Thomas John Walsh
From Our Contribution
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 18 Aug 1907 |
| Place of Birth | Bunbury, Western Australia |
| Death | 11 Nov 1956, aged 49 |
| Place of Death | Bridgetown, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 32 years, 11 months |
| Description | 5' 10" (1.78m) tall ; ; medium complexion ; grey green eyes ; brown hair |
| Occupation | Timber worker |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Bedfordale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Mother , Mrs Mary Walsh |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | WX7534 |
| Date of Enlistment | 6 Aug 1940 |
| Rank | Gunner |
| Unit/Formation | 2/3rd Australian Field Regiment |
| Military Movement | |
| 1st Departure from Australia | |
| Journey Dates | 9 Sep 1941 ‒ 22 Sep 1941 |
| Transport Details | HMT Queen Mary Fremanlte to Port Tewfik |
| Return to Australia | |
| Journey Dates | 16 Feb 1942 ‒ 17 Mar 1942 |
| Transport Details | HMT Durban Castle Egypt to Adelaide |
| 2nd Departure from Australia | |
| Journey Dates | 5 Nov 1944 ‒ 13 Nov 1944 |
| Transport Details | HMT Katoomba Townsville to Aitape, New Guinea |
| Return to Australia | |
| Journey Dates | 22 Jun 1945 |
| Transport Details | plane Wewak, New Guinea |
| Journey Dates |
Australian mainland "Australian mainland" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Post War Details | |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Medals |
1939-45 Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45 |
Pre War
Birth of Daughter Lorna Mary Walsh(29 Jan 1932–1980), Bridgetown; Birth of Son Kevin John Walsh (14 Jan 1933–2013) Bridgetown; Birth of Daughter Betty Patricia Walsh (27 Apr 1935–2014) Nannup;
War Service
Tom joined the 2nd AIF at Claremont on 6 Aug 1940 as a General Reinforcement. Three days later he was sent to the Melville Training Depot and on 2 Sep 1940 he was transferred to the Northam Camp where he was drafted to the 2nd Details Battalion. On 30 Dec 1940 he was tansferred to the Field Artillery Training Depot at Narrogin. Training completed, on 24 Mar 1941 Tom joined the reinforcements for the 2/3rd Austalian Artillery Regiment. On 24 Apr 1941 he was granted pre-embarkation leave until 5 May 1941. Tom married Vera on 26 Aug 1941, and on 9 Sep 1941 he embarked for overseas at Fremantle aboard HMT Queen Mary which was part of Convoy US 12A. On 15 Sep 1941 they arrived at Trincomalee, Ceylon (Sri Lanka). They departed the following day for Suez and disembarked on 22 Sep 1941 by small boat to Port Tewfik.
On arrival in Egypt Tom was posted to the Artillery Training Regiment before joining the recently rebuilt 2/3rd Australian Field Regiment on 27 Oct 1941. With the entry of Japan in the war, the 6th Australian Infantry Division units were withdrawan to Australia, including Tom's, and so on 16 Feb 1942 he embarked on HMT Durban Castle for Adelaide where they disembarked on 17 Mar 1942. Following leave the Regiment moved to North Queensland where they reorganised for jungle warfare near Wondecla.
On 5 Nov 1944 the unit embarked on HMT Katoomba in Townsville for AItape inNew Guinea where they disembarked on 13 Nov 1944. On 26 Jan 1945 Tom was evacuated to the 2/7th Australian Field Ambulance with an unknown infestion, and was treated by them until 10 Feb 1945 when he was released to his unit. On 16 Jun 1945 Tom was sent to the 6th Divison's Reception Camp for movement to Western Command Recruit Reception & General Details Depot for discharge. On 22 Jun 1945 he emplaned at Aitape for the Australian mainland, where he entrained for Perth.where he was discharged early on account of his skills being needed in the civilian workforce, with discharge taking place on 6 Jul 1945.
Post War
Death of Wife Vera Ethel Johnston (13 Sep 1908 – 29 Dec 1947) Bridgetown, Western Australia, Australia
Notes