Lieutenant Colin Thomson
35th Battalion, AIF
Service Number: 2160
Born: 1895, Woonona, NSW
Died: 4 April 1918, Villers-Bretonneux, France
Colin Leslie Thomson was born at Woonona, NSW in 1895 to James and Maud Thomson. He joined the Commercial Banking Company as a junior clerk and was posted to Penrith in 1911. While in Penrith he made many friends and was fondly regarded and it was for that reason his name now appears on the Penrith Presbyterian Church Honor Roll. He was also associated with the Penrith School of Arts and acted as its auditor. The Nepean Times reported on 22 January 1916 that four former clerks of the Penrith branch of the Commercial Bank had enlisted. Following the death of his father on the day of the Gallipoli landing, Thomson was transferred to Wollongong to be closer to his family. He had spent two years with the CMF (Citizen Military Forces) before he enlisted.
Thomson enlisted in Sydney on 3 April 1916 and he embarked with his unit from Sydney on board HMAT Anchises on 24 August 1916. Before he left, Thomson made out his will with his mother the beneficiary. He arrived in Devonport England on 11 October 1916. A month later, Thomson was promoted to Sergeant and then proceeded overseas to France. On 5 March 1917, Thomson was promoted in the field to 2nd Lieutenant. On 29 May 1917 he received gunshot wounds to his arm and buttock and was evacuated to England for treatment. While in England he was commissioned as Lieutenant on 25 June. By December 1917 Thomson was back in France. He was killed in action in the vicinity of Villers-Bretonneux.
Memorial Details:
- Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux, France
- Honor Roll, Presbyterian Church, Penrith
- Honor Roll, Presbyterian Church, Wollongong
Sources: