Kelly, Thomas
No.2233 – Private Thomas James Kelly – 16th Battalion AIF
Thomas James Kelly was born in Stockton NSW in 1886 to James and Amy Kelly. While he was still young the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in Holland Street Fremantle. Thomas was educated at Fremantle State School and after leaving he took up work as a labourer and also in the mining industry. He went to the Goldfields where he found work and it was in Boulder that he enlisted in the AIF on the 19th March 1915.
He was passed as fit for service with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 7 inches in height; weight of 148lbs; chest measurement of 36 inches; fair complexion; brown eyes and fair hair. His religious denomination was Roman Catholic. Thomas was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he went into No.13 Depot Company.
He remained there until March 31st when he transferred to No.14 Depot. Tom remained in this depot for just over a fortnight as on the 16th April 1915 he was transferred to the 6th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion AIF. Thomas trained with this group in WA for the next two months while they awaited their orders to depart to come through.
The embarkation orders finally came; and on the 25th June 1915 Thomas’s group boarded the H.M.A.T. “Wandilla” in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for Egypt. After arriving at Suez three and a half weeks later the men were disembarked and sent straight to Alexandria where they boarded a troopship for Gallipoli. Thomas was taken on strength of the 16th Battalion at Anzac on the 31st July 1915.
Thomas and his group had arrived in time to take part in the offensive which was planned to start on August 6th. The 1st Brigade captured Lone Pine while the 4th Brigade, to which the 16th Battalion belonged; was part of a group of British, Indian and New Zealand troops who broke out into the northern sector in an attempt to capture the heights of Chunuk Bair and Hill 971.
The assault started off through the northern foothills on August 7th and almost immediately the advance was behind schedule as the men tried to find their way through the scrubby foothills in the dark. Quite a bit of territory was captured but none of the crucial heights were captured and held despite the bravery of the troops involved.
Thomas was killed in action on the 7th August 1915. There are no eyewitness accounts of his death nor does it seem that his body was recovered for burial. Thomas Kelly is therefore commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial.
Two of his brothers also served; James was killed on the 3rd September 1916 at Mouquet Farm in France with the 51st Battalion; while Ernest served with the 51st Battalion and Railway Company’s, was wounded twice but came home in 1919.
Thomas and James Kelly had plaques laid in their honour in Kings Park in 2018.