Arthur Thomas (Tom) Trickett was born on 12 June 1896 at Albert Villa, 118 Albert Street, East Melbourne. He was the son of Edward Arthur (known as Arthur) Trickett and his first wife, Harriett. Harriett was the daughter of Thomas Wright, a builder who constructed many houses in the East Melbourne area and was one of the contractors after whom Contractors' Lane is named. He owned a large block of land which ran through from Albert Street to Victoria Parade, in the centre of which was his workshop, and Albert Villa, his own house, was on part of the Albert Street frontage. The rest was taken up with investment properties. It was all inherited by Harriett and her siblings on his death in 1887. Harriett died the day after Tom was born, leaving not only him but an older sister. Two years later Arthur married Marion Elsie, the daughter of the Rev. D. Meadowcroft of the East Melbourne Congregational Church. The family continued to live at 118 Albert Street: Arthur and Marion lived there, and had several children, until their respective deaths in 1941 and 1949. Tom's Trickett grandparents, Edward and Henrietta, also lived in East Melbourne, at 2 Landsowne Street. Edward in his early days in England had been a a Baptist minister, but on settling in Melbourne had become a saddler. Two of Tom's aunts lived at 2 Lansdowne Street for several decasdes. One, Eveline Agnes Trickett, was teacher at Presbyterian Ladies' College for 42 years. On her death in 1926 the school dedicated a memorial tablet to her memory. The other, Ellen Trickett, was an artist, and took classes at the house.
On enlisting on 19 April 1915, two months short of his nineteenth birthday, Tom stated that he was a clerk, and that his military experience was three years with the Senior Cadets, Area 64B; six months with the 64 Infantry and six months with the 22nd Battery, still serving. He was 5ft 6ins with a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He was appointed to the Field Artillery, Broadmeadows. He embarked on 1 August on RMS Persia with the 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, 7th Reinforcements, as a Driver. He served in Egypt until April 1916 when he was sent to France. His service there included three three week periods of leave to the UK, with the happy result that the Argus, on 28 July 1920, was able to list his name among those returned soldiers whose finacees were on their way to Australia. He had returned over a year earlier.
Tom was firmly rooted in the soil of East Melbourne and when he returned from the war he resumed residence there, initially at 123 [now 476] Victoria Parade, which was almost behind Albert Villa. It is on the corner of Contractors' Lane and is one of a row of four houses built by Thomas Wright's competitor, Murray & Hill, the other contractor after whom the lane is now named. Later he moved to 105 Simpson Street, one of the houses that make up Nelson Square, and fianlly he moved back to 476 Victoria Parade.
After his return to Australia Tom worked for the Vacuum Oil Company, the predecessor of Mobil Australia, and at the time of his death he was Relieving Depot Manager. He was a member of the Freemasons and the RSSAILA (RSL). He married Kathleen, presumably the English fiancee, but did not have any children. He died on 18 August 1951.