Tom Gillespie, fifth among eight siblings, was born in 1907 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa.
After initially embracing barber-hood, military life caught his fancy. He served, got married, cut hair, served again, then settled in Kimberley.
In 1947, at only 40, he concluded his life’s whirlwind adventure, leaving a legacy of an absent father and husband, despite the merits earned in his military career.