dwyer, thomas

Gosford District Casualties of World War One

Bragg, Edmund Allen Service Number 1494

Killed in Action 19th May 1915 Gallipoli Peninsula

Gosford District Casualties of World War One

Dwyer, Thomas Service Number 6729

Killed in Action 3rd October 1917 Belgium

Gosford City Council gratefully acknowledges the voluntary efforts of

Benalyn Campbell

And Vivienne Tranter

in compiling this resource

The information in this file has been extracted from official records

held in the

The Australian War Memorial and

National Archives of Australia

(© Commonwealth of Australia [National Archives of Australia] 2013)

Further information on this soldier may be found online at:

Commonwealth War Graves

The AIF project

Content advisory: This file may potentially contain disturbing accounts of service-related injury and death, disease and family grief. Adult supervision is recommended for children

using these resources. Individual files should be viewed within the context

provided by wider research on service conditions in the 1st AIF.

This resource is presented by

Gosford City Council for research purposes only.

Please note that copyright for resources contained within remains with the original copyright owners.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en

NAME Dwyer, Thomas

SERVICE NO 6729

UNIT 22nd Rienf. /1st Battalion

RANK Private

AGE at Enlistment 26 yrs 11 mths

PLACE OF BIRTH Glebe, NSW

ADDRESS Dooralong, NSW

OCCUPATION Teamster.

DATE OF ENLISTMENT 7 Aug 1916

PLACE OF ENLIST-MENT

Cootamundra, NSW

PREVIOUS SERVICE

NEXT OF KIN Mother;- Elizabeth Jane Dwyer, Dooralong, via Wyong Father;- Frank James Dwyer.

PHYSICAL DESCRIP-TION

Height-5’8¼”. Weight- 139lbs. Chest-32-35”. Complexion-Tan. Eyes-Blue/Grey. Hair-D Brown.. 2 Scars above L crest of ? Hypospadias.

RELIGION Presbyterian

EMBARKED 8 Nov 1916 Sydney per SS “Port Nicholsen”.

DISEMBARKED 10 Jan 1917 Devonport.

NOTES Proceeded to France per SS “Victoria from Folkestone

WOUNDED/ILLNESS

DIED 3 Oct 1917- Belgium

BURIED

MEDALS British War Medal-52450, Victory Medal-51730. Memorial Plaque & Scroll-334577

DEPENDANTS

PERSONAL EFFECTS Photo Case, Wallet, Testament, Fountain Pen, Fountain Pen Filler, Gold Shell Ring, Ink Pellet Case, Photos, Notebook, Black Bracelet, Unit Colours, Disc, Letters, Metal Ring.

WILL

CORRESPONDENCE Mother/

REMARKS Broodseinde Ridge/ Ypres. (Passchendaele, Belgium) Dwyer was a stretcher-bearer, hit by a piece of shell while carrying out another man, His foot was blown off, death was instant, he was buried in a shell hole near by.

Gosford Times 13th October 1916 A farewell was tendered to Private Tom Dwyer on Friday night last at the local hall. There was a good attendance, a number being present from Jilliby and elsewhere. The presentation, a set of safety razors, was made by Mr. Whiteman on behalf of the residents. Mr. Frank Dwyer returned thanks on behalf of his son. Mr Dwyer’s address was admirably restrained in tone and marked by good sense. Dancing was kept up nearly all night, and the gathering broke up after rendering, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” Strange no one has yet successfully popularised a substitute for that somewhat bacchanalian ditty, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”

Sydney Morning Herald 26th October 1917, pg. 6

DWYER - The friends of Mr. and Mrs. F.J. Dwyer, late of Dooralong, request to murmur the loss of their beloved son, T.Dwyer, who was killed in action in France. He has done his duty.

Gosford Times 8th November 1917

Private Tom Dwyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. F.J. Dwyer, late of Dooralong, was killed in action in France on 3rd October last.

Gosford Times 21st July 1916

Mr. T Dwyer, eldest son of Mr. F. Dwyer, has enlisted and goes into camp in a few weeks. The other son, Jack, who was wounded in Gallipoli and returned home a few months back, is slowly recovering from the effects of a badly wounded arm.

Gosford Times 3rd October 1918 Roll of Honor

DWYER- In loving memory of Private Thomas Dwyer, 1 st Battalion, killed in action at Broodzeinde Ridge, October 4th, 1917,

Far away in France he is lying, Faraway from the land of his birth,

His unknown grave is the bitterest blow, That none but our aching hearts can know,

‘Tis saf, but true, we wonder why The good are always the first to die.

Inserted by his sorrowing father, mother, sister and brothers.

Gosford Times 8th November 1914 Return Thanks

Mr and Mrs F.J. Dwyer and family, late of Dooralong, desire to return thanks to the people of Dooralong, Jilliby and Wyong for letters, cards and expressions of sympathy in their sad be-reavement through the death of their son and brother, Tom, killed in action in France 3/10/17.

Gosford Times 29th November 1917 Proud of Him

Regarding the death of the late Private Tom Dwyer, of Dooralong, who was killed in action, the parents write to the TIMES:- The news of the death of our beloved son was indeed a heavy blow to us, but we are proud to know the he gave his life in defence of his King and Country. We can assure you, Mr. Editor, that we would much sooner hear of his death on the battlefield than have him a slacker and coward. Our poor lad did his duty, and died a noble death, and we are proud of him.

Gosford Times 3rd January 1918 A Dooralong Hero

Mr. And Mrs. F J Dwyer, late of Dooralong, have received the following letter written by Lieut. Mant, B Company, regarding the death of their son, killed in action in France:- France, October 17. –I am writing to ask you to accept my most deepest sympathy in the loss of your son, Private T. Dwyer. All one morning he had been doing excellent work as stretcher bearer- his whole soul being bent on getting as many wounded men away as possible. Then coming to another case he and three comrades hoisted the white flag and started bandaging him up. Now it was under-stood that the Germans would not fire on the white flag as we had been respecting their white flags when they had been getting their wounded away. But the cowardly hounds started sniping on this on this little band. Not a whit put out, they shouldered their stretcher and went out across the open. The Huns then started a machine gun on them, though our boys were holding the white flag, and eventually wounded two. However, your son and his mates got the wounded man out of sight and on the way to the dressing station. But just then a shell came and your brave son quietly said “My foot’s off.” Two other men were put on to the stretcher and got away, while the other stretcher bearer bandaged your son up, put him on his back, and started away with him. But he hadn’t gone ten yards before another shell burst, and a piece of shrapnel entered your son’s back, killing him instantly. He was bur-ied there in ground that had been held by the same cow-ardly race that had caused his death, but which had been taken from them by our troops. I have told you the story, because I think it is right that you should know what a brave man your son showed himself to be. I can’t say enough for his conduct, but what he did speaks for itself. He was a hero. I am most awfully sorry for you- one can only seek consolation in the fact the he died the noblest death man can die, and that now he is at peace.—Yours sincerely, John F Mant, Lieut.

Gosford Times 9th October 1919

DWYER- In sad but loving memory of Private Thomas Dwyer, 1st Battalion, killed in action at Broodzeinde Ridge, Ypres, on 4th October, 1917

Only a few fading letters Are all that we have to see,

But our darling who died for his country Ever lives in our memory

Only some lines from the trenches, With the hand of the writer grown cold, But the name on the paper is graven

In letters of purest gold “A young life nobly ended.”

Inserted by his sorrowing father, mother, sister and brothers.

Abridged record/s courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 3530739

dwyer, thomas

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