NEW WEBSITE

As of early this morning I have made my new website go live!

I have transferred over everything that was on the old site and will be adding new research (information, maps and photographs) about the November 5th 1916 attack. I have expanded my research to all the Australian battalions involved in this attack.

A lot has happened

Since last posting on here, a lot has happened.

1. I have finished going through all the records/files I had and so I have completed my research.

2. I sent of 'articles' to two magazines about Thomas and the others. But I don't think I will hear back from them (as much as I would love it).

3. Two families have contacted me recently who are related to two of the soldiers with Thomas (a part of the 36).

4. It is coming up to another ANZAC Day without a memorial to the soldiers in France (a part from V-B). Right now I have settled for knowing where they are even though it is not acknowledged.

5. I have completed my website to the soldiers.

6. Contacted locate politician about Thomas and the others.




Even though all this happened I still have some things to do.

1. Finish the interactive CD.

2. Send the CD off to the local politician and the people who have contacted me.

3. Try to get something published about Thomas and the others in the media.

Narrowing Down

I decided that I needed to concentrate on the soldiers that had unknown graves along with Thomas. I needed to stop researching all the 1st Battalion soldiers who died on the 5th November 1916 and just concentrate on those few.

I looked at the information I had already gathered and created a list (which follows).


These men died on November 5th 1916 and where buried (according to the personnel files) about 450yards N.N.W of Gueudecourt, Sheet 57c N.20 D.3.7 and are commemorated at Villers-Bretonneux

B Company
Gordon Bromley (M)
Alic Brown (R M)
William Gibney (M)
Leslie Miller (M)
Robert Miller (M)
Wallis Rankine (M)

C Company
Alan Andrews (* M)
Thomas Bannan (M)
Ernest Clarkson (M)
William Constable (M)
Robert Costellow (M)
Herbert Elmes (R M)
Reginald Flower (R M)
William Graham (M)
Charles Hambling (M)
John Harris (* M)
William Harris (R M)
John Howell (M)
George Jamieson (M)
Joseph Lanyon (* M)
Osswild McGregor (R M)
David Murray (M)
Milton Penketh (R M)
Thomas Rutherford (R M)
Horace Schofield (M)
Leslie Tiedeman (M)
Sydney Todd (R M)
Sydney Vandine (R M)
George Wallgate (* M)
Thomas Whitton (M)

D Company
James Lewis (M)

Company Unknown or Not Sure
Charles Cregan (M)
Edward Fanning (R M)
Thomas Lunn (R M)
Matthew Thorburn (M)
James Henry (M)

* – No Red Cross File

R - Same burial reference as Thomas in their Red Cross File [Buried about 450yards N.N.W. of Gueudecourt, Sheet 57c S.W N.20 D.3.7]

M - Same burial reference as Thomas written on their Military File [Buried about 450yards N.N.W. of Gueudecourt, Sheet 57c S.W N.20 D.3.7]

There were some soliders that I couldn't place on the above list because the records did provide me with the same information.

# Director of graves: Buried 2 ½ miles south of Bapaume

James Charles Simington

# No exact co-ordinate found in any records for burial, just general stuff - can assume with others.

Emanuel Hansen

John Harold McIntyre

Niall Joseph Mullarkey

George Joseph Parr

Great-Granddad's Medals

This past week has been a mix of highs and lows. I have located nearly all of my Great-Granddad's family (all of his brother's family - Glossop, Clark & Beverstock). I now need to track down his sister's family (McLachlan). This was the highs of the week.

In regard to Thomas' medals I had a mix of great highs and lows. I discovered that his brother Charles took loving care of them. Unfortunately after Charles died in 1969, no-one seems to know what happened to them.

I still hold some sort of hope that some day, by some miracle I will hopefully find them.