Description

WW1 Australian father and son Gallipoli service medal groups. Thomas Nicholson served in the Boer War with the 24th Company Imperial Yeomanry and in WW1 with the 28th Battalion, after being medically discharged he re-joined with the 44th Battalion. Frank Nicholson served with the 11th Battalion and was a First Day lander, being medically discharged with ruptured ear drums as a result of heavy fighting at Gallipoli. 

Queen’s South Africa Medal (1899 – 1902), with 5 clasps CAPE COLONY, ORANGE FREE STATE, TRANSVAAL, SOUTH AFRICA 1901, SOUTH AFRICA 1902, period engraved, 29424 TPR. T. NICHOLSON. 24TH COY IMP: YEO: 1914/15 Star, impressed named 673 PTE T. NICHOLSON. 28 BN. A.I.F.; British War and Victory Medals, impressed named 673 PTE T. NICHOLSON. 28 BN. A.I.F. Court mounted for display with rising sun collar badge affixed to Victory ribbon.

1914/15 Star, impressed named 1028 PTE F. NICHOLSON. 11/BN. A.I.F.; British War and Victory Medals, impressed named 1026 PTE F. NICHOLSON. 11 BN. A.I.F. court mounted for display with rising sun collar badge affixed to Victory ribbon; WW1 R.S.L badge (soldier and sailor).

Both medal groups come with copy service papers and medal rolls.

Thomas Nicholson was born in 1871 at Penrith, Westmoreland, England, a labourer by trade he enlisted on the 1/3/1901 with the 24th Company Imperial Yeomanry at Penrith (Service No. 29424), he was 29 years old at the time. He served in South Africa with them (16/3/1901 – 31/8/1902). Considering that he had nil previous service and he embarked for Africa within 2 weeks of joining, it was no wonder that the 2nd I.Y contingent were not up to the same standards as the 1st contingent and suffered accordingly at the hands of the Boers. He returned to England unscathed and discharged on 7/9/1902 at Aldershot. The 1911 census records him living in Penrith and working as a labourer. His son Francis William Nicholson was also living with him.

Frank (Francis) Nicholson was working with his father in Australia at the outbreak of the First World War and they both enlisted at Blackboy Hill, Perth. Thomas enlisted on 8/3/1915, listing his occupation as a labourer and his previous service in the Boer War. He was assigned to ‘D’ Company in the newly raised 28th Battalion (formed 16/4/1915), with Service No. 673. The unit sailed from Fremantle for the Middle East 29/6/1915, after further training in Egypt, landed on Gallipoli on 10/9/1915. He returned with the battalion to Alexandria on 10/1/1916 and from there to France on 21/3/1916. His age and active service caught up with him and he was admitted to hospital with bronchitis on 6/4/16 and evacuated to England. He was returned to Australia on 24/6/1916, for home service but was discharged in Western Australia on 16/8/1916. Undeterred, he re-enlisted in Perth on 29/12/1916 with the 7th reinforcements, 44th Battalion (Service No. 3105). He embarked at Fremantle on 29/1/1917 for England landing on 27/3/1917. He was discharged in England (due to his wife still residing there) as being permanently medically unfit on 9/10/1917. He returned to Australia at some stage and died on 10/12/1938, being buried at Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth. Francis (Frank) William Nicholson (the son of Thomas Nicholson) was born on the 3/2/1892 at Penrith, Westmoreland, England. The 1911 census records him as living in Penrith employed as a blacksmith apprentice. He was working in Western Australia at the outbreak of the war and enlisted on the 17/9/1914 with the 11th Battalion. He was working as a millhand at the time and had 3 years previous service with the 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment. He embarked at Fremantle on the 2/11/1914 bound for the Middle East, arriving early December. The 11th Battalion was one of the first units ashore at Gallipoli on the first day of action on 25/4/1915. He was evacuated on 22/7/1915, suffering from a perforated eardrum and a cut hand due to shell concussion. He was subsequently invalided to Australia on 16/9/1915, being medically discharged on 15/6/1916. He re-enlisted on 25/10/1916 for ‘Home Service’ giving his occupation as clerk and previous service with the 11th Battalion listing ‘discharged for deafness’, his next of kin being his father ‘address unknown’. He served with the S.C.R. Staff (Enrolling/recruitment section) from 25/10/1916 – 20/1/1917, when he resigned due to insufficient ration allowance. He died in Albany on 24/7/1964. Frank Nicholson is mentioned twice in the book ‘Game to the Last’ by James Hurst, pages 80 and 93.