Luff, Thomas George

5140 Private Thomas George Luff - 11th Battalion AIF

Thomas George Luff was born in Fremantle WA in 1886 to Peter and Mary Luff. He was one of thirteen children, with Jack (1885), Thomas (1886), Ernest (1887), Eva (1890), Andrew (1891), Alfred (1893), Harold (1894), Alma (1896), Edgar (1898), Maplemore (1900), Amy (1903), Ruby (1905) and Peter (1907).

The family lived in 212 Mary Street Fremantle and Thomas was educated at White Gum Valley Primary School. 

After leaving school, Tom became involved in the Horse industry and worked as a driver. He also was involved in the Trotting industry.

On the 10th January 1916 Thomas enlisted into the AIF. He was found to be fit for service with the medical examiner recording his attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 8 & 3/4 inches tall;

Weight - 124lbs;

Chest Measurement - 31-33 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Light Blue;

Hair - Light Brown.

After his successful enlistment he went into the General Training Depot at Blackboy Hill Camp. After a few weeks of infantry training, Thomas was assigned to the 16th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. This group was sent to Bunbury Camp to complete their training.

This group embarked from WA on the 31st March 1916 aboard the transport ship Shropshire. The ship arrived at Suez and on the 24th April and the men were disembarked.

Upon their arrival, they were told that the 11th Battalion had already departed Egypt for France and so the men were put into the reinforcement depot. Thomas left for France on the 29th May 1916, and upon arrival at Marseilles they were entrained north for Etaples where Tom was marched into the 1st Australian Divisional Base Depot Camp.

Tom joined the 11th Battalion on the 29th July 1916. His unit had just been through the Pozieres action and were low on numbers so there were many gaps to fill. Tom didn't have long to wait for his first action as from the 20th to 23rd August 1916, the 11th Battalion were involved in operations around Mouquet Farm.

Tom was slightly wounded and was evacuated to medical care but after a few days rejoined his unit.

On the 27th September he was sent to hospital ill and a cyst had to be removed. He spent a month in hospital in France and was then sent to the divisional base depot.

It appears Thomas was taken on the staff of the 1st Australian Division Base Depot as he remained there till June 1917.

On the 23rd June Tom was evacuated to hospital sick and stayed in hospital for several weeks. On his release from hospital on the 24th August 1917 he rejoined the 11th Battalion.

Tom served with the 11th Battalion through the Third Battle of Ypres, seeing action at the Battle of Menin Road on September 20th 1917 and at Zonnebeke in October 1917. He survived these battles and remained with his unit while they held the line at Passchendaele and Messines over the next few months.

On the 21st January 1918 Tom was granted a two week furlough to the UK, returning to his unit in February 1918.

Tom served with the 11th battalion through to October 1918, seeing action at Hazebrouck, Meteren and Merris from April to July 1918 and they were then sent south to the Somme and took part in the advance from Villers-Bretonneux seeing action at Lihons on August 10th 1918 and continued to follow up the German withdrawal. Tom was with them during their last action of the war on September 18th 1918.

The 11th Battalion were then withdrawn for a well deserved rest and on October 3rd 1918 Tom was transferred for duty as a Driver with 3rd Brigade Headquarters. He was still with 3rd Brigade HQ when the Armistice was declared and remained with them for the next few months into 1919.

On the 3rd April 1919 Tom returned to England and on the 12th May 1919 boarded the transport ship Soudan which brought him home to Western Australia, disembarking in Fremantle on the 21st June 1919.

Thomas Luff was discharged from the AIF on the 5th August 1919.

Thomas George Luff died on the 11th January 1967 aged 84.