Digger Tom Williams

In the years prior to WWII there was an Aboriginal settlement at Salt Pan Creek in Peakhurst, and one of the men resident there in the early 1930s was Tom Williams.  His wife was Dolly Anderson, grand-daughter of Biddy Giles (Byarrawang).  Tom had served in the Army in WWI.  Unable to find relief work without a certificate of discharge from the army, he wrote to military authorities in 1935 from Isaac Street, Peakhurst requesting a replacement.

Tom originally enlisted at Armidale NSW on 5 January 1916, stating that he was a labourer, born at Coonamble, and giving his age as 41; he was assigned the service number 1271.  However he was discharged from the 33^rd Australian Infantry Battalion three months later – no specific reason was given, but he left with good character.  He was over-age, which may have been used as a pretext to discharge him.

A few weeks later, Tom then re-enlisted from Narrabri, NSW on 24 July 1916, under the unusual name of ‘Matthew Revenew’.  On this occasion a large scar on his lower back was noted among his distinguishing marks.  He was assigned the service number 3254.  Hoping to avoid discharge for a second time, on this occasion he gave his age as 35. 

He embarked from Melbourne on 10 May 1917, and arrived in Egypt on 20 June 1917.  He served in the Middle East on the strength of the 32^nd Company ASC as a Driver.  Prior to the war, he had been a stockman, and was an experienced horseman.  His service was punctuated on two occasions by chest injuries in accidents involving horse-drawn wagons.  Tom returned to Australia on the Oxfordshire in August 1919.

One tale that got about in late years was that he had been wounded in service in France, but his war service record indicates that his service was confined to the Middle East.  He was to tell his family that his best friend during the war was his horse.

A well-creased photo of Mr Williams in the Australian War Memorial collection, taken c1916-17 shows him in Light Horse uniform, standing with his daughter Sophie.  His son, Tom junior, born in 1922, attended Peakhurst Public School, where his teacher, Mr Hinder, gave him a glowing reference for future employers.

Driver Tom Williams died in circa June 1936, aged about 61.

The photo above is in the collection of the Australian War Memorial (PO1758.001).