SIMS, Albert Tom
| Service Number: | 1556 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 January 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Taunton, Somerset, England, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Dresser |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Milton Christ Church Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1556, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1556, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1556, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Albert Tom Sims was born in England, and came to Australia in 1913. He joined the 15th Battalion during January 1915 and was just in time to serve at the landing on Gallipoli 25 April 1915.
He was shot in the shoulder during the August offensive and was evacuated to Heliopolis, Egypt. He rejoined the 15th Battalion in France on 15 December 1916.
On 1 February 1917, the 15th Battalion staged a raid, near Gueudecourt, when they attacked a section of the German front line known as Stormy Trench. In the face of relentless German shelling and bombing of the captured trenches, and a strong German counter attack at 4.30 a.m. the Battalion was forced to retire at 5 a.m. The Battalion lost over 20 men as prisoners of war, and Albert Tom Sims was one of these, being reported as wounded in the action. He was reported by Miss Chomley as being interned at Minden.
He was repatriated to England to England on 2 December 1918 and returned to Australia later in 1919.
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