Private Albert Edward Christian Brown
Service #: 7206
Summary
BACKGROUND
Albert Edward Christian Brown was born in Grafton in 1885, son of Louisa (Gentle) Brown. There is no father registered but according to Wikitree.com it was Jacob Brown, who also show 7 siblings.
Albert travelled to Brisbane on the 30th November, 1916 to complete his application. He answered several questions on the document, and we find out he was a single man and gave his occupation as a farmer. His permanent address was Uki. His next of kin was his mother, Louisa, of Railway Heights, Casino
He then signed a declaration confirming he had answered the questions correctly and was willing to voluntarily agree to service in the Military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia
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CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTING OFFICER
On the second page of the attestation documents the attesting confirms the following; “The foregoing questions were read to the person enlisted in my presence. I have taken care that he understood each question, and his answer to each question has been duly entered as replied to by him”
OATH
He also made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Albert Edward Christian Brown, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War, and a further four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed or removed therefrom: and that I will resist His Majesty’s enemies and case His Majesty’s peace to be kept and maintained; and I will in all matters appertaining to my services faithfully discharge my duty according to law
He then signed a declaration confirming he had answered the questions correctly and was willing to voluntarily agree to service in the Military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia
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MEDICAL EXAMINATION
John was 31 years 4 months old. He stood 5ft 7 inches tall (1.7m) and weighed 135lbs (61kgs). He had a fair complexion, hazel eyes and light brown hair. He was dentally fit and his eyesight was good. Albert had a scar on his left should. He was Church of Christ
CERTIFICATE OF MEDICAL EXAMINER
The medical examiner certifies I have examined the abovenamed person, and find that he does not present any of the following conditions, viz: -
Scrofula; phthisis; syphilis; impaired constitution; defective intelligence; defects of vision, voice, or hearing; hernia’ haemorrhoids; varicose veins, beyond a limited extent; marked varicocele with unusually pendent testicle; inveterate cutaneous disease’ chronic ulcers; traces of corporal punishment or evidence of having been marked with the letters D. or B.C; contracted or deformed chest; abnormal curvature of spine; or any other disease or physical defect calculated to unfit him for the duties of a soldier.
He can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints and limbs; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service
CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER
This is completed during the recruits training. The commanding officer certifies that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. He then states “I accordingly approve, and appoint him a private with the 24th reinforcements, 9th Battalion with service number 7206
TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA
As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together
Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the recruits had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave
Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.
This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training could take several months
INNOCULATIONS
All recruits were given a range of inoculations while in camp. The most important jab was to protect against smallpox and typhoid – indeed, having this was an essential precondition of enlisting.
THE UNIFORM
The recruits were issued with their uniform- service dress jacket was made of Australian wool and its loose fit gave the wearer more allowance for movement. The four large pockets were very useful. A unique feature designed for comfort was the pleated back, which provided a double thickness of cloth down the back that the pack rubbed against. Breeches were corduroy worn with wool wrap puttees. The famous khaki felt slouch hat or early service cap is probably the most distinctive part of the uniform. turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge.
SOLDIER’S KIT
Australia's World War I soldiers went to war weighed down by almost 30 kilograms of clothes, weapons, tools and kit.
· Breeches: made from khaki woollen cord fabric, with side pockets and button flies. Soldiers were issued with two pairs of breeches, plus a pair of dungarees. The breeches ended above the ankles and the gap was filled with puttees.
· Braces: worn with breeches.
· Puttees: The men wound these strips of woollen cloth, almost three metres long, upwards from the ankle to just below the knee. Soldiers disliked the puttees, probably with good reason: the tight binding restricted circulation and might even have contributed to the high incidence of trench foot. Mounted troops wore leather leggings.
· Shirt: Soldiers were given two grey, collarless, flannel shirt, plus a military shirt.
· Ankle boots: brown and lace-up.
· Socks: Made from wool or cotton. Soldiers were issued with three pairs.
· Greatcoat: the khaki woollen coat (which weighed about 3kg) often doubled as a soldier's bedding and was his chief protection against the cold and wet. The coat came into its own when snow hit Gallipoli in November 1915 and also on the Western Front.
· Jersey
· Singlets: Soldiers were issued with 2 woollen singlets.
· Cotton "drawers" (underpants): Soldiers were issued with two pairs.
· Abdominal belts: a sort of cummerbund that was issued to keep soldiers warm and supposedly ward off disease.
· Backpacks and webbing: The main backpack was a rectangular sack measuring about 15 inches x 13 inches, closed at the top by a folding cover secured by two straps. The webbing included a web belt, cartridge pouches, small haversack, bayonet frog, an entrenching tool holder (plus another holder for its handle), and a water-bottle holder.
· Identity disc: Soldiers were initially issued with one medal "dog tag" on a cord, but later in the war they were given two tags, made of compressed fibre.
· Soldiers were also issued with a "housewife" - a sewing kit containing such items as needles, thimble, thread, wool and button so they could carry out running repairs.
· Also in their kit were a short-magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle, a rifle sling, a bayonet and scabbard, and an "entrenching tool" (they were "diggers" after all). This came in two parts, with the helve (handle) separate from the spade part.
· Soldiers were issued with eating equipment (knife, fork, spoon, an enamel mug, water bottle (with two-point capacity), and a mess tin with carrier.
· They also had a clasp knife (with marlin spike, tin-opener and lanyard), razor, shaving kit, soap, comb, two towels, field dressing (carried in the tunic's inside pocket), and a hold-all, in which they could pack their private possessions.
· No item was probably looked after more carefully than their service pay book: privates were paid five shillings a day.
VOYAGE OVERSEAS FROM SYDNEY TO ENGLAND JANUARY 1917
On the 22nd January 1917 his unit caught the troop train from Brisbane to Sydney and on the 24th January, they embarked on the HMAT Ayrshire A33. Alongside his comrades, John marched aboard, his boots ringing on the gangway. As the ship’s lines were cast off and the quay began to slip away, the reality of war lay ahead, but for now, the sea breeze carried only the sound of voices and the excitement of men bound for adventure, duty, and the unknown.
SLEEPING & LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
Recruits likely slept in a crowded troop deck below, where rows of hammocks or three-tier wooden bunks were crammed close together.
Air below decks could be stuffy, especially in warmer climates, and seasickness was common during the first few days.
DAILY ROUTINE
Reveille early each morning, followed by physical exercises on the open decks (weather permitting). There were parades and inspections—officers ensured uniforms, rifles, and kit were clean and in order. Training was a little problematic—drill without much space, rifle maintenance, lectures on military discipline, signalling, and trench warfare theory. The ship’s decks were used for marching in tight circles or practising bayonet thrusts into stuffed sacks. Rifle shooting was impossible at sea, so soldiers learned to strip and clean their weapons until it was second nature.
MEALS
Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. The meals were served in shifts from the ship’s galley. Queues were long, and eating on a rolling ship meant many tried to eat quickly before nausea set in.
HEALTH & SANITATION
Shipboard hygiene was critical—every man was ordered to scrub his section daily to prevent disease. Saltwater baths were the norm, with freshwater rationed for drinking.
THE VOYAGE EXPERIENCE
Entertainment included church drill, concerts, singalongs, card games, and makeshift cricket matches on deck when the weather allowed. In an attempt to keep up morale, an area of the ship was roped off where regular boxing and wrestling tournaments were held. This became commonly known as the Stoush Stadium. No letters could be sent until they reached port, but men often wrote diaries or unsent letters to be posted later.
The troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection
CROSSING THE EQUATOR CEREMONY
The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.
SIGHTS AT SEA
On the way to Egypt, where the ship would refuel & take on supplies, the ship would pass through the Great Australian Bight, cross the Indian Ocean, and stop at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) for coal and supplies.
SECURITY
By late 1914, German raiders were active, so lifeboat drills were frequent, and lookouts kept watch for suspicious ships. Troopships generally sailed in convoys or at least took zig-zag courses to make torpedo attacks harder. Ships often travelled under blackout conditions at night, with lookouts specifically watching for periscopes or torpedo wakes. The danger was greatest in the Western Approaches near Britain, where U-boats patrolled choke points like the English Channel and Irish Sea.
EGYPT
After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. They could only wonder at the sights and sounds they could see as they watched the ship being refuelled and goods taken on board
ENGLAND
About a fortnight later the men finally saw the green shoreline of England. The reality of leaving home truly sank in. The recruits would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the training grounds of England, preparing for what lay ahead.
ENGLISH TRAINING CAMP, DURRINGTON, APRIL 1917
The ship arrived in England on the 12 April 1917. When the recruits arrived in England, they boarded the troop train for Durrington training camp on the Salisbury Plains. During an interim period, soldiers typically:
· Recovered from the voyage: After long sea travel from Australia, troops needed time to rest and regain strength.
· Underwent medical inspections: To check for illnesses, infections, or conditions like venereal disease that might delay their training.
· Received equipment and uniforms: This included British-issued gear better suited to the Western Front.
· Were assigned to training battalions: Administrative processing sorted soldiers into reinforcement drafts for specific front-line battalions.
· Drilled lightly: They performed light drills, parades, and familiarisation routines while waiting for formal training slots to open.
When the recruits entered the camp, they joined one of the Australian training establishments on the Salisbury Plain in southern England. By this stage of the war, the Australian Imperial Force had developed a highly organised training system designed to ensure that every reinforcement arriving in France possessed the skills needed to survive on the Western Front.
The time they spent at the camp were among the most important of their military career. Rather than being sent directly to the front, they underwent intensive preparation under instructors who were often veterans recently returned from France. These men had firsthand knowledge of trench warfare and passed on lessons learned through hard experience.
Life in the camp followed a demanding routine. Reveille sounded early each morning, followed by physical training designed to build strength and endurance. After breakfast, the men spent long hours on the training grounds learning and practising the skills they would soon need in battle. Rifle shooting remained a fundamental part of instruction, and the men would have spent considerable time on the ranges improving his marksmanship and learning to care for his weapon under all conditions.
Much of the training focused on trench warfare. Practice trench systems had been constructed across Salisbury Plain, allowing recruits to experience conditions similar to those they would encounter in France. They learned how to move through communication trenches, occupy front-line positions, stand sentry duty and maintain defensive works. They practised digging trenches, constructing parapets and revetments, and laying barbed wire obstacles.
Bombing instruction was another important part of the syllabus. Recruits learned how to throw and handle grenades safely, a skill that had become essential on the Western Front. They were also taught how to react during enemy bombardments, how to seek cover and how to move forward under artillery fire.
Field exercises frequently involved entire companies and battalions. During these manoeuvres, the recruits practised attacks on mock enemy positions, advancing behind simulated artillery barrages and coordinating movements with neighbouring units. Such exercises often lasted for many hours and could continue regardless of rain, cold or mud. The instructors were determined that recruits experience something of the hardships they would face in France.
Route marches formed a regular feature of camp life. Carrying rifles, ammunition, packs and equipment, the men marched many miles across the rolling countryside of Salisbury Plain. These marches built stamina and accustomed soldiers to carrying heavy loads over long distances. By the end of his training, the men would have been capable of marching for hours while carrying the equipment required in active service.
If applicable.
Beyond the formal training, the also gave the recruits the opportunity to form friendships with fellow Australians who shared anticipation and uncertainty about their future. In the evenings, men wrote letters home, attended educational lectures or spent what little leisure time was available discussing rumours from the front and wondering what lay ahead.
After many months of continuous preparation in England, the men were judged ready for active service. The recruits had been transformed from a newly arrived reinforcement into a fully trained infantryman, accustomed to discipline, hardship, and the mechanics of modern war. When the battalion finally crossed to France, it did so as a cohesive and well-drilled unit, prepared—so far as training could allow—for the brutal realities of the Western Front.
HOSPITALISED MUMPS MAY 1917
On 23 May 1917, Albert was admitted to the Military Hospital at Parkhouse suffering from mumps, a common and highly contagious illness in the crowded camps of England. Mumps was, and is, a contagious viral illness, easily spread among the soldiers. It can cause fever, swelling of the salivary glands and inflammation in other parts of the body. Soldiers would have suffered fever, headaches, tiredness, body aches & poor appetite. There is no specific treatment for mumps. Instead, treatment focuses on symptom relief. Treatment would have included plenty of rest, lots of fluids, using a warm or cool compress to relieve facial pain and swelling & eating foods that do not need a lot of chewing. He remained under treatment for several weeks before being medically fit and returning to duty on 12 June 1917.
FRANCE JULY 1917
After completing his training, Albert received orders to proceed overseas. On 30 July 1917 he left Durrington and travelled to Southampton, embarking for France with a reinforcement draft. Crossing the English Channel was usually a brief but anxious journey because of the threat posed by German submarines. Arriving at Le Havre on 31 July, he was taken on strength of the Australian Base Depot. During the following weeks he underwent the normal administrative procedures for reinforcements arriving in France. This included the issue of equipment, refresher training, inoculations, route marches and waiting for a vacancy to become available in his battalion at the front.
JOINED UNIT AUGUST 1917
On 17 August 1917 Albert was marched out from the depot to join the 9th Battalion and reached his unit on 20 August. At the time, the battalion was serving in the Ypres sector of Belgium during the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele. The men were rotating between front-line trenches, support positions and reserve camps while enduring artillery bombardments, mud, rain and the constant dangers of trench warfare. During the following weeks Albert would have been introduced to life in the line, carrying supplies forward, repairing trenches and participating in patrols and defensive duties.
BRIGADE DUMP OCTOBER 1917
On 21 October 1917 Albert was recorded at a brigade dump. Brigade dumps were large supply depots situated behind the front lines where ammunition, engineering stores, rations and other equipment were collected and distributed. Soldiers were frequently detailed to these dumps as working parties, loading and unloading stores or carrying supplies forward to units in the trenches. Such work was physically demanding and often conducted under enemy shellfire
LEAVE IN THE UK FEBRUARY AND HOSPITALISED WITH VD MARCH 1918
Albert remained with the battalion through the winter of 1917–1918, a difficult period marked by cold weather, muddy trenches and constant enemy activity. On 24 February 1918 he was granted leave to the United Kingdom, a welcome respite from the hardships of the front. While in England he was admitted to Bulford Hospital on 4 March suffering from venereal disease. His case appears to have been relatively minor, as he was discharged after only four days of treatment on 7 March and transferred to the Australian Training Depot the following day.
Rather than returning immediately to France, Albert underwent the standard process for soldiers recovering from illness while in England. He was taken on strength from Bulford and continued with training and administrative duties. On 26 April he was marched out to another depot and by 27 April was again recorded at Parkhouse, suggesting a transfer between training establishments on Salisbury Plain.
On 7 May 1918 Albert was transferred to an Overseas Training Battalion. These units served as reinforcement pools where returning soldiers refreshed their military skills, received updated instruction based on current battlefield conditions and waited for transport back to France. During this period, he would have undertaken route marches, musketry training, gas-mask drills and lectures on the latest German and Allied tactics developed during the fierce fighting of 1918.
REJOINED UNIT JUNE 1918
Having completed this additional training, Albert was once again considered fit for front-line service. On 5 June 1918 he proceeded overseas to France, rejoining the British Expeditionary Force at a critical stage of the war. The German Spring Offensive was still underway and Australian divisions were heavily engaged in stemming the enemy advance. Albert would soon begin the process of moving through the reinforcement system before rejoining the 9th Battalion in the field, ready to take part in the campaigns that eventually led to the Allied victory later that year.
After returning to France in June 1918, Albert rejoined the 9th Battalion during one of the most active periods of the war. The battalion was heavily involved in the Allied Hundred Days Offensive, a series of attacks that began in August 1918 and steadily forced the German Army back across northern France.
THE HUNDRED DAY OFFENSIVE (OPERATION MICHAEL)
MARCH TO JULY 1918
In March 1918, the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia ended its role in the First World War by signing the Brest-Litovsk Treaty with the Central Powers.
This had a significant impact on the war in Western Europe, giving rise to the German Spring Offensive, also known as the ‘Kaiserschlacht’ (the Kaiser’s battle).
The Russians had been beaten by the Germans in a number of battles early in the war, but they had also inflicted substantial defeats on the Ottomans, Germans troops and Austrian-Hungarian forces.
With the signing of the treaty, however, the Germans ‘freed up’ their forces on the Eastern Front, reinforced their army on the Western Front, and raised it to 206 Divisions.
In response, the Allies raised 172 Divisions on the Western Front, including a growing number of Americans, which provided sufficient impetus for the Germans to mount their Spring Offensive.
Erich Ludendorff, the commander of the German Army on the Western Front, believed if Germany did not act, the Allies would achieve ascendancy.
The Germans were aware the balance of power was shifting and, while they held a superiority in numbers, this would soon change if they did not strike a decisive blow.
The German offensive was spearheaded by Operation Michael and supported by operations Georgette, Gneisenau and Blücher-Yorck, supported by smaller operations to deal with battlefield contingencies.
Operation Michael began with a devastating barrage of nearly 10,000 artillery pieces and mortars. The attacks were spearheaded by path-finding ‘Stormtroopers’, followed by immense numbers of infantry.
The German attack worried Australia’s diggers as much as those in high command, with soldiers bitter about the German successes.
Barwick though was aware this was the German’s ‘last throw of the dice’ and he was supremely confident the Australians would check the German advance.
Operation Michael seemed a success in terms of captured territory, prisoners and equipment, but it did not deliver an over-arching strategic blow to the Allies.
It did not destroy the British Army nor drive a wedge between the British and French forces.
Michael, along with the other German Spring Offensive operations, failed to achieve the desired aim of bringing the Allies to their knees.
After the Spring Offensive finished in July 1918, the initiative crossed to the Allies who — with the addition of American troops — brought Germany to its knees in a number of subsequent battles.
Germany surrendered less than six months after the last operation in its Spring Offensive
WOUNDED IN ACTION AUGUST 1918- MEDICAL CHAIN
On 23 August 1918, during operations east of Amiens and the continuing advance towards the Somme battlefields, Albert was wounded in action by a gunshot wound to his right leg. As was standard procedure, he was first treated at the 1st Australian Field Ambulance. Here the medical staff would have provided immediate lifesaving care, including controlling bleeding, cleaning and dressing the wound, administering pain relief if available, and assessing whether any bones, arteries or nerves had been damaged. Once stabilised, he was evacuated to the nearby 37th Casualty Clearing Station on the same day. Casualty Clearing Stations were equipped for more advanced treatment and surgery. Doctors would have thoroughly examined the wound, removed dirt, cloth fragments and any accessible foreign matter, and operated if necessary to reduce the risk of infection, which remained one of the greatest dangers of battlefield wounds
The following day, 24 August, Albert was admitted to the 2nd Canadian General Hospital. General Hospitals were substantial medical facilities located well behind the front lines. Here he would have received further surgical care, regular dressing changes, observation for infection, and a more detailed assessment of his recovery prospects. If the wound was serious enough to require a lengthy convalescence, arrangements would be made for evacuation to England.
On 26 August Albert was embarked for the United Kingdom aboard the hospital ship Aberdonian. Hospital ships provided a comparatively safe and comfortable means of transporting wounded soldiers across the English Channel, with medical staff attending patients throughout the voyage.
Upon arrival in England on 27 August 1918, Albert was admitted to the 2nd Southern General Hospital at Birmingham suffering from a shell wound to his right leg. Although his records describe the injury as a shell wound rather than a gunshot wound, such discrepancies were not uncommon in wartime medical documentation. At Birmingham he would have undergone a longer period of treatment and rehabilitation. This likely included further surgery if required, regular wound care, physiotherapy to restore movement and strength in the leg, and careful monitoring to ensure that infection did not develop. By this stage of the war medical treatment had improved considerably, and many soldiers with leg wounds were successfully returned to health, although recovery could still take many months.
As his condition improved, Albert was transferred on 21 October 1918 to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital. Auxiliary hospitals were intended for patients who no longer required major medical treatment but still needed convalescence before returning to duty or being discharged. Life there was generally less restrictive than in a major hospital, allowing soldiers to regain their strength while continuing light rehabilitation.
WAR ENDED 11th NOVEMBER 1918
The armistice that ended the First World War on the Western Front was signed between Germany and the Allies on 11 November 1918
On 2 December 1918 Albert was discharged from hospital to No. 2 Command Depot.
The war had ended only a few weeks earlier with the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and thousands of recovering Australian soldiers passed through command depots while awaiting final medical assessments and transport home. During the next three months Albert's time would have been occupied by medical reviews, physical training appropriate to his condition, administrative processing, and preparation for repatriation to Australia. Command depots also provided accommodation and supervised men who were no longer hospital patients but had not yet been cleared for discharge or embarkation.
GOING HOME MARCH 1919
On 1 March 1919 Albert embarked for Australia aboard the transport Somali. Like many returning veterans, he would have spent the journey reflecting on the experiences of the previous two years, from the muddy battlefields of France and Belgium to the hospitals and convalescent depots of England
CLOTHING AND NECESSITIES GIVEN TO SOLDIERS FOR SOLDIERS PROCEEDING TO AUSTRALIA FOR DEMOBILISATION
Badges Hat Badges Collar (2) Bags kit universal
Bags kit sea Braces (pair) Brush, shaving
Brush, tooth Breeches M.S (Military service)
Cap comforter (warm cap) Comb, hair
Disc identity with cord Drawers (2 pairs)
Great Coat Hat, Khaki fur Hat, white
Holdall Housewife (compact sewing kit)
Jackets Cardigan Jackets S.D (service dress)
Leggings 1 pair Laces, leather 1 pair
Puggarees, small (a traditional Indian head wrap, worn in warm conditions
Puttees, 1 pair (cloth bandages worn by soldiers, to provide support and protection
for the lower leg)
Razor Shirts, flannel (2) Socks, 3 pairs
Singlets (2)
Strap chin Soap piece Suit, working
Towels, hand (2)
Titles “Australia” (4)- Australian soldiers and non-commissioned officers wore an “Australia” title at the base of their shoulder straps. Each serving soldier also wore unit titles above this which indicated the units to which they belonged
DISCHARGE APRIL 1919
After arriving back in Australia and completing the necessary demobilisation procedures, Albert was formally discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 26 April 1919. His military service had taken him from the training camps of England to the battlefields of the Western Front, where he endured illness, hardship and a serious wound before finally returning home after the war's end. His experience was typical of many reinforcements who arrived late in the conflict yet still faced the full dangers of front-line service during the final campaigns that brought victory in 1918.
For his service John was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the Uki Tweed River South Arm War Memorial
DEATH
Albert died on the 31st March 1964, aged 78, in Queensland
If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.
Memorial Location
Uki Tweed River South Arm War Memorial
Buried Location
We do not know the burial location of this individual
