Thomas Henry Williams (27)
17 Nov 1889- 18 Apr 1917
The first Clyde resident to die on an overseas battle field.
It is uncertain when the telegram arrived at Sarah Ridgway’s home on
Ballarto Road in 1917. A few weeks before about mid April 1917 she knew
that her son Thomas was wounded and missing. No one in Clyde knew that
he had been shot in the chest, suffered serious lung damage and was a
German POW.
Just less than a year before Thomas Henry Williams, 26 years 8 months, had embarked aboard the Ayrshire
heading for the Western Front. Short in stature standing 5ft 3in (161.2
cm) he was a farm labourer and lived with his mother Sarah Ridgway (nee
Hall) and step father, Thomas “Corrie” Ridgway in Clyde. (Now known as
No 1 Ballarto Road)
Tragedy
had struck Sarah before in 1892. When her son Tom was two years old,
his father, Tommy Williams Snr, a jockey, was killed in a race track
meeting near Dandenong. At the time Tommy
(Snr) and Sarah Williams owned the first Clyde store then situated at
Ballarto Road. Eighteen months later, widow Sarah Williams married
Thomas Ridgway, son of early settler, Anthony Ridgway.
Unbeknown to the Clyde community, Tommy Williams Jnr. had actually died on April 18th
and was buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf, Germany. The news of his
death was sent by telegram to his mother and later announced in the
Herald newspaper in August 1917.
A
memorial scroll and plaque were sent to Sarah recognising her loss. The
Clyde community remembered Tom by listing his name on the Clyde North
and District WW1 Honor Roll. The Cranbourne Patriotic Association
posthumously awarded him a Certificate of appreciation for fighting over
seas.
A year following his death, Mrs Sarah Ridgway presented a photograph of
her son Thomas Henry Williams to the newly built Clyde Primary school
opened on May 30, 1918.
Just
at the time Clyde folk had heard the news that Tommy Williams (May
1917) was missing and believed injured, none knew that 21 year old Stan
Allars from the corner of Muddy Gates lane and Pound Road had been
killed. He’d embarked for overseas just a year earlier, May 1916 with
his brother Syd.
Stan, a very slim and tall lad at 5ft.10in (177.8cm), 132lbs (59.9kg) had been in Clyde for 5 years working on his father’s “Clydesdale” dairy farm. Daily trips carting milk to the Clyde Railway station brought the Allars in contact with other Clyde farmers.
With
their home closer to the Cardinia social life rather that the Clyde
Railway Station town activities, the Allars were viewed as being
Cardinia people. Son of Alfred Charles and Emily Allars, Stan was one of
seven children
Like
many soldiers, Stan had trouble with health problems in the Army. While
in training he suffered with influenza and tonsillitis before
embarkment.
Later,
while overseas, pneumonia took him out of battle for a month, before
returning to France. In Belgium during the Northern Spring, he was
wounded on the same day as his brother. Stan had gun shot wounds to both
legs, arms and left foot. Older brother Syd was evacuated to England.
Stan died the next day, 2nd May 1917.
His family received a Scroll of Honor from the King along with the memorial plaque known as the ‘Dead Man’s Penny”
After
serving in France as a ‘ bomb thrower’ Hedley Howard Thomas answered
the call for stretcher bearers and was accepted. In October, 1917,
whilst doing his duty, he was wounded and sent to England. On his return
to France, he again volunteered as a stretcher bearer.
Being
of a sensitive and sympathetic nature, his experiences in attending to
the injuries of his broken and shattered companions, imposed a great
strain upon him. While binding the wounds of a comrade he was shot by a
sniper and died.
In
his life he demonstrated loyalty, integrity of character, determination
to do the right thing with or without the approval of others. He won
the respect of fellow soldiers who had many opportunities of testing his
worth.
They said of him' ‘Everyone that knew him respected him. He played his part as one of the best of soldiers and a man’. 'We and many more have reason to be grateful’.
In
1906 Hedley Howard Thomas, one of seven children, moved with his family
from Oakleigh to the south eastern corner of Tuckers and Pattersons
Roads.
At
19 Hedley decided in his heart to obey God in all of his life. While
this was a public declaration among the Methodist church folk, Hedley
expressed this decision better through his life’s actions rather talking
about it.
Hedley
enlisted in September 1915. At 5ft 8in (172.7cm) he was slightly
taller than the average Clyde man, also the heaviest weighing 12 stone
(76.2kg). The local newspaper of 22 Aug 1918, reported “The seating
accommodation at the Methodist Church was taxed, on Sunday evening, when
a large gathering met to do honor to the memory of the late Private
Hedley Thomas aged 26“.
Clyde
Methodists relied on visiting preachers for their afternoon services
but also attended morning worship in Cranbourne. Hedley’s name is also
recorded on the Cranbourne Presbyterian’s Honor Board.
Better
known as George, the only adult son of George Snr and Martha Churchill
(nee Ridgway), he was the grandson of Anthony Ridgway, an early Clyde
settler. George Churchill (Jnr) worked as a chaff cutter and lived with
his parents on 2 acres of Block 41 near to the corner of Hardys and
Cranbourne Berwick Road.
Before enlisting on 16 July 1915 he had the reputation of being brilliant cricket player,
’a bonny manly lad’, with a sunny disposition, one who loved clean
sport on the football and cricket grounds. It was said of him that he
should make a sturdy active soldier and that ‘may he win a V.C.’ (Victoria Cross).
This
man who stood at 5ft 4 in tall (162.5 cm) was the first native born
Clyde man to pass all the tests in the training camp. On the battle
field he commanded such respect that he was promoted to Corporal on the
25th Oct 1917.
Tragically
he was killed in action on the 1st September 1918 at Mont St Quentin,
France, a little more than two months before the end of the War,
November 11th, 1918, Armistice Day. Clyde cricketers were
deeply shocked and grieved to hear of the death of one of their most
promising players.
On
Sunday evening, 22 Sept 1918, the Clyde North Church of England, was
not big enough to hold the large gathering which met to do honor to the
memory of the late Cpl. George Churchill, who made the supreme sacrifice
in France.
At the Clyde North School Empire Day celebration, May 1919, his photo
was unveiled by his former school teacher, Mr Twyford who referred to
the many fine qualities of George Churchill. He impressed upon the
children how proud they should be to have such a splendid memorial in
the school of a scholar and soldier like George.
His family grieved deeply over his death.
