Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"SIX BROTHERS VOLUNTEER FOR SERVICE. FIVE OF THEM ACCEPTED. PARENTS PROUD RECORD. 

Not long since the, story was told in these columns of a lady whose five sons had volunteered for active service. It was a great record, and South Australia was as proud of the mother as the mother was proud of her sons. But these are great times and now a new record has been made. Mr. and Mrs. R.G. Douglas, of Shipster road, Kensington, have seven sons, and six of tlem have volunteered for service at the front. Unfortunately one of the six has a defect in the sight of his right eye, which incapacitates him for military service, and although he offered himself and was fit in every other respect, the impaired sight was a bar, and he was passed out. The seventh son is 43 year of age, and has wife and eight children, so he did not feel called upon to offer himself nor was it up to him to do so. This is a a fine record for any parents to rejoice over, but Mr. and Mrs. Douglas can claim even more, for they have two grandsons (Privates D. G. T. Woods and C. J. T. Woods), children of their eldest daughter, in the trench at Gallipoli. They are in the famous Third Brigade, of the 10th Battalion, of the First Australian Expeditionary Force, which won imperishable glory at the landing at Gaba Tepe. Both got through that terrible experience without anything worse than scratch and are still manning their trenches. Both Mr. and Mrs. Douglas are native born South Australians and all their children have been bom in this State. Mr. Douglas, who is 75 years of age, is the son of a well known tent maker who was in business in Pirie street for many years. Mrs. Douglas is the eldest daughter of Mr. Edward Bromley, a butcher in Adelaide, one of the earliest colonists of the State. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas have passed the greater portion of their lives in South Australia, though they have at different periods been residents of Broken Hill. The sons who have volunteered are follows; 

Albert E. Douglas, aged 37; rejected, account defective eyesight.
Archie W. Douglas, aged. 35; private, third reinforcements.
Harry R. Douglas, aged 30; lance-corporal, third renforcements.
Hugh N. Douglas, aged 26; private, Army Medical Service Corps.
Wallace Gordon Douglas, aged 23; private, seventh reinforcements.
Tom E. Douglas, aged 20; trooper, Light Horse

The grandsons who have volunteered are;

Private D. G. T. Woods, Third Division, First Expeditionary Force.
Private E. J. T. Woods, Third Division, First Expeditionary Force.

Lance-Corporal H. R. Douglas was slightly wounded at Gallipoli by shrapnel but has recovered and is again in the trenches." - from the Adelaide Daily News 17 Aug 1915 (nla.gov.au)

Tom Edgar Douglas, born on August 28, 1895, in Thebarton, South Australia, grew up in a large family of eight brothers and three sisters, making 11 siblings in total. The Douglas family, with a lineage stretching back through several generations in South Australia, instilled in young Tom a profound sense of identity and community.

Tom's father followed in the footsteps of a well-known tent maker who had established a successful business in Pirie Street, and this family legacy would later influence Tom's own choices. Meanwhile, his mother was the eldest daughter of a respected butcher in Adelaide and one of the state's earliest colonists. 

World War I was a very proud an memorable moment for Tom and his family. The call of duty was felt throughout the nation, leading six of the Douglas siblings to listen to that that call. Tom, nearly 20 years old, displayed remarkable determination and resolve when he enlisted as a trooper in the Light Horse Regiment. 

A log of Mr. Douglas's individual reports reveals the challenges he faced during his service. He was officially enrolled in the First Light Horse Regiment on 1/3/1916, although his training began on 28/6/1915. Just over a month later, on 6/4/1916, he was admitted to Bontusion Hospital.

Mr. Douglas was moved from the First Light Horse Regiment to the Second Light Horse Regiment on 10/6/1916. On 18/11/1916, he was sent to the hospital again while serving in Egypt, this time due to illness. Two days later, on 20/11/1916, he was kept in the hospital, this time due to an injury to his left eye.

On 19/1/1917, Mr. Douglas was transferred from the Second Light Horse Regiment to the Imperial Army Cadet Unit. Following that, on 29/1/17, he was moved to the Third Light Horse Regiment. His last known role was serving as a Sergeant in the bomb squad, where he also oversaw enemy observations from the air.

The legacy of the Douglas family's service continued beyond their generation. Two of Tom Edgar Douglas's grandsons, Private D. G. T. Woods and Private E. J. T. Woods, were inspired by their forebears' commitment. They, too, answered the call of duty and joined the Third Division, First Expeditionary Force, carrying forward the family's enduring commitment to their country and its values into a new generation.