19-NOVEMBER-1941, While serving in the Royal Australian Navy as a submarine detector, Able Seaman Thomas Welsby Clark served aboard the Light Cruiser HMAS Sydney II in the Second World War, when the Sydney was sunk by the German commerce raider HSK Kormoran with the loss of all hands. three months later, the unidentified remains of an Australian sailor in a Carley Float would wash ashore on Christmas Island and would be buried with full honours. it would take 80 years for those remains to be identified.
Service record
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1939 | Involvement Able Seaman, S/4449 | HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 |
| 23 Aug 1940 | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, S/4449 |
Memorials
- Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour,
- Carnarvon HMAS Sydney II Memorial,
- Carnarvon Walk of Remembrance,
- Geraldton HMAS Sydney II Memorial,
- Kangaroo Point H.M.A.S. Moreton Honour Roll,
- Mosman Bradleys Head HMAS Sydney Memorial,
- Spring Hill Brisbane Grammar School WW2 Great Hall Honour Board
Episode
Cite this entry
Ross Manuel, 'Clark, Thomas Welsby (1920–1941)', I Was Only Doing My Job: Nominal Roll, DocNetwork Productions, https://thedocnetwork.net/nominal-roll/clark-thomas-welsby, published online 2026, accessed online 4 November 2026.