Thomas ‘Tom’ Gerald Fogarty

FOGARTY, Thomas -‘Tom’ Gerald- – – – SPC 1902

DoB:- – 1886, Cowwarr, VIC

Father:- – Thomas William Fogarty

Mother:– – Ellen, nee Doyle

Thomas Fogarty was a boarder at St Patrick’s College for only one year, from Drouin, a small town in Gippsland Victoria. He was no relation to Christopher and Joseph Fogarty mentioned above.

Service No:– 1382

Rank:– – Private, Gunner

Unit:- – 29th Battalion

Tom Fogarty enlisted on 1 September 1915 at the age of 29 years and six months. He was a single man, five feet and eight inches tall, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was a dairy farmer from Heyfield in Gippsland.

Private Fogarty embarked from Melbourne on the Ascanius, on 10 November 1915. He disembarked at Suez on 7 December and underwent further training at Serapeum, until 16 June 1916 when he proceeded to Marseilles. After six months in France, he was hospitalised with scabies on 13 December, and then developed bronchitis which forced his transfer on 31 December 1916, to hospital in England.

From January to April 1917, Private Fogarty had treatment and recuperated in various hospitals in England. He was transferred to the 17th Field Ambulance in June, and the following month, was attached to the Artillery Details at Larkhill.

There is a gap in his service record for the whole of 1918, until 11 December where it was noted that Private Fogarty was returned to Australia aboard the Saxon as he was deemed medically unfit. He was suffering from a complaint known as chronic dacrocystitist mucocile, a condition whereby tears and mucus cannot drain into the nasal cavity due a blockage. The subsequent stagnation results in chronic and sudden onset of pain, redness and swelling. He was discharged from the AIF on 16 March 1919.

Tom resumed dairy farming at Heyfield at his property Warrigal Park. Sometime between 1924 and 1931, Tom married Charlotte de Lusygna and they had two children. Tom died in 1944. The death notice in the Melbourne Argus of 21 October 1944 noted -“

-‘On October 17 (suddenly) at his residence, Warrigal Park, Heyfield, Thomas Gerald, youngest son of Thomas and Ellen Fogarty of Shamrock Lodge, loved brother of Polly, Agnes, Katie, Bill, Jim, Nellie and Winnie, aged 58 years. RIP’.

Tom was buried at the Heyfield Cemetery, and when Charlotte died in 1955, she was buried with her husband.