Thomas Robert ("Tom") BEAZLEY

BEAZLEY, Thomas Robert

    Service Number: VX29538
    Enlisted: 3 June 1940, Enlisted at the Tallangatta Town Hall, VIC. He was legally too young but Tom gave a false birth date of 01/01/1919 - when it was really 19/11/1921. He was in fact only 18yrs & 6mths old!
    Last Rank: Corporal
    Last Unit: 2nd/8th Infantry Battalion
    Born: Albury, New South Wales, Australia, 1 January 1919
    Home Town: Albury, Albury Municipality, New South Wales
    Schooling: Not yet discovered
    Occupation: Labourer
    Died: Wodonga, Victoria, Australia, 21 April 2003, aged 84 years, cause of death not yet discovered
    Cemetery: Wodonga Cemetery, Victoria
    R/C Cemetery, Section 10, Row 2
    Memorials:
    Show Relationships

    World War 2 Service

    3 Jun 1940: Enlisted Private, VX29538, 2nd/8th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at the Tallangatta Town Hall, VIC. He was legally too young but Tom gave a false birth date of 01/01/1919 - when it was really 19/11/1921. He was in fact only 18yrs & 6mths old!
    20 Jun 1940: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, VX29538, 2nd/8th Infantry Battalion
    15 Sep 1940: Embarked Driver, VX29538, 2nd/8th Infantry Battalion, From Port Melbourne (Victoria) to HAIFA in the Middle East (via FREMANTLE, COLOMBO & KANTARA) aboard the converted troopship H.M.A.T. "S2", as part of the 2nd/8th Reinforcements. Disembarked HAIFA on 13 Oct 1940 & proceeded to KILO 89 Camp (Palestine).
    15 Jan 1941: Transferred Driver, 2nd/1st Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment, Following 3 months of infantry training at KILO 89, JULIS & BEIT JIRJA camps. The 2nd/1st A/T Regt camp was located at AL-AMIRIYAH in Egypt.
    21 Jan 1941: Involvement Driver, VX29538, 2nd/1st Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment, Participated in the 1st Battle of Tobruk, when 19th Brigade forces routed the Italian garrison within a day.
    22 Jan 1941: Involvement Driver, VX29538, 2nd/1st Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment, Libya/North Africa, 2nd/8th Battalion & 2nd/1st A/T Regiment are relieved by 9th Div forces at Benghazi & return to Al-Amiriyah base, thence entrain to Alexandria on 31 March for the Greece Campaign.
    1 Apr 1941: Embarked Driver, VX29538, 2nd/1st Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment, At Alexandria aboard the converted troopship MV "Cameronia", bound for Piraeus, Athens, Greece where they dis-embarked on 3 Apr.
    11 Apr 1941: Involvement Driver, VX29538, 2nd/1st Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment, "Operation Lustre" Greece 1941, Tom was very lucky to survive the Battle of Vevi, as most of the 2nd/1st A/T guns (apart from his) were knocked out and the crews captured or killed during the fierce 2 day battle.
    14 Nov 1944: Promoted Corporal, Unit was 2/4 AMCU (Anti Malaria Control Unit).
    19 Oct 1945: Discharged Corporal, VX29538, Unit on discharge was 2/4 AMCU (Anti Malaria Control Unit). Location at discharge was Royal Park, Victoria.
    19 Oct 1945: Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, VX29538, 2nd/8th Infantry Battalion

    Help us honour Thomas Robert Beazley's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

    Showing 4 of 10 images.
    Click images to start slideshow.

    Links and Documents