Private: 571 Thomas Arthur WARD

33rd BATTALION AIF

Private: 571 Thomas Arthur WARD

Born: February 1896. Salisbury Plains via Uralla, New South Wales, Australia.

Married: 1921. Uralla, New South Wales, Australia.

Wife: Florence E Ward. nee: Murray. (1902-1993)

Died: 27th December 1956. Kentucky via Uralla, New South Wales, Australia.

Father: Thomas Ward. (1867-1926)

Mother: Sarah Margaret Ward. nee: Betts. (1870-1950)

INFORMATION

Thomas Arthur Ward with the AIF on the 3rd January 1916 at Uralla, New South Wales, before he was marched in to the Rutherford Army Camp where he was allocated to B Company 33rd Battalion AIF.

The composition of the 33rd Infantry Battalion was on a district basis. "A Company" was from Armidale and Tamworth, "B Company" was from Walcha, Uralla, Barrabra, Bingara and Manilla. "C Company" was from Narrabri, Moree and Inverell. and "D Company was from Glen Innes, Guyra and Tenterfield.

Thomas Arthur Ward, 1916

The Battalion en trained from Farley Station and embarked from Sydney on the 4th May 1916 bound for the United Kingdom aboard the H.M.A.T. A47 "Marathon". Arriving in England in early July, the Battalion spent the next four months in training before departed from Southampton, England on the 21st November 1916 at 4:30 pm and traveled by paddle steamer ‘Mona Queen’ to France arriving November 22, 1916 at 7:00 am in Le Havre. The Battalion moved in to the No:1 Rest Camp just in time for the onset of the terrible winter of 1916-17.

S.S. "MONA QUEEN"

Thomas was appointed as a Driver on the 11th November 1917 when Private: 785 NELSON was evacuated from the lines, and remained in France util he was demobilized after the Armistice and returned to Australia on the 11th August 1919 and was discharged from the AIF on the 25th September 1919.

Hi all .found this page while researching this pic and thought it might be of interest. Arthur Thomas Ward 9th division 33rd battalion (came from kentucky near uralla nsw ) was given to me today by someone that bought it at the local military museum clearance sale a couple of years ago. I will return him to his family I think.

(Lynette Joy Foody; October 2018)

Family Information

Thomas was a single 19 year old Carpenter from Uralla, N.S.W upon enlistment with the AIF.