Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Thomas FLYNN was born at ADELAIDE in about April 1892 into a family regularly in trouble with the law. He was one of several children and his parents were often imprisoned for offences whilst he was a child.

His childhood seems surrounded by violence. In 1910 one of Thomas sisters (Annie GREEN) was murdered by her husband in Hindley Street where they lived. Her husband had cut her throat. The large family including brothers and sisters were regularly in trouble with the law excepting for Tom himself and a brother that was a film actor.

By 1910 when his sister was murdered Tom was already living in Waikerie and playing football for the local Waikerie team. After the 1913 season he was voted as their “Best all-round player for the Season” and awarded a Golden Medal by the club. He also represented the town in athletics (running) in Adelaide events always coming high in the finishing order.

On the 2nd February 1915, Tom attended and enlisted into the Australian Imperial Forces. He was attached to the 27th Infantry Battalion. He trained and then embarked with H.M.A.T A2 ‘GEELONG” on 31st May 1915. Tom was allocated service number 559. On the 12th of August 1915, Tom was at Gallipoli and had transferred to the Field Combat Engineers.

During WW1 the Engineers undertook a raft of tasks broadly divided into mobility, counter mobility, construction as well as survey and mapping. They did specialised dangerous tunnelling and mining operations. The Field Companies' scope of works concentrated on the former rather than the latter. They undertook a broad range of tasks including preparation and supervision of the construction of defensive and gun positions, excavation of trenches and dugouts, erection of wire and other obstacles, preparation of command posts, signalling and water supply, field engineering, road and bridge construction and route maintenance. They also undertook obstacle breaching and crossing. For example, in the lead up to the attack at Mont St Quentin Engineers were required to carry out two river crossing / bridging operations. Engineers also had responsibility for signalling although this function became more specialised as the war progressed, eventually leading to the creation of a separate Signals Corps.

A Field engineer (Sapper) would often be in a front line, dangerous position.
Tom suffered Malaria and was taken off to medical care returning to “ANZAC” on 17th October 1915. Recurrent bouts of Malaria would visit Tom throughout the war and his life.

With the 8th Field Company Engineers, and his service number having been changed to 4569, Tom moved to the Western Front. Their first major action came around Fromelles on 19 July 1916, where the Australians made their debut on the Western Front. Two companies of pioneers were assigned to support the attack, and it proved to be a difficult entry into the European war, with the Australians suffering such heavy casualties that the battle was later described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history".

Later, in early 1917, the battalion took part in the pursuit of German forces as they withdrew towards the Hindenburg Line, working to extend the 5th Division's supply railway from Ginchy to Bealencourt in March. Throughout April, under fire, they extended the line around Fremicourt towards Vaulx–Vraucourt, providing the means for the Allies to bring up guns and ammunition with which to lay down a heavy bombardment on the Hindenburg Line. The following month the battalion supported the Second Battle of Bullecourt, assisting the British 258th Tunnelling Company to dig a defensive mine to the east, suffering 39 casualties during the fighting. Their next major action came around Ypres later in the year.

By September, the pioneers were working to construct plank roads behind the lines around Zillebeke and Hooge to make the roads passable for artillery and supplies to prepare for the coming offensive. Casualties during the fighting around Polygon Wood cost the battalion 81 casualties. In early 1918, the 5th Pioneers supported the Allied defensive actions that were fought in response to the German Spring Offensive.

In mid-April, during the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, elements of the battalion were subjected to a gas attack whilst guarding road-mines around the village. They were later employed to dig a defensive switch to provide flank defence prior to the German attack and connect the first and second line of defensive systems. After the Allies had blunted the German offensive, in the lull that followed the Allies sought to regain the initiative through a series of minor attacks before going on the offensive. During this period, the battalion took part in an attack around Morlancourt at the end of July, during which they suffered 16 casualties. The Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive around Amiens in August 1918, which ultimately brought about an end to the war. As a part of this offensive, the 5th Pioneers supported actions around Peronne at the end of August.

Their final actions of the war were fought around Bellicourt during the Battle of the St. Quentin Canal in late September & early October 1918. In a single day in late September, the pioneers lost 64 men fighting alongside Americans from the US 105th Engineers, as the battalion became caught up in close quarters fighting, having to "down tools" and deal with isolated pockets of resistance, before working to capture several machine gun positions that had been bypassed by the assaulting infantry in the smoke haze! After this, they were withdrawn from the line with the other units of the Australian Corps for rest at the behest of Australian Prime Minister, Billy Hughes.

Following the Armistice in November 1918, the battalion remained on the continent as the demobilisation process began. Personnel were repatriated to Australia, with those soldiers who had enlisted in 1914 and 1915 moved first. Tom was one of these men. He disembarked in Adelaide on the 4th of May 1919. By the 14th of July 1919 he had been demobilised. Tom FLYNN had spent 4 years and 4 months as part of the A.I.F. and was awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and the 1914-1915 Star medal. He was also entitled to wear the metal “A” badge attached to his uniform indicating his service at Gallipoli, a “real ANZAC”.

Tom returned to Waikerie and in July 1919, (immediately after his return) he was apparently one of the best players for Waikerie Football Club in a hard-fought match played against Ramco it was his return match. He continued working as a labourer for other orchardists in the area. By all accounts, Tom was a hardworking, popular and dedicated young man, in May 1st, 1922, Tom was elected Club Captain of the Waikerie Football club for the season. He threw himself into being very active in the community.

But the war had waged a heavy toll on many of the returned servicemen. People in Waikerie had commented on how Tom wasn’t the same as he was before he had left for the war. He, like many other returned servicemen, was having difficulties stopping the nightmares of his war, he had been in some of the worst fighting Australia had been involved in, with death and carnage becoming common.

Tom was staying with another returned soldier and his family, (Reuben STARR) after returning from seeing a doctor in Berri on the 18th of May, 1924. He had been previously under treatment from Dr Nichol locally for “nervous depression”. On the 19th it is said he was making rambling statements and imagined someone was trying to hurt him. He took medicine and went to bed sleeping until about 5pm. At about 6.30pm Tom walked from the house and Reuben, worried that he didn’t seem to be his normal self, followed him into the yard and trees a short time later.

Using a lantern Reuben followed tracks made by Tom and heard a coughing noise nearby. When he looked, he saw Tom standing and holding a large knife in his hand. Tom had cut his own throat and was bleeding profusely. Reuben immediately tried to help Tom, but he resisted help violently, eventually Reuben got the knife from him and ran to get Doctor Nichol from his house nearby.

On their return Tom was weak but still staggering in the yard, again he resisted their assistance. He was taken to the hospital and immediately underwent surgery to close the wound. On recovery from the anaesthetic Tom became “acutely maniacal” and struggled with nurses and attendants.

Sadly, Thomas FLYNN died at 5.45 a.m. on the 20th of May 1924 from exhaustion. Toms war was finally over. In Dr Nichols opinion to the coroner at an inquest held on the 21st, he stated the wound was self-inflicted with a blunt instrument.

Tom had survived the war without physical wounds but 5 years and 16 days after he returned, the war claimed his life like that of so many other returned soldiers.
The coronial enquiry held by Mr. F. R. S. Goodchild, JP, concerning Thomas Flynns death, found that “the deceased came to his death by a cut throat, self-inflicted the previous day whilst of unsound mind.” Evidence was given by George Cox, (Special Constable), Frederick Dolan, Nurse Rachel Virgo, and Mounted Constable Parsonage who had all assisted on the night or afterwards.

Nearly 50% of the men who returned from World War 1 were dead within 20 years of the war's end, compounding the already fearful toll, many suicided or died of injuries (such as gassing which slowly ate away their lungs) many years after the war had ended.

A large, well attended funeral was held, and Thomas FLYNN was buried in the Soldiers section of the Waikerie Cemetery. The next year, on the 10-year anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, a ceremony was held in the hall at the Austral Gardens at WAIKERIE. Wreaths laid at a cross in the hall were taken and placed on the graves of Gallipoli veterans, (Tom, W. CROOKS and D. ELLIOTT).

By 1926, in a mark of respect for their fallen friend, other returned servicemen had erected a cement surround around Toms grave and tombstone. Although Tom returned from World War One, “The Great War”, he did not survive it, instead reliving the nightmare for years after his return until he could no longer fight it.

LEST WE FORGET