Thomas Alfred Critcher

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Wed, 22/04/2015 - 13:33

First Name:

Thomas

Middle Name:

Alfred

Last Name:

Critcher

Mother's Name:

Lillian (nee Casley)

Father's Name:

George Critcher

Date Enlisted:

Saturday, August 29, 1914

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Rank at Discharge:

Private

Unit:

9th Battalion

Company:

Service:

Infantry

Awards:

1914/1915 Star

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Sunday, April 25, 1915

Place of Death:

Gallipoli

Cause of Death:

Killed in action

Details:

Private Thomas Critcher (Service no. 555) was born in Woonona circa 1893. He was serving in the militia, 39th Infantry and working as a miner when war came.

Thomas enlisted in Queensland and sailed on A5 SS Omrah on 29th September, 1914. After training in Egypt he sailed with the first units to Gallipoli. As a member of 9 Platoon C coy 9th Battalion he went ashore with the first wave at 4:30am. The men of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th battalions are the ones who got further inland than anyone else for the whole campaign and to this day all bodies have not been found.

In 1919 when the War Graves returned to Gallipoli they found evidence of these men further inland than anyone had believed possible. Evidence from others state he was seen seriously wounded that morning but had to be left. His body has not been found and he is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial. His cousins Frederick Critcher (Service no. 3663) and Herbert Critcher (Service no 2244) also of Woonona served with the Camel Corps and returned to Australia.