Sgt Thomas Mountain - KIA - Glen Innes, NSW, Australia
S 29° 43.570 E 151° 45.177
56J E 379391 N 6710905
Sergeant Thomas Mountain fought in World War One, and died in Palestine in 1917.
Waymark Code: WMZRR2
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 12/29/2018
Views: 1
A white marble headstone has inscriptions for two sons of Tom and Amy Mountain. While they died within a year of each other, the two brothers died on other sides of the world to each other. While 15 year old David died near Glen Innes, Sergeant Thomas Mountain was killed at Beersheba in Palestine.
Also Sgt. THOs. D.W. Mountain
Killed in Action
Beersheba, Palestine.
3rd Nov. 1917
aged 28 years.
Interred at Beersheba
He laid down his life for his country
beloved Sons of
Tom & Amy Mountain.
_____
Two of Sergeant Mountain's great-nephews headed to the Beersheba War Cemetery in Southern Israel in 2015, to place a white headstone there, that had been donated by the Redlands (Qld) RSL.
Sergeant Thomas William Mountain was a veteran of the Gallipoli campaign and died in action at the battle of Tel Khuweilfeh just a few days after the 4th Light Horse Regiment Brigade's charge of Beersheba.
Tom was born about 5 kilometres west of Glen Innes at "Mountain View" in 1890, and the eldest of eight children. He joined the Australian Infantry Force (AIF) in 1914 at the start of WW1 as an excellent horseman, and "assigned to the Australian First Light Horse Regiment.
"His unit was sent to Egypt for training and acclimatisation before joining the Gallipoli campaign in May, 1915, about two weeks after the initial invasion.
"The regiment was withdrawn from Gallipoli later that year for redeployment to Palestine to help the allies drive the Turkish occupiers out of the Middle East.
"The Australian First Light Horse was held in reserve during the famous charge of the Australian Fourth Light Horse Brigade against Turkish positions at the wells of Beersheeba on October 31, 1917.
"So successful was that charge, the First regiment was not needed...
"Tom Mountain was among six Australian Light Horsemen who lost their lives three days later at Tel Khuweilfeh.
"All six are buried side by side with other soldiers from Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain in the Beersheeba War Cemetery." [ex-Redland City Bulletin: Mountain cross]
Visited: 0719 - 0720, Saturday, 26 August, 2018
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