Claude Thomas (footballer)
| Claude Thomas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Claude Edison Thomas | ||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1891 | ||
| Place of birth | Gisborne, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 5 July 1918 (aged 27) | ||
| Place of death | Hamel, France | ||
| Original team(s) | Port Melbourne Railway United | ||
| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1914–15 | South Melbourne | 13 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1915. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Claude Edison Thomas (15 April 1891 – 5 July 1918) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League. He was killed in action during World War I.
Family[edit]
One of the ten children of William Edward Paul Thomas (1851-1918),[1][2][3] and Louisa Thomas (1855-1925), née Williams,[4] Claude Edison Thomas was born at Gisborne, Victoria on 15 April 1891.
Education[edit]
He was educated at All Saints' Grammar School, in East St Kilda.[5]
Football[edit]
Recruited from prominent junior club Port Melbourne Railway United,[6][7][8] Thomas played on the wing.[9]
He played in thirteen home-and-away games (i.e., no Finals) over two seasons — the first, replacing George Bower, was against Fitzroy, at the Brunswick Street Oval, on 9 May 1914 — coming in and out of the South Melbourne team on multiple occasions during the two seasons. His football career ended when he enlisted in the First AIF.
Military service[edit]
Employed as a fireman with the Victorian Railways, he enlisted in the First AIF on 24 August 1915 and departed from Melbourne aboard HMAT Kabinga (A58)[10] on 8 May 1916. Although given the rank of Driver, he reverted to the rank of Private in May 1918 at his own request in order to serve in the same battalion as his older brother.[11][12]
Two of his brothers also served in the First AIF: Rupert Clarence Thomas (1893-1918),[13] and Vere Stanley Thomas (1895-1975).[14][15] Serving in the same unit as Claude, Rupert Clarence Thomas was killed in action, in France. on 8 August 1918, five weeks after Claude's death.[16]
Death[edit]
On 5 July 1918,[17] Thomas was lying in a trench near Vaire Wood, during the Battle of Hamel when a piece of shrapnel from a German shell glanced off the parapet and struck his ammunition pouch, "the contents of which exploded and blew a hole right through him, killing him instantly".[18]
He was eventually buried at the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.[19]
See also[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ Ex-Bank Clerk's Narrative: Ex-Bendigonions: Insolvency Examination, The Bendigo Independent, (Tuesday, 23 March 1909), p.1.
- ^ Claude Edison Thomas was killed in action on 5 July 1918; Rupert Clarence Thomas was killed in action on 8 August 1918; William Edward Paul Thomas died on 14 September 1918.
- ^ Deaths: Thomas, The Argus, (Monday, 30 September 1918), p.1.
- ^ Marriages: Thomas—Williams—(Silver Wedding), The Australasian, (Saturday, 6 February 1904), p.55.
- ^ The school operated on the corner of Dandenong Road and Chapel Street from 1871 to 1937 (see All Saints' Grammar School: All Saints’ Anglican Church, The Spirit of St Kilda.)
- ^ Football, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 18 April 1914), p.3.
- ^ Football: League Practice Games: Trying-Out Recruits: South Melbourne, The Argus, (Monday, 20 April 1914), p.7.
- ^ The League Clubs, The Argus, (Friday, 24 April 1914), p.11.
- ^ "FOOTBALL". The Argus. No. 21, 149. Victoria, Australia. 8 May 1914. p. 8.
- ^ Hired Military Australian Transport Ships: A55 - A74: A58 Kabinga, at flotillaaustralia.com.
- ^ Service Record.
- ^ Cullen, Barbara (2015). Harder than football : league players at war. Richmond, Victoria: Slattery Media Group. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-992379-14-8.
- ^ First World War Service Record: Private Rupert Clarence Thomas (2433), National Archives of Australia.
- ^ First World War Nominal Roll: Private Vere Stanley Thomas (3634), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- ^ First World War Service Record: Private Vere Stanley Thomas (3634), National Archives of Australia.
- ^ Roll of Honour: Private Rupert Clarence Thomas (2433), Australian War Memorial.
- ^ Deaths: Thomas, The Argus, (Tuesday, 23 July 1918), p.1.
- ^ * Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau files, 1914-18 War: 1DRL/0428: 12626 Private Claude Edison Thomas: 14th Battalion, collection of the Australian War Museum.
- ^ First World War Nominal Roll: Private Claude Edison Thomas (12626), Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
References[edit]
- Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
- Main, J. & Allen, D., "Thomas, Claude", pp. 184–185 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002. ISBN 1-74095-010-0
- First World War Embarkation Roll: Driver Claude Eddison (sic) Thomas (12626), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- First World War Nominal Roll: Driver Claude Edison Thomas (12626), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- First World War Service Record: Private Claude Edison Thomas (12626), National Archives of Australia.
- Roll of Honour Circular: Private Claude Edison Thomas (12626), Australian War Memorial.
- Roll of Honour: Private Claude Edison Thomas (12626), Australian War Memorial.
- Victorian Casualties: List No.420: Killed in Action: "THOMAS, C. E., St. Kilda, 5/7/18", The Argus, (Saturday, 3 August 1918), p.17.
External links[edit]
- Claude Thomas's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Claude Thomas at AustralianFootball.com
