharge and he lived as a member of the family until 1926 when he left for Melbourne to join the RAAF after he was naturalised in December 1927. On 24 May 1928 Henri Tovell died from injuries received when his motor cycle collided with a taxi the night before. He was buried in Fawkner Cemetery.
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre
A Christmas Tale
Timothy 'Tim' William Tovell (1878 – August 1966) was an Australian airman in World War I who, with the help of his brother Edward 'Ed' Tovell, smuggled a young French orphan out of France and to Australia.
WW1 On Christmas Day 1918, a small orphan came begging for food from the Australians at Bickendorf. The orphan, known as Henri, took a liking to Tim, and Tim took a liking to Henri.
The orphan knew neither his age nor where he came from, other than his father was killed in the first week of the war and his mother shortly after. The boy was rescued by an officer of the British artillery who looked after Henri until the officer too was killed, and Henri wounded.
Henri was treated in a military hospital and eventually discharged where he found his way back to the front lines and again attached himself to a British unit. This unit eventually ended up at Bickendorf, and Henri met the Tovell brothers.
The Australian doctor who saw Henri estimated his age at nine. The Australian squadron adopted Henri as their 'mascot', and fed and clothed him. He was given a uniform and made an acting corporal. He was known by the airmen as "Little Digger".
In 1919, Tim Tovell discovered that his own son, Timmy, had died from influenza in Australia, and he decided to 'adopt' Henri and take him back to Dalby.
Tim, with the assistance of his brother, smuggled Henri out of France to England (in an oat sack) and then from England to Australia. The smuggling required considerable foresight and help from both Australian officers and men.
To land Henri in Australia required permits, and Queensland premier Tom Ryan, who was travelling back to Australia on the same troop ship, heard about the effort that the airmen and Tovell brothers had gone to get him on board the ship, and arranged landing papers for Henri.
The Australian press got hold of the story, and on landing Henri was mobbed by well-wishers and the curious. One woman offered Tim Tovell £1,500 to let her look after Henri, as she had lost her son in the war. The Tovell brothers declined the offer, and took Henri to Dalby, Outback Queensland, where he went to school.
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