User:Yawretaw/sandbox

Early life
Born in Beaconsfield, Tasmania in 1881, and son of eminent mine manager Joseph Davies, Thomas was educated at Launceston High School in Tasmania. He then went to Ballarat, Victoria state, where he studied Mining Engineering and Chemistry at the Ballarat School of Mines. Upon graduating, he moved to the Western Australian goldfields (1902-1908) where he worked as a metallurgist during the gold rush there. He later relocated to Melbourne, setting up a chemical laboratory and offices in 1910, working as an analyst, assayer and metallurgist. In 1912, he maintained this business but also became a chemical researcher for Baring Bros, travelling to mines in Europe, USA and Asia, working on chemical patents. In 1913 he left Australia for London, working for the Gitsham Gold Extraction Company. It was while he was in London that the Great War broke out.

First World War
Thomas (he was known as Tom) immediately volunteered for service, joining the King Edward’s Horse as a private soldier and setting aside his business for others to continue. On the outbreak of war in 1914, the regiment was mobilised at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea, London, and remained in London until April 1915.

He was commissioned 16 months after joining, in 1915, as an officer (2nd lieutenant) in the Royal Engineers Special Brigade – they needed his expertise in chemistry. At this point, the regiment was dispersed, and the four squadrons were sent to the Western Front with separate divisions. Tom was first sent to Loos in France where gas was used against the Germans for the first time with limited success. On his return, Tom was presented with a Military Cross (MC) by King George V at Buckingham Palace.

Thereafter for the next two years he commanded special gas. trench mortar, and liquid fire companies, serving on the front line in Gallipoli, Salonica (now called Thessaloniki, in Greece) and also in Egypt. His fifth assignment was back to the front line, France, in April 1916 where he was severely impacted by poison gas, being awarded a DSO on his return to England. His health badly affected, he was promoted to Captain and then appointed as Technical Administrator and Assistant to Dr Martin Lowry, a young chemist from Guy’s Hospital who was the controller of gun ammunition and chemical fillings.

Tom wanted to go back to the front line in France but instead was sent to Morecambe, a seaside resort in Lancashire in July 1918! Here, he supervised work in a gun ammunition factory which included loading shells with special chemical fillings. This was dangerous work; the factory had been destroyed by a huge explosion (over 100 buildings were demolished, whilst live shells whizzed above neighbouring towns) on October 4th 1917 with ten workers killed and many injured. It had just been rebuilt when Tom arrived. Two other officers assigned to the factory had qualms about working with chemicals making the gas, leaving Tom on his own. Tom at that time shared the opinion of Winston Churchill that the gas could hasten the end the war, thus saving many Allied lives. Tom was promoted to Major from Captain in August 1918, making him the only Australian to have started the war as a private and ending with the rank of Major.

North Russia intervention
After the armistice, “volunteers”, many of them Australian and from USA as well as Britain were requested to go to North Russia, supposedly to protect Allied supplies and provide aid for those fighting the Bolsheviks. There was an isolated incident when gas was used by the Bolsheviks and this gave Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for War and Air, the excuse to employ chemical weapons. He offered the commander of the force at Archangel, Major-General Ironside, the ‘very secret’ M Device which he should only use ‘if specially necessary’. Ironside asked how well it worked in areas ‘closely shut in by forest’ where the wind was non-existent. This question was to be answered by sending Major Thomas Davies in advance to Archangel to explain the new weapon which consisted of a special non-lethal (see note) but very unpleasant gas packed into shells called “M Devices”. Nineteen gas officers were trained at the gas research station at Porton, Wiltshire, to support Tom. Major Tom was persuaded that such weapons would quickly end the civil war and he agreed to go despite his poor health, which was worsened when he fractured his skull in a traffic accident just before departure to Murmansk.

On arrival, Tom set to work with his officers preparing the “M Devices”, trying them out but discovering that the Bolshevik positions behind thickly wooded and shrubby areas prevented the gas from dispersing, whilst at the same time inhibiting attacks by Allied forces. Tom came up with the idea of dropping the devices by air, something which had never been tried before, the gas normally being fired by mortars or howitzers. The RAF refused to allow him any aircraft and he went directly to General Ironside who agreed to his request, using DH9 and 9A aircraft. He created a dirt runway next to the railway siding at Obozerskaya where they were based.

The devices needed to be modified for use as aerial bombs and Tom experimented with different designs, working with his assistant who was a plumber, emptying the chemicals from the casings and substituting brick dust to avoid poisoning his own men. He ended up with a device with fins to stop the device from spinning out of control when dropped, and with a soft nose to allow the gas to be released on impact. This required the existing devices to be modified and he supervised the work of modifying nearly 1,000 devices in the workshops at Archangel and on a Royal Navy repair ship.

On 27th August 1919, the first M Bombs were used on the villages of Emtsa and Chunova, as preparation for an attack by White Russian forces. At 12.30pm, 57 were dropped on Emtsa railway station, followed by another 62 at 7.30pm. The idea was to follow up with an infantry attacking force divided into two columns, led by Major Harry May and Major Harry Harcourt respectively. The gas was very effective, the Bolsheviks retreating and some surrendering. The next day, 62 bombs were dropped on Emtsa and 69 on Plesetskaya. Mist prevented further bombing, but the Russian guides led the British attacking force to the wrong locations. Harcourt found himself separated from May and engaged in fierce fighting with the Bolsheviks. A number of medals for bravery were awarded on that day; both Majors were injured but managed, with a later arrival of White Russian troops, to capture Emtsa, taking 550 prisoners and all the forward artillery.

The M Bombs were soon relied on by commanders to incapacitate the Red Army troops before the launch of the small-scale attacks. On 7th September, General Rawlinson, recently arrived as Commander-in-Chief in North Russia, inspected prisoners poisoned by the bombs and reported to the War Office that the M Bombs had been mainly responsible for the success of operations around Archangel. Ironside also reported the bombs ‘a great success’, with the caveat that the results were small and local, ‘there is no doubt that the moral (i.e. psychological) effect on the enemy was very great and materially assisted the operations .’

Once operations around Archangel had proved successful, attention moved to the Murmansk area. Here, seaplanes were used to carry the devices. Before leaving the Archangel area, Tom was sent to demonstrate the use of the devices to White Russian officers there so that they could use them by themselves without his involvement. Unfortunately, he ended up being gassed himself and unable to take any further part in operations and was repatriated. The Order of St Vladimir, the second highest Imperial Russia honour possible, is divided into four classes. Tom was given two awards, one first class and one second class with sword and bow indicating that it was a military award, not a civilian one. The issue of these awards ceased after the defeat of the Imperial Army, Tom being one of the last foreigners to receive such an award.

On his return, he was sent to a private hospital to recover from two gas poisonings, a fractured skull, four years of working under fire in dangerous conditions and the trauma of witnessing atrocities, disease, mutinies and deprivation in Russia. When able, he assisted in compiling chemical records for the North Russia intervention. He was finally discharged as unfit for military duties in February 1921, able to return to Tasmania with his new wife, Lesley Wedmore. She was a dancer and Blue Cross charity worker who had been raised in Ghent and who had also been scarred by her wartime experiences, being paralysed for 16 months after fleeing from Belgium.

State politics
On returning to George Town, Tasmania, he stayed with his parents at The Grove, a historic mansion, inheriting the property in 1926 when his mother died. Tom took up sheep farming, became a JP, captained the local cricket team and started a family. His interest in politics was stimulated and he joined the Labor party, an unusual choice for a professional person. In 1928 there were elections for the Tasmanian parliament. Major Tom campaigned with plans to develop Tasmania and provide better support for returning soldiers and the disadvantaged. He was not successful but in 1929 Allan Guy resigned his post to go into Federal Politics, leaving the way open for Major Tom to stand for a Bass seat again, this time successfully. In 1932, the Labor party managed to gain overall control of the Tasmanian parliament and in 1934, Tom was rewarded by Premier Albert Ogilvie with the posts of Minister of Lands and Works, Minister for Mines, and Minister for administering the hydro-electric department. He was to hold these posts up to the time of his death. He was re-elected in 1934, 1937 and 1941 and was said to be a popular and capable politician. He was independently minded but loyal to his party.

He was to show his concern for the disadvantaged when he visited the remote Cape Barren Islands in the Bass Straight. He determined to improve the lot of the aboriginal half-cast people who were living there in squalor, setting up Government schemes to encourage industry such as mining, agriculture and fishing. In 1939, the Anglican synod objected to the assistance given by Major Tom to these wretched people, saying that they were “inveterate gamblers, dirty and lazy, not deserving of any assistance ”.

Personal life
The year 1934 was to be a memorable year for Tom and his wife, Lesley. Prince Henry was a younger brother of future King Edward VIII (who abdicated) and King George VI. Prince Henry was sent on a tour of Australia and New Zealand for Victoria’s centenary celebrations and one of the last places he visited was Tasmania. Tom and Prince Henry enthusiastically shared interests in sport whilst Prince Henry enjoyed dancing so much with Lesley that he ignored the other guests at a house party at Government House.

In 1936, the threat of war loomed once again, and Tom took the opportunity to speak passionately that chemical weapons should be banned by treaty. He also mentioned the far-reaching effects on the stomach, alluding to the fact that he experienced severe stomach problems as a result of his exposure to gas. He proclaimed that “science should be used to benefit mankind instead of killing”. At about that time he was to be reunited with highly decorated Major Harry Harcourt who he met in the North Russia intervention and who he had invited to join him in Tasmania.

Tom was on his way to a RSL Ball in the evening of 11th September 1942. He suffered a fatal heart attack in the street and died within an hour. A combination of stress, previous ill health caused by chemical gas and heavy smoking were contributory factors. A memorial service followed by a state funeral were held just two days later on 14th September. In addition to close family, many war veterans, government officials and ministers were present. He was buried in a prominent location in George Town cemetery next to his father Joseph. One of his legacies was that he brought the highways in Tasmania up to a high standard and advanced the mining industry there. He was notable for his support of war veterans and the disadvantaged. In many ways, he was like his father Joseph, being an important member of the community. He would almost certainly have received an honour had he lived a little longer. He was survived by his wife, Lesley, two sons and a daughter. He was not to see his friend Harry Harcourt return from leading commandos in the Pacific and have a further illustrious career in Tasmania, marrying the daughter of Tom’s youngest sister.