Private Thomas Percy Laintoll, 113th Convalescent Depot, Second Australian Imperial Force
Australian War MemorialThomas Laintoll was born on 22 January 1912 to James and Catherine Laintoll in Kapunda in South Australia’s Barossa Valley region.
His mother died of double pneumonia at the age of 42 when Thomas was only five years old, leaving behind seven children. In 1923 the family was again struck with tragedy when Thomas’s older brother Joseph drowned in a nearby creek. Four other boys were with him but none could swim, and the drowning boy failed to see a stick that they held out to him.
Laintoll worked in the timber industry as a timber stacker, and was mobilised into the Militia on 3 March 1941. Following his call up, he enlisted at Kensington in Adelaide and commenced his service at the Woodside camp in South Australia in October 1941. There he was posted to the 13th Field Regiment and commenced training.
In June 1942, Laintoll was posted to Headquarters New Guinea Force, and in July was hospitalised with dengue fever. He returned to his unit in January 1943 and was transferred from the Militia to the Second Australian Imperial Force after voluntary enlistment in the AIF. He continued to serve in the Headquarters unit in Port Moresby.
In February 1943, Laintoll was again hospitalised with dengue fever, returning to his unit about a week later. In May he was again struck down with illness, this time contracting amoebiasis, an infection that often causes dysentery. He was treated at the 2/2nd Casualty Clearing Station for two months before being evacuated from Port Moresby.
After arriving in Townsville in late July he was transferred to the 105th Australian General Hospital in Adelaide, where he died of his illness on 10 August 1943, only a few days after his arrival.
He was 31 years old.
Laintoll was given a military funeral and buried in the special war cemetery plot of the Centennial Park Cemetery in Adelaide. Among the many notices placed by family and friends in the Advertiser was the following: “he suffered and died that we might live in peace”.
Dr Lachlan Grant, Military History Section
Image: Port Moresby, New Guinea. 1942. The headquarters of the Anti-Aircraft defences New Guinea Force.
