Lester, Thomas David
3508 Sergeant Thomas David Lester - 16th Battalion AIF
Tom was born on the 26th April 1883 in Geraldton WA to James and Elizabeth Lester; being one of six siblings with, James 1875, George 1877, Frances 1880, Elizabeth 1885, Daisy 1888.
He was educated in Geraldton and after leaving school he took up employment as a clerk in Geraldton. When he was 17 years old Tom was awarded the Royal Humane Society's meal for attempting to save the life of Leslie Frewin, who was drowning at South Beach Geraldton.
Tom would later state that he served for two years with the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles in South Africa, during which time he had been wounded in the leg, and also spent five years with the Geraldton Rifle Volunteers.
Tom was married in 1910 in Geraldton to Blanche Jane Whittle and a son George was born in 1911.
Sadly Tom's brother James died in Perth in 1911. He and Blanche then moved to Perth, initially in Subiaco and then staying with his in-laws, the Whittles, in Preston Point Road East Fremantle.
On the 29th July 1915 Tom enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was passed as fit for enlistment, with the medical examiner recording Tom's physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 5 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 128lbs;
Chest Measurement - 32-34 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Dark Grey;
Hair - Brown.
After his successful enlistment, Tom was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he had several weeks being taken through the basics of infantry work. On the 27th September 1915 he was then transferred into the 11th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group for the next few weeks, and then on the 1st November 1915 entrained to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Benalla. The ship then set sail for Egypt, arriving there at the end of the month.
After being disembarked, Tom and his group were sent into the AIF reinforcement Camp. They would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli but as that battlefield was in the process of being evacuated, Tom and his group were therefore retained in Egypt. The 16th Battalion returned to Egypt after Christmas 1915 but Tom was retained in the reinforcement camp for a few months. He was eventually taken on strength of the 16th Battalion on the 7th March 1916.
He then trained with the 16th Battalion in the Egyptian desert for the next few months. On the 26th May 1916 Tom was promoted to Lance Corporal. On the 1st June 1915 Tom and the 16th Battalion left Egypt aboard a troopship for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 9th June 1916.
The 16th Battalion were sent to the north of France in the Armentieres region. They would have their first experience of Western Front conditions in this sector. They only spent a few weeks here and then the 4th Division units including the 16th Battalion were sent to the Somme battlefield. On the 2nd August 1916 Tom had been promoted to Corporal.
The 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions had been in action and captured Pozieres village and attempted to further the gains but were coming up against tough German resistance. The 16th Battalion went into the line in the first week of August 1916 and took part in the action around Pozieres. They then had a few weeks rest before taking part in the attempted capture of Mouquet Farm on August 30th 1916. The Germans had fortified the farm and despite making good gains, the 16th Battalion were unsupported on their flanks and had to withdraw. Tom had come through both these actions unscathed and shortly after was promoted to Sergeant.
The 16th Battalion were then sent to Belgium for several weeks, where they were in the front line near Ypres. They then returned to the Somme battlefield and would spent the 1916/17 French winter in the vicinity of Flers in the very cold and muddy conditions.
On the 24th October 1916 Tom was evacuated ill and was found to be suffering from influenza and tonsilitis. He was admitted to hospital in Boulogne where he had a few weeks rest. On the 15th November 1916 Tom was sent to the 4th Australian Division Base Depot Camp at Etaples. He was here for a month but was then hospitalised with myalgia. Tom was admitted to the 26th General Hospital in Etaples. He was a patient there till the 10th January 1917 when he was transferred to the 5th Convalescent Camp at Cayeux.
Tom took time to recover his health and was at Cayeux till the 28th March 1917. He then returned to the 4th Australian Division Base Depot Camp at Etaples and rejoined the 16th Battalion on the 18th April 1917. Tom joined his unit after their Bullecourt action, and they were very low on numbers.
From June to August 1917, Tom and the 16th Battalion were serving on the Messines front in Belgium near Ploegsteert and Warneton.
On the 21st August 1917 Tom was sent to England for a period of secondment with the 4th Training Battalion at Codford. During this time he also attended various courses on bombing, Lewis Guns, Gas and relevant infantry related issues. Tom would be on the training staff for the next few months.
Tom returned to France on the 27th November 1917 and was taken back on strength of the 16th Battalion. He had missed his unit's actions during the Third Battle of Ypres. In December 1917 the 16th Battalion were sent to Peronne for a few weeks but in January 1918 returned to the Ypres sector. They would help hold the line south east of Ypres till March 1918.
As a result of the German offensive of March 21st 1918 which broke through the British front line further south, the Australian Divisions were sent towards the Somme to help stop this German advance.
The 16th Battalion, as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade, moved to Hebuterne where they joined New Zealand and British units in stopping the German advance in this sector. They also started putting the Germans on the back foot by conducting raids on their positions.
In April 1918 the 16th Battalion moved to the Villers-Bretonneux sector. They were in this area till July 1918. On the 4th July 1918 Tom and the 16th Battalion took part in the successful capture of Hamel village. He came through this action unscathed. After the Hamel action Tom was transferred to the Australian Corps School where he was assigned a training role. He would be with this unit till the Armistice in November 1918. On the 13th December 1918 he was then transferred back to the 16th Battalion.
Tom remained with the 16th Battalion till the 26th April 1919 and was then sent to England to await being assigned a berth on a transport ship home. On the 12th May 1919 Tom boarded the transport ship Port Napier and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle in June 1919. Tom was subsequently discharged from the AIF on the 14th August 1919.
On his return, Tom found employment as a warehouseman in Fremantle with the family still living at Preston Point Road East Fremantle. He then also began work for the Shell Oil Company in North Fremantle. They lived in Preston Point Road for the next few years before moving to Claremont in 1925.
Tom's mother had died in 1921 and his father in August 1928.
Sadly Tom died on the 12th April 1929 in Geraldton while visiting his brother. It was stated that his health had been affected by being exposed to German gas during the Great War.
His son George died in a traffic accident in Guildford at the end of World War Two in 1945. He had just been discharged from the Army after service with the 2/11th Battalion. (WX1786)