Chambers, Thomas Oswald

2797 Corporal Thomas Oswald Chambers - 1st Field Butchery AIF

Thomas Oswald Chambers was born on the 20th October 1893 in Wrexham Wales to Thomas and Mary Chambers and was one of nine siblings, with, Reginald 1891, Warren 1896, Ethel 1898, Frances 1900, Arthur 1902, Nellie 1904, Ena 1906 and George 1908.

Thomas was educated and lived in England up to 1911. He served a butchers apprenticeship with the family firm GW Chambers in Sheffield for three and a half year. After completing this apprenticeship Thomas was working as a butcher at Ecclesall North Yorkshire then he came to Western Australia in 1912.

Thomas took up residence at 37 Hulbert Street South Fremantle (later renumbered 19 Hulbert) and began working in Fremantle as a butcher.

On the 25th June 1915 Thomas enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. The medical examiner passed him as fit for service, and recorded Thomas's physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 3 inches tall;

Weight - 131lbs;

Chest Measurement - 35-37 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Dark Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment, Thomas was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to the 9th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months. On the 4th October 1915 Thomas and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Hororata. The ship then set sail for Egypt, arriving there at the end of the month.

Thomas was sent to the reinforcement camp in Egypt and only joined the 11th Battalion in Egypt on the 7th January 1916. He trained with the 11th Battalion for the next two months but on the 3rd March 1916 was transferred to join the 51st Battalion. On the 16th March 1916 Thomas was moved units again. Due to his experience in being a butcher he was sent to a unit called the 1st Field Butchery AIF.

He only had another five weeks in Egypt as on the 24th April 1916 the unit embarked for France, reaching Marseilles on the 30th April 1916.

From Marseilles the 1st Field Butchery entrained north for Rouen where they worked at the meat ship, unloading and weighting the frozen meat, then loading them on trucks for different sections of the front.

In August 1916 they were moved to the 4th Army base at Merricourt and then proceeded to Corbie. In September 1916 Thomas was promoted to Corporal and for a few weeks was seconded for duty at the Railway Supply Detachment but had returned to his unit in November 1916. The unit while based here was getting the frozen meat ready and prepared for transport to the frontline units. On the 28th June 1916 Thomas was given a two week furlough to England, during which time he visited friends and family.

The 1st Field Butchery remained at Corbie through to June 1917 when they were then moved to Dieppe on the French coast. They were then put on supply work for the 4th Base Depot and the meat which was then transferred to the front from this base depot.

On the 20th November 1917 Thomas was sent to hospital ill to the 5th Stationary Hospital at Dieppe but was only nine days away from his unit, returning on the 29th November 1917.

On the 22nd December 1917 Thomas was granted leave to England, spending two weeks there and was able to have Christmas and new year with his family.

The 1st Field Butchery remained at Dieppe through 1918 to the end of the war. In early December 1918 Thomas was granted a few days leave to Paris and at the end of the month was given two weeks leave to England.

He then returned to his unit in France, as all the soldiers in France and Belgium still had to be fed, so the unit was still busy with its work. Thomas remained with his unit till the 17th March 1919 when he received orders to return to England. On arrival Thomas went to the AIF camp at Codford. He spent the next few months here in camp while he waited to be assigned a berth on a transport ship to Australia.

On the 1st June 1919 Thomas boarded the ship Somali and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 8th July 1919.

After being disembarked Thomas was sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle for a medical checkup. He was then discharged from the AIF on the 30th August 1919.

In 1919 Thomas was married to Charlotte Ellen Cox and a daughter Ena was born in 1923 and then another daughter Joyce.

The family moved from Fremantle to the country town of Kellerberrin where he was employed as a Master Butcher. Thomas and his family remained at Kellerberrin for over forty years.

Thomas died on the 15th June 1966 at Kellerberrin and was buried in the local cemetery.