Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Thomas Francis Sullivan was born on 29 November 1893 at Studholme Junction, the second son of John Edward and Bridget (née Houlihan) Sullivan, sometime of Pleasant Point. He was baptized Roman Catholic on 11 December 1893 at Waimate. His parents were at Studholme in 1893, the Studholme Junction Hotel having been transferred to John Sullivan in 1891 and a licence granted. In June 1896 John Sullivan transferred the hotel to E. Cosgrave and the family moved to Fairlie, where John was a hotel keeper at the Fairlie Creek Hotel, where as the host he provided “the good things”. In November 1898 Mr John Sullivan gave a special prize for the highest scorer of points in games at the Mackenzie Caledonian Society’s Sports. In October 1899 he was looking to transfer the hotel licence, and the following month he acquired the licence of the Royal Hotel, Temuka (“containing twenty rooms exclusive of those required for the use of the family”). “This hotel [Royal Hotel, Temuka] is one of the best in the district, and as Mr Sullivan is well known all over Canterbury, he can be relied upon to see to the comfort of all travellers and tourists.” At the same time, he relinquished his position on the Fairlie School Committee. Just six or seven months later he sold the hotel and transferred the Licence of the Royal Hotel. He had purchased a farm at Waitohi in May 1900. Mr John Sullivan may well have been elected to the Waitohi School Committee in 1901. A very successful clearing sale was held at the farm in August 1901. But, John Sullivan was bankrupt after about fifteen months farming at Waitohi. He was still the proprietor of the Fairlie Hotel when he purchased the farm, but he had a number of mortgages. On 14 December 1901 “Waitohi Downs” was to be sold. The insolvent position in which Mr Sullivan found himself caused both him and his wife great distress, so great that Mrs Sullivan was prepared to sell the furniture to pay debts. John Sullivan, late farmer and hotelkeeper, was granted an adjournment of an application for discharge from bankruptcy in September 1902, the order being duly granted in March 1903.

Thomas started his education at Fairlie School in November 1898. He left Fairlie in October 1899 for Temuka (perhaps St Joseph’s). In February 1902 Thomas Sullivan was admitted to Pleasant Point School from Waitohi School; in February 1904 he was again admitted to Pleasant Point School, this time from Kerrytown, as were his brothers Edward and John. On a Saturday in October 1906, “a friendly match eventuated between teams from the Pleasant Point and Temuka District High Schools. About 11 a.m. the Point team, with Mr Thomas in charge, arrived at the Park, where the Temuka team awaited them. The home team won the toss, and began to bat. After an innings lasting an hour, the tenth wicket fell . . . . The best bowlers for the visitors were Sullivan, Campbell and Bishop. The Point team were soon disposed of after making 46 runs. T. Sullivan, Bishop, Stevens and Campbell were the chief scorers. The visitors attribute their defeat to want of practice, and it is to be hoped that when the return match is played, they will make a better stand against their opponents. Before they left the home team treated them to afternoon tea at Mr McLean’s refreshment rooms.” Perhaps T. Sullivan who won 15 shillings for finishing second of the three entries in Wrestling, Cumberland Style, boys under 18, at the Temuka Boxing Day sports in 1910, was Thomas, and the first placed E. Sullivan (30 shillings) his brother Edward. T. Sullivan finished first (30 shillings) in the Cumberland Style Wrestling (open) at the Caledonian Sports in October 1914.

At the Timaru Magistrate’s Court on 14 August 1913, Thomas Sullivan, Pleasant Point, was charged under the Defence Act “with failing to attend drill on 14th July. He pleaded guilty. The Magistrate said as this was the first case under the new departure, which was that Territorials would be summoned for every absence from drill he would convict and discharge accused.” On 26 February 1914, several Territorials were called for failing to render personal service required of them under the Defence Act. “Thomas Sullivan pleaded not guilty, and said he had been at drill on the day in question, but had arrived late. The Magistrate asked him if he ever arrived late for dinner. Defence duties were quite as important as civic business. He imposed a fine of 20s and costs.”

T. F. Sullivan was in the draft of South Canterbury men who left for Trentham by the second express on 20 February 1917. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, with grey eyes and fair hair. He was a farm labourer for his father at Pleasant Point, single and Roman Catholic. He named his mother as next-of-kin - Mrs Bridget Sullivan (mother), Pleasant Point, South Canterbury, and later of 220 Harewood Road, Papanui, Christchurch. A farewell social and presentation was given to Private T. Sullivan and five other local men in the Pleasant Point Oddfellows’ Hall on 10 April 1917. Admission: Gents 2s 6d, Ladies 1s or a basket – read the advertisement in the Timaru Herald.

At the end of May 1917 at Trentham Camp, Private T. F. Sullivan, 26th Reinforcements, C Company, was appointed lance-corporal, the promotion taking effect on 1 June. Lance Corporal T. F. Sullivan embarked with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment of the 26th Reinforcements, departing from Wellington for Devonport, England, by the “Willochra” on 9 June 1917. He disembarked at Devonport and marched into Sling on16 August 1917, reverting to the rank of private. Proceeding overseas to France on 26 October, he joined his battalion about six weeks later.

On 20 February 1918, he was admitted to the 3rd New Zealand Field Ambulance, sick, and discharged to duty on 5 March. When Thomas was admitted to hospital in England in early April 1918, suffering from gunshot wound, his brother John Edward, was already in hospital. Thomas had suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh, in action on 3 April, though it was reported as not a severe case. He was first admitted to No. 1 NZ Field Ambulance, then sent to England where he was admitted to Walton. In May their mother received word that her sons were progressing favourably. And in June she received word that Thomas had been transferred to Hornchurch Convalescent Hospital on 24 May, and that Edward had been transferred to the same hospital on 31 May. She also had a letter from the High Commissioner saying that he had visited one of them at a military hospital in Mile End Road and had found him to be progressing favourably (this would be Edward). Thomas was classified as unfit by the Medical Board on 14 August 1918 in England.

After more than two years of service Thomas (Private T. F. Sullivan) returned to New Zealand per the “Ruahine” (Draft 205), leaving from London on 8 December 1918 and arriving on 21 January 1919. His wounds were severe enough to render him unfit for further war service. He was discharged on 24 September 1919, in consequence of being no longer physically fit for war service and on account of wounds received in action (gunshot wounds in left thigh). He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. In 1919 Thomas was residing at 220 Harewood Road, Papanui, which was his parents’ address. His address sometime after was 447 Durham Street, Christchurch, which was his parents’ address in 1922. Throughout the later 1920s and 1930s he has not been identified on electoral rolls. Perhaps he hadn’t bothered to enrol or perhaps he was hospitalized. Thomas was, indeed, hospitalized at Featherston in July 1919, when he had one slip-up, for which he forfeited one day's pay and was fined 10 shillings. While he was a patient in hospital, he was absent without leave from 7am till 2pm on 20 July 1919, thereby aggravating and leading to delay in cure of his disease. What the disease was is not known.

From 1938 he was at 137 Barbadoes Street, the home of his widowed mother and abode of his brothers Edward Sullivan and John Edward Sullivan. Thomas died on 15 September 1956 at Christchurch, formerly of 137 Barbadoes Street. He was 61 years old, unmarried, and had been living and working as a meat grader and wool classer since his return from the war. Following a Requiem Mass at the Catholic Cathedral in Barbadoes Street, he was buried in the Services section of Ruru Lawn Cemetery, his grave marked by a Services stone. His father had died, as John Edward Sullivan, on 3 December 1925 at Christchurch Hospital, of 84 High Street, Kaiapoi, and his mother, Bridget, on 6 March 1946 at her residence, 137 Barbadoes Street, Christchurch. Both are buried in Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch. Thomas’s older brother, John Edward Sullivan (known as Edward), also served in World War One, as did another brother, John Sullivan, who enlisted as John Edward Sullivan, which name he used along with simply John throughout his life.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [24 August 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK18805 W5553 0110752) [03 April 2014]; Timaru Herald, 17 September 1956 (Timaru District Library) [22 April 2014]; Ruru Lawn Cemetery burial record (Christchurch City Council Cemeteries Database) [06 May 2014]; Ruru Lawn Cemetery headstone transcription (South Canterbury Branch NZSG Cemetery records) [2014]; Temuka Leader, 23 October 1906, 12 November 1910, Timaru Herald, 28 December 1910, 15 August 1913, 27 August 1914, 27 October 1914, 20 February 1917, 7 April 1917, 16 April 1918, 22 May 1918, 18 June 1918, NZ Times, 2 June 1917, Star, 15, 16 & 18 April 1918, 11 January 1919, 4 December 1925, Press, 16 April 1918, 13 January 1919, 4 December 1925, 7 March 1946, 17 & 18 September 1956, Evening Post, 16 April 1918, Sun, 15 April 1918, 16 April 1918 [x 2], 19 April 1918, 11 January 1919 (Papers Past) [04, 05 & 18 November 2013; 18 August 2014; 29 May 2019; 29 April 2021; 05 June 2021; 11 & 13 October 2022]; School Admission Records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [2014]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [2013; 2014]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs & microfiche held by South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [14 December 2014; 23 January 2015]; Roman Catholic Baptism Index (CD held by South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [23 January 2015]; “Mid and South Canterbury Early Hotel Records” – Compiled by Ray Stenhouse (held by South Canterbury Branch NZSG library)

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

• SULLIVAN Thomas F & John Edward - newspaper clippings (pdf, 271.7 KB updated 10-Oct-2022)

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