Combes, Thomas

2798B Sergeant Thomas Combes - 12th Battalion AIF

Thomas Combes was born in Bendigo Victoria on the 30th July 1874 to Alfred and Isabel Combes and was one of nine siblings. He was educated in Bendigo and after leaving school took up employment in the mines.

in the 1890's he moved to Western Australian and took up residence in the Goldfields. In 1903 he married Ellen Rowlands in Perth and they would go on to have five children, Alfred (1903), Clement (1905), Harold (1908), Frederick (1910), Phillip (1915) and Helene (1915).

Prior to the Great War the family were living at Bellevue Terrace Fremantle. He had also been based at Trades Hall Fremantle.

On the 29th January 1916 Thomas enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height  - 5 feet 6 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 130lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-36 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Fair.

After his successful enlistment Thomas was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was sent to the depot training camp. He was then taken through the basics of infantry training. He had been set to the 44th Battalion but was then returned to the depot training camp.

He was then transferred into the 19th Reinforcements to the 11th battalion but after a week was transferred to the 4th Reinforcements to the 51st Battalion.

Thomas was then transferred again, this time to the 6th Reinforcements to the 44th battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for a few months. On the 29th December 1916 Thomas and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Persic. The ship then set sail for England, reaching Devonport Harbour on the 3rd March 1917.

Thomas and his group were then disembarked and sent to the 11th Training Battalion at Durrington Camp on the Salisbury Plains. He spent the next two months training in England. On the 22nd may 1917 Thomas proceeded to Southampton where he boarded a troopship for France.

Thomas had now been re-assigned units. Instead of joining the 44th Battalion he would now be joining the 12th Battalion of the 1st Division AIF. On the 23rd May 1917 he went into the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Le Havre and spent the next three weeks there. On the 15th June 1917 Thomas joined the 12th battalion AIF.

When he joined them the 12th battalion were then on a three month rest period out of the front line. Much of this time in the next few months was taken up with training and sporting activities,

In September 1917 the 12th Battalion served in the Third Battle of Ypres, seeing action at The Battle of Menin Road on the 20th September 1917 and Broodseinde Ridge on October 4th 1917 and then at Celtic Wood.

Thomas came through these battles unscathed. From December 1917 to March 1918 the 12th Battalion were holding the line in Belgium south east of Ypres.

The 12th Battalion as part of the 1st Australian Division was heavily in action from April to July 1918 in the north of France around Merris, Meteren, Strazeele and Hazebrouck.

In August 1918 the 12th Battalion returned to the Somme to take part in the Amiens offensive. On the 8th August 1918, the Australian, British and Canadian forces advanced against the Germans from the Villers-Bretonneux front. While not involved on the opening day of the offensive, the 12th Battalion came into action on the 9th August 1918 and were in continual action until the 18th September 1918.

This was the last 12th Battalion action of the war. they were then given a rest period out of the front line. They were still out of the line when the Armistice was announced on the 11th November 1918.

After the Germans withdrew behind their own borders, the Australians were sent to what had been German occupied parts of Belgium and France. Thomas soon took a transfer to the Australian Burial detachment which soon became the Australian War Graves detachment.

This group was based around Villers-Bretonneux and transferred any war graves to newly established war cemeteries. During his time that he was assigned to the war graves unit Thomas was promoted to Corporal and then to Sergeant.

Thomas returned to England in August 1919 and on the 6th October 1919 he returned to Australia aboard the troopship Pakeha. Thomas disembarked in Fremantle on the 16th November 1919. He was discharge from the AIF on the 31st December 1919.

After leaving the AIF the family went to live in Victoria Park. Unfortunately, Thomas and Ellen were divorced in 1921. Thomas was working as a bootmaker during this time period.

Thomas Combes died on the 29th August 1929 aged 55. He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery plot Anglican RA 0636.