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Thomas Charles Howard

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Thomas Charles Howard
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Personal Information
Date of Birth c1899
Place of Birth Ballarat, Victoria
Death 18 Oct 1980, aged 80
Place of Death Attadale, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment 18 years, 1 month
Description 5'8½" (1.74m) tall ; 150 lbs
68.039 kg
; fair complexion ; blue eyes ; fair hair
Occupation Farmer
Religion Church of England
Address 'Oakdale' farm, Kenwick, Western Australia
Next of Kin Father , Mr Jason Howard
Military Information
Reg Number 155
Date of Enlistment 29 Jun 1917
Rank Private
Unit/Formation 1st Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron, Sept (7th) Reinforcements / 1st Light Horse Brigade, ANZAC Mounted Division
Date of Embarkation 24 Nov 1917 ‒ 21 Dec 1917
Ship Embarked On SS Canberra Fremantle to Port Suez
Date of Return 16 May 1919 ‒ 27 Jun 1919
Ship Returned On HMNZT Orari Kantara to Fremantle
Fate Returned to Australia
Monument Kelmscott War Memorial (North panel)
Medals British War Medal
Victory Medal



Pre War

War Service

Records indicate that while he received some of his training at Blackboy Hill camp, he was also at the Claremont and Karrakatta camps as he joined the 1st Machine Gun Squadron Reinforcements before embarking for Egypt. In the period before he left for overseas, he managed on nine occasions to be punished for minor misdemeanors - primarily avoidance of parades.

On arrival in Egypt he was sent to the reinforcements' training camp at Moascar where initially he was placed with the machinegun training squad until 3 Mar 1918 when he was sent to the Imperial School of Instruction for three weeks. Thomas joined the 1st Light Horse Brigade - Machine Gun Squadron on 27 Apr 1918 at Ghezireh where he was employed as Apprentice shoesmith from 7 Sep 1918 until 12 Feb 1919 when he reverted to Trooper.

On 17 Nov 1918 at Richon in Palestine he was absent from the 11:30 Stable Parade, and was penalised with 4 days field punishment No.2 (see notes). He reverted to trooper on 12 Feb 1919, and from 23 Mar to 4 Apr 1919 he spent time in hospital at Kantara with Rubella. A month after his recovery it was time to head back to Australia.

Discharged 5th Military District 20 Jul 1919

Post War

Electoral Roll entries: 1925 Albany road, Kelmscott, labourer; 1931 - 1954 at 5 Camberwell street, Victoria Park, timber worker;

Notes

There is nothing in his army records to link him with the Kelmscott area, although he is listed on their memorial. However, his name is not recorded on either the Gosnells or Canning Rolls of Honour so his NOK's address for Army purposes might not have been his normal address. It seems he returned to the district as he appears on the 1925 Electoral Roll in Kelmscott.

Field punishment could be awarded by a court martial or a commanding officer for any offence committed on active service. There were two categories of field punishment. Field punishment No. 2 consisted of heavy labouring duties, and several hours a day shackled . All offenders awarded field punishment would march with their unit, carry their arms and accoutrements, perform all their military duties as well as extra fatigue duties, and be treated as defaulters.


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