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Edwin Charles Pond Thomas enlisted with D Company, 33rd Battalion AIF on the 18th of January 1916 and was an original member of the Battalion. He
left Sydney on board HMAT A74 "Marathon" on the 4th of May 1916 with the rank of Lance Corporal.
Returned to Australia on the ...and was discharged from the AIF on the 8th of February 1920.
6th December 1917.
Informant; Lieutenant: 2559 Robert Horner FLETCHER 33rd Battalion. I was on duty in the new front line opposite St Yves on the
morning of the 11th of June 1917. Captain: Charles Henry LINKLATER was C Company Commander and at about 12:30am went forward
to a post at Thatched Cot, 500 yardsin front of our line to await the reports from a party under Lieutenant: 1263 Edwin Charles Pond THOMAS of A
Company which had been sent forward another 400 yardsto occupy Fuze Cot. At about 1:00am no word from the party having reached Thatched Cot.
Captain: LINKLATER went forward with his runner Private: 950 William Stanley SMITH to try and get in touch with the party.
They did not reach Fuze cot. Two runners had been sent back by Lieutenant: THOMAS at about midnight of the 10th-11th June but did not reach Thatched Cot
until about 3:45am, when they stated that they lost their direction and had encountered a German Post. They lay in a shell hole thirty yards from the post to
await daylight and while lying there they saw two figures approaching from the direction from which they themselves had come.
When these two figures were about 20 yards from the post they were challenged in English and two shots were fired. Then bombs were thrown from the German Post
and the figureds disappeared. By the light of a veery light the runners saw about ten Germans apparently searching where they had last seen the two figures.
There was nobody out from the lines at the time but the two runners, Captain: LINKLATER and his runner Private: SMITH Inquiries made by
2nd/Lieutenant: Richard Henry BLOMFIELD C Company of 33rd Battalion showed that Captain: LINKLATER'S name appeared
on the German Death List of August 7th.
Note: Private: 950 William Stanley SMITH- MISSING. 7/12.6.1917. Captain: LINKLATER appears on German Death List of 7.8.1917 with no further evidence to report
death in Germany.
3rd L.S. General Hospital Wandsworth, England.
Edwin was a single 21 year old Station Hand from the "Government Experimental Farm" at Glen Innes upon enlistment. His father lived at 362 Upper Richmond
Road, Putney, England.
(Australian National Archives)
Under Construction. 7/11/2009.
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