A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Private Thomas McEvoy
Born: 2 April 1890 Dublin. Died: 28 March 1943 Leongatha.
Enlisted: 24 February 1916 aged 25
Served: Western Front.
Tom was a labourer at Pakenham when he enlisted. On his attestation papers, he stated that his parents were deceased and listed his uncle Thomas McEvoy of Dublin as next of kin.
He was then assigned to the 39th Battalion and proceeded to France in late November 1916.
Less than three months later, Tom was wounded in action in France.
He was wounded in action again on 7 June 1917, this time by poison gas at Messines, and again on 2 August 1917.
Initially he hospitalised at Camiers France, but was later invalided to England.
Tom’s transition back to civilian life though, was seriously impaired by the continuing ill-health he suffered. His pain in the shoulder/back when working was attributed to a gunshot wound and today he would be diagnosed as suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a mental illness.
Tragically, Tom died in Leongatha on 28 March 1943 in a one punch assault as part of an altercation outside a café. The youth who punched him was charged with manslaughter by got off on a plea of self defence.
This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com
