S6714
GILBERT, Thomas
| Service Number: | 452 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Warrant Officer |
| Last Unit: | 12th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | England, March 1877 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor-man |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Jun 1915: | Involvement 452, 11th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jun 1915: | Embarked 452, 11th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Medic, Brisbane | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Warrant Officer, 452, 12th Field Artillery Brigade |
Help us honour Thomas Gilbert's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Moulds Georgia Joy Tracey
Thomas was born in England on March 1877 near the town of Surrey. When he enlisted into the war, he was 37 years and 9 months old he was a motor man which is a train or tram driver this was when he lived back in Norwood, South Australia. He was married to his wife Charlotte Phoebe Gilbert and together they had a son called James Henry Gilbert. His son James also fought in the war, he was 18 years and 4 months old when he enlisted in the war, although being father and son they didn’t fight in the same battalion. Thomas enlisted in the war in 1914, on December the 23rd in Oakland, South Australia.
Thomas trained for war in Cairo, Egypt but before the war began Thomas fought in the Boer war so he was already experienced. Originally, he fought for the 11th Light Horse Battalion in the C Squadron then he was transferred to the 12th Field Artillery Brigade Division 4, from the 1st of April 1916. At war, he was placed in the position of sergeant major on the 3rd of October 1915 when he was in the 11th Light Horse Battalion then became a warrant officer on the 1st of April 1916 while in the 12th Field Artillery Brigade. While in the 12th Artillery Brigade Thomas fought in Longueval, France and in England, while fighting he held a ‘British 18 pounder’ or a ‘Howitzer’ or even ‘Naval quick firing gun’ the information is not clear. In January, the 15th 1917 he went to England. In March 17th 1917 Thomas left England for Australia by the Beltana, and finally in May of 1917 on the 12th he disembarked in Adelaide.
Thomas was not injured while he was in the war but was sent to hospital. On the 24th of February, he was sent to hospital, they requested his discharge multiple times. The first time they requested his discharge was on the 29th of November 1916 by the Major-general, they were told that their reasons for his discharge were not good enough because of their test results and that they could go to a medical board to have him checked if they needed to. Their reply was written on the 3rd of December in the same year. They had him checked by the colonel on the 2nd of January 1917 they said that a medical board wasn’t necessary. Although they did say that if he didn’t return to Australia soon he would become mentally unfit because he was sick of worry. He was worrying because he found that his wife was dying back home with no friends or family to support her during this difficult time. On the 8th January 1917, the Brigadier-general again requested for him to be sent back to Australia, this time they mentioned the fact that his wife was dying back home which made him stress. On the 9th the Major-general also sent a request again, the kept-on persisting with this for a while. On the 16th of January, the discharge was finally accepted and on the 1st of May they wrote a letter to his wife Charlotte to inform her that he was coming home.
Due to his services Thomas was awarded three medals, the Star like most others was awarded for enlisting into the war between 1914 and 1915. He was also awarded the British War Medal for leaving his home and going overseas to fight in the war. Finally, he was awarded the Victory Medal as was everyone who fought in the war for winning the war.
Thomas showed Anzac spirit for going to the war, he showed this through bravery and strength. He showed bravery by enlisting and taking part in the challenge of going to war and fighting for our country. He showed strength by persisting in the war even though he wasn’t happy being there. He never requested to leave and stayed strong through his war journey they made the request for him.
Bibliography
Record search 2000, National archives of Australia, accessed 1 March 2017, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx>.
Virtual war memorial 2005, RSL, accessed 1 March 2017, <https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/>.
Unit diaries 2000, Australian war memorial, accessed 1 March 2017, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/AWM4/>.
the AIF project 2004, UNSW Australia, accessed 1 March 2017, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=110674>.