Born in 1869 in Happy Valley, Victoria, Mary Jane Thomas was the daughter of William and Ann Thomas (née Jones). Jane, as she preferred to be called, trained as a nurse at the Ballarat District Hospital for three years. She was Matron of the Maryborough Hospital in Victoria from 1911 to 1917 and again from 1920 - 1923. Jane was 47 years old and named her mother, Ann of East St. Kilda, Victoria as her next of kin when she enlisted with the Australian Army Nursing Service on 15 June, 1917. On 30 June 1917, she embarked at Melbourne aboard Somali and disembarked at Bombay, India on 30 July. Jane was immediately posted for duty to the Heslop War Hospital, Secunderabad. On 11 August, 1918 Staff Nurse Thomas embarked at Calcutta, India and sailed for Australia aboard Sangola arriving in Melbourne on 6 September, 1918.
Jane Thomas did not marry and died on 5 January, 1930 at Caulfield, Victoria. She was buried at the Ballarat Old Cemetery in the family grave on 7 January, 1930.