Thomas Allan Bottrell

Thomas Allan Bottrell

Personal Information
Date of Birth	30 Mar 1896
Place of Birth	North Fremantle, Western Australia
Death	23 Oct 1963, aged 66
Place of Death	Bassendean, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	21 years, 10 months
Description	5'7½" (1.m) tall ; 146lbs 66.224 kg ; fair complexion ; brown eyes ; dark brown hair
Occupation	labourer
Religion	Methodist
Address	Gosnells, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr Joshua Bottrell
Military Information
Reg Number	3785
Date of Enlistment	29 Nov 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	28th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement, transferred to 48th Battalion on 25 Apr 1916.
Date of Embarkation	12 Feb 1916 ‒ 11 Mar 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A28 Miltiades
Date of Return	10 Jul 1916 ‒ 9 Aug 1916
Ship Returned On	HMAT A46 Clan McGillivray Suez to Melbourne
Fate	Returned to Australia (Medical)
Monument	Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll Gosnells Primary School Honour Roll Gosnells Ward Honour Roll
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Entering camp on 29 Nov 1915, Thomas was allocated to the 9th reinforcement draft for the 28th Battalion on 16 Dec 1915, travelling with them to Egypt. On 26 Apr 1916 he was transferred to the 48th Battalion. On 12 May 1916 he presented to the 13th Field Ambulance with flat feet and on 18 May 1916 I was decided that he should face a Medical Board. On 19 May 1916 he transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Cairo to have his flat feet assessed, and the decision was that he was medically unfit, and was to return to Australia. On 13 Jun 1916 he was admitted to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Heliopolis remaining in their care until 10 Jul 1916.

Returned to Melbourne, he was then sent back to Perth by ship as the Transcontinental railway was not completed until October 1917.

Discharged by the 5th Military District on 12 Oct 1916.

Post War

Granted a disability pension on discharge, the amount he received was reduced to 10 Shillings ($AUD 1) per fortnight from 8 Nov 1917.

Thomas married Violet Higgins in 1926. Violet died on 30 Mar 1960. They lived in Gosnells during the 1920s before moving to Victoria Park and later South Perth in the 1930s. By the 1940s they were living in North Beach, and in Bassendean in the 1950s.

Thomas enlisted during WW2 in the Citizens Military Forces - W68986 on 29 Mar 1942, and served with the Swanbourne Volunteer Defence Corps - 3rd Battalion.