de GRUCHY, Thomas Bernard (1879-1930)
Tom de Gruchy was born on 5 October 1879, the son of Captain Thomas de Gruchy and Catherine nee Casey. Captain Thomas de Gruchy, of Jersey in the Channel Islands, came to Sydney as Master of 'Glendown of London' , 262 tons, from the Port of London on 31 March 1873 with his wife as a cabin passenger.
Tom de Gruchy was enrolled at Geelong College on 1 March 1894, where he was in both the 1st Cricket XI and 1st Football Teams for four years, 1896-99. He probably left the School in 1899. His address at enrolment was the Orient Hotel, Malop St, Geelong.
At College, he was awarded the following class prizes in 1894:
2nd, Latin, 2nd Class.
1st, Algebra, 3rd Class.
During World War I, he enlisted (No 15112) in the AIF on 9 December 1915, aged 36 years. His attestation papers noted that he was apprenticed to W C Kernot in Geelong for 4 years before becoming a Pharmacist. He then worked for twelve years for Edwin Church at Balaclava until 1915 and was regarded by his employer as a 'skilful and reliable Chemist' with managerial experience.
He served as a T/Sergeant, Australian Army Medical Corps with 14th Australian General Hospital, in Egypt, having embarked for that theatre on HMAT A63 Karoola on 19 August 1916. The AWM Collection holds a group portrait of members of No. 14 Australian General Hospital, including Pte T B de Gruchy. He later rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He returned to Australia on HMT Burma, embarking on 26 July 1919.
He passed his final Pharmaceutical Examinations after the war in 1921.
He died in 1930. Pegasus noted his death: 'Thomas Bernard de Gruchy (1899) died on 26th November at his late residence at Moreland.'
Sources: Pegasus December 1930 p52; Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. p.168 (citing Pegasus; www.mariners.records.nsw.gov.au; National Archives; AWM A01350).