Thomas Taylor
Stephen LearmonthThomas Taylor was born in Beechworth on the 10th of May, 1884. He was the tenth of fourteen children born to Cordelia (née Jimeson) and Charles Taylor. Initially, he served as a shoemaker's apprentice in Beechworth, before trying farming and then becoming a carter, transporting goods around north-eastern Victoria. In 1904, he married Sarah Elizabeth Griffiths and the couple would go on to have three children.
In May of 1915, as recorded in the Corryong Courier of the 18th of November of that year, Thomas Taylor applied to the court to be declared insolvent. It is quite possible that this may have been one of the reasons why he enlisted. Having a failed business and, therefore, no means to provide for his wife and three children, the regular income would have made enlisting appealing.
On the 10th of August, 1915, at the age of 32, Thomas enlisted in the 1st AIF, eventually becoming a driver in the 5th Field Company, Australian Engineers. Three months later, he boarded HMAT A40 Ceramic in Melbourne along with the rest of his company. After a brief stop in Alexandria, Egypt, he finally disembarked at the Port of Marseilles, France on the 23rd of March, 1916.
On the 30th of December, Thomas decided to take a little unofficial leave. He was caught and charged as being “absent from parade at 7 a.m. on 30-12-16” He was awarded three days of extra duty by the C.O. of the 5th Field Company. In mid July he was granted two weeks leave in England. This time he returned from his leave on time, on the 30th of July.
In September of 1917, the 5th Field Engineers were operating as part of the 8th Brigade during the Third Battle of Ypres, Belgium. Their duties consisted of transporting materials, such as duckboards, and constructing facilities like ammunition shelters, dugouts for artillery, crew shelters, and repairing roads. On the last day of September, Thomas was posted as being killed in action. No other information was provided as to how he died. He was buried in The Huts Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Within Thomas' Service Records are notes indicating that war pensions had been granted for Sarah and her three children. These amounted to ￡4/5 per fortnight (a little over $430 in Australia in 2022). However, in May, of 1918, Sarah, now living with her children in Townsend Street in Albury, wrote to Base Records in Melbourne enquiring about Hugh’s back pay and indicating that things were not all well with her at present. The note contains many errors in both spelling and grammar.
“Dear Sir,
I am sending you sined [signed] form and my address is on top of not[e] as I am in Albury now so if you send my parcel please to hear it will be all right I am not well at all and very worried over my poor husbands things as it 8 months pass by since he was killed and I havent heard a word and I havent had any news of his back pay can you tell me what to do about it and how you can get my things along to me all right
I am your ?
Mrs S E Taylor
Townsend St
Albury N S Wales.”
Thomas is remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, and the Corryong War Memorial. For his service during the First World War, he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
