Thomas and his family emigrated from London on 22 December 1928 on the 'Orvieto' and arrived at Brisbane, Queensland on 4 February 1929. He was recorded as a 'Manufacturer' in the 1931 Electoral Roll living at Hillside Crescent, Hamilton in Brisbane.
He enlisted in the R.A.A.F. at Sydney on 20 July 1941 and was sent to Point Cook R.A.A.F. base for pilot training.
Meanwhile, in Sydney Thomas had met up with Perla Doris Daphne Durward (nee Campbell and formerly Murphy), sixteen years older than him and they married in Melbourne on 27 December 1941 at Scots Church, East Melbourne. Whether Thomas knew of the age difference is not known and Perla put her age down by ten years when they married. Perla was divorced by her first husband William Murphy after five years of marriage in 1919 and she divorced her second husband Harold Durward after eighteen years in 1940.
On 20 June 1942 Thomas embarked for England and saw active duty as a Bomber Pilot at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire in the R.A.A.F. Melbourne Squadron, flying Handley Page Halifax II heavy bombers. They spent a lot of time doing night bombing over the Ruhr industrial area which was the centre of Germany's heavy industry.
On the night of 12 May they took off for the Ruhr and after dropping their bombs found that the bomb doors wouldn't retract and this affected their performance returning home. The weather on the early hours of their return was extremely bad and they became lost in the general area of their base. Visibility was so bad the Flight Navigator was sent down to the nose to try and pick up some landmarks. Unfortunately, they were too close to the ground and the left wing hit the ground and they crashed in a field at Bishop Wilton, about 10 miles NNE of their base at Elvington. It was estimated if they were only a few more feet higher they would have cleared the ground and not crashed.
Thomas and another crew member died but the remaining five survived.
Thomas was buried at St Catherine's C of E Churchyard, Barmby-On-The-Moor.
Thomas had just been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross before his fatal flight.
He enlisted in the R.A.A.F. at Sydney on 20 July 1941 and was sent to Point Cook R.A.A.F. base for pilot training.
Meanwhile, in Sydney Thomas had met up with Perla Doris Daphne Durward (nee Campbell and formerly Murphy), sixteen years older than him and they married in Melbourne on 27 December 1941 at Scots Church, East Melbourne. Whether Thomas knew of the age difference is not known and Perla put her age down by ten years when they married. Perla was divorced by her first husband William Murphy after five years of marriage in 1919 and she divorced her second husband Harold Durward after eighteen years in 1940.
On 20 June 1942 Thomas embarked for England and saw active duty as a Bomber Pilot at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire in the R.A.A.F. Melbourne Squadron, flying Handley Page Halifax II heavy bombers. They spent a lot of time doing night bombing over the Ruhr industrial area which was the centre of Germany's heavy industry.
On the night of 12 May they took off for the Ruhr and after dropping their bombs found that the bomb doors wouldn't retract and this affected their performance returning home. The weather on the early hours of their return was extremely bad and they became lost in the general area of their base. Visibility was so bad the Flight Navigator was sent down to the nose to try and pick up some landmarks. Unfortunately, they were too close to the ground and the left wing hit the ground and they crashed in a field at Bishop Wilton, about 10 miles NNE of their base at Elvington. It was estimated if they were only a few more feet higher they would have cleared the ground and not crashed.
Thomas and another crew member died but the remaining five survived.
Thomas was buried at St Catherine's C of E Churchyard, Barmby-On-The-Moor.
Thomas had just been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross before his fatal flight.
Thomas and his family emigrated from London on 22 December 1928 on the 'Orvieto' and arrived at Brisbane, Queensland on 4 February 1929. He was recorded as a 'Manufacturer' in the 1931 Electoral Roll living at Hillside Crescent, Hamilton in Brisbane.
He enlisted in the R.A.A.F. at Sydney on 20 July 1941 and was sent to Point Cook R.A.A.F. base for pilot training.
Meanwhile, in Sydney Thomas had met up with Perla Doris Daphne Durward (nee Campbell and formerly Murphy), sixteen years older than him and they married in Melbourne on 27 December 1941 at Scots Church, East Melbourne. Whether Thomas knew of the age difference is not known and Perla put her age down by ten years when they married. Perla was divorced by her first husband William Murphy after five years of marriage in 1919 and she divorced her second husband Harold Durward after eighteen years in 1940.
On 20 June 1942 Thomas embarked for England and saw active duty as a Bomber Pilot at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire in the R.A.A.F. Melbourne Squadron, flying Handley Page Halifax II heavy bombers. They spent a lot of time doing night bombing over the Ruhr industrial area which was the centre of Germany's heavy industry.
On the night of 12 May they took off for the Ruhr and after dropping their bombs found that the bomb doors wouldn't retract and this affected their performance returning home. The weather on the early hours of their return was extremely bad and they became lost in the general area of their base. Visibility was so bad the Flight Navigator was sent down to the nose to try and pick up some landmarks. Unfortunately, they were too close to the ground and the left wing hit the ground and they crashed in a field at Bishop Wilton, about 10 miles NNE of their base at Elvington. It was estimated if they were only a few more feet higher they would have cleared the ground and not crashed.
Thomas and another crew member died but the remaining five survived.
Thomas was buried at St Catherine's C of E Churchyard, Barmby-On-The-Moor.
Thomas had just been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross before his fatal flight.
He enlisted in the R.A.A.F. at Sydney on 20 July 1941 and was sent to Point Cook R.A.A.F. base for pilot training.
Meanwhile, in Sydney Thomas had met up with Perla Doris Daphne Durward (nee Campbell and formerly Murphy), sixteen years older than him and they married in Melbourne on 27 December 1941 at Scots Church, East Melbourne. Whether Thomas knew of the age difference is not known and Perla put her age down by ten years when they married. Perla was divorced by her first husband William Murphy after five years of marriage in 1919 and she divorced her second husband Harold Durward after eighteen years in 1940.
On 20 June 1942 Thomas embarked for England and saw active duty as a Bomber Pilot at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire in the R.A.A.F. Melbourne Squadron, flying Handley Page Halifax II heavy bombers. They spent a lot of time doing night bombing over the Ruhr industrial area which was the centre of Germany's heavy industry.
On the night of 12 May they took off for the Ruhr and after dropping their bombs found that the bomb doors wouldn't retract and this affected their performance returning home. The weather on the early hours of their return was extremely bad and they became lost in the general area of their base. Visibility was so bad the Flight Navigator was sent down to the nose to try and pick up some landmarks. Unfortunately, they were too close to the ground and the left wing hit the ground and they crashed in a field at Bishop Wilton, about 10 miles NNE of their base at Elvington. It was estimated if they were only a few more feet higher they would have cleared the ground and not crashed.
Thomas and another crew member died but the remaining five survived.
Thomas was buried at St Catherine's C of E Churchyard, Barmby-On-The-Moor.
Thomas had just been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross before his fatal flight.
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