Private Thomas James Anderson

Thomas James Anderson was born at Toowoomba, Queensland , on 11 August 1895 to parents Thomas Anderson and Margaret Jane née Bell. He was 19 years old when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 8 May 1915, and mentioned on his enlistment form that he had served with the 11th Light Horse Regiment. He embarked with the 7th reinforcements of the 15th Infantry Battalion at Sydney aboard HMAT Shropshire on 20 August 1915. At the time of enlistment he gave his occupation as linotype operator and had been working with the composing staff of the Toowoomba newspaper, The Chronicle. Anderson was taken on strength from Lemnos to join the 15th Battalion at Gallipoli on 23 October 1915. He was one of the last to leave Gallipoli during the evacuation and spent Christmas on board HMAS Varsova while travelling to Egypt where he arrived, ex Mudros, on 29 December 1915.

Anderson was a stretcher-bearer who also served with the 15th Battalion Band and played the tenor horn. He arrived in France with the 15th Battalion on 8 June 1916 and was later promoted to Lance Corporal on 1 August 1917. It appears that his mother, living in Brisbane at the time, may have been notified of his death in error. An erroneous article, published in several Queensland newspapers in May 1918, appears to have confused him with 2330 Thomas James Anderson. Despite having the same service number and name, he was a labourer who enlisted in Brisbane who served with the 49th Battalion and died on 4 April 1918.

Thomas Anderson returned to Australia aboard Armagh on 5 April 1919 and married Gladys Evelyn Linwood at a military wedding on 5 April 1920. The service was officiated by Reverend A. Davies, who served as a chaplain in the AIF; the groomsmen, Ted and Les Linwood, had also served in the AIF. Anderson was still working as a linotype operator when he died at the General Hospital, Brisbane, on 11 October 1954.