Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Albert Leslie Grimm was born in March of 1888. He and his family were from South Australia, and resided on Colliver Street, in the suburb of Norwood. A member of the Church of England, Albert was a man of blonde hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.  Before enlistment, he worked as a machinist in different parts of South Australia.

When he was 26 years old, on August 24th 1914, Albert became one of the first few to enlist in the army.  World War 1 had just begun and Australia was quick in showing its support for its mother country Britain. Albert’s mother, Mrs Charles Grimm, was documented as his next of kin on service records as he was unmarried and without children. Upon signing up for the army, he was given the regimental number 297, and placed in the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Light Horse Brigade, the unit he would serve in during the war.  The regiment was comprised of three squadrons, A, B and C.  Squadrons A and B were formed at the Morphetville Training Camp, which is where Albert enlisted. Meanwhile, squadron C was formed in Hobart, Tasmania.

Later on in the year, on the 22nd of October, Albert and his fellow soldiers embarked on HMAT Port Lincoln A17. At the time, Albert held the rank of a Private, the beginner-most military rank. Nearly two months later, they arrived in Egypt in the second week of December. Here they joined the 1st and second regiments to form the 1st Light Horse Brigade. Together, they took part in the North African Campaign, defending the Suez Canal.  On the 25th of February 1915, Albert was hospitalized for bronchitis, an illness quit common due to the smoke, dust and fumes soldiers were exposed to.  Discharged on the 6th of April, Albert then left for Gallipoli with the rest of his unit. 

On the 12th of May 1915, the 1st Light Horse Brigade landed in ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli. As they were deployed without their horses, the men were used as infantry. Two days later, on the 14th of May, Albert received a gunshot wound whilst his unit was in Monash Valley. According to reports, it was only a minor wound.   

Throughout the campaign, the regiment to which Albert belonged played a defensive role along with other regiments in the brigade. On the 20th of May, nearly a week after his initial injury, Albert received wounds to his thigh, left wrist, and right foot. At the time, the unit was still in Monash Valley. The gunfire was sparked by a group of Turks moving down the valley. Upon spotting them, defenders from the 1st and 3rd Light Horse Regiments then opened fire, eliminating all but three Turkish soldiers who had managed to reach Australian positions. The remaining three soldiers were eventually shot dead.  This was the third attack on ANZAC cove, and had been conducted by the Ottoman Turkish Empire. It resulted in around 700 ANZAC casualties. Albert was amongst 468 other soldiers who were reported wounded.

As the injuries Albert had received were so extensive, he was invalided back home to Australia. By the end of his time in the army, he held the position Lance Corporal. He left behind his unit who continued to fight in the Battle of Sari Bair (August Offensive), before leaving for Egypt where they were deployed to Nile Valley. On the 20th of November 1915, Albert and several other injured South Australian soldiers arrived in Adelaide, after being transported from hospital ships that had docked in Melbourne.

In the years following his return from the war, Albert married his wife, Mrs Doris Maud Grimm. In 1917, he moved to New South Wales, where he resided in a town called Cobar, 712 km Northwest of Sydney.  During this time, from 1917-1919, he worked as an Area Officer in Broken Hill. He also became a founding member of the Broken Hill Returned Soldiers League.

Sadly, on February 1st, 1975, Albert passed away at 85 years of age. His memorial can be found in the Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens in Sydney, New South Wales.

During his life, Albert was awarded three medals for his service in the First World War. These included the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

The 1914-1915 Star was a bronze medal awarded to who served for the British and Imperial Forces between the 5th of August 1914, and the 31st of December 1915. In order to receive one of these medals, the recipient would have had to receive the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

The British War Medal was awarded to soldiers who had served oversees between the 5th of August 1914, and the 11th of November 1918. These medals could be either silver or bronze and had the recipient’s name, service number, unit and rank impressed on the rim.

The Victory Medal was awarded to all soldiers who had served in the First World War.  The medal depicts the figure of a winged woman, representing victory. Approximately 5.7 million of these medals were distributed.

The ANZAC spirit is a bond that ties Australia’s military past to its present, unifying Australia as a nation. Ever present in the courageous men who risked their lives all those years ago, today, over a hundred years later, it is this very spirit that keeps the stories and legacies of these brave soldiers alive.

Albert displayed the ANZAC spirit when he served in the First World War. From the very beginning, he embodied this spirit in being one of the first few to enlist for the war. Exposing himself to a number of risks, enlisting at such an early stage demonstrated the selflessness within him, to do right by his country. Throughout his service, he continued to exemplify the ANZAC spirit, and showed great courage, loyalty and pride in his country even if the most challenging situations. By contributing to the formation of the Broken Hill Returned Soldiers League, Albert continued to demonstrate the qualities of an ANZAC, even after the war.

Bibliography

| RecordSearch | National Archives of Australia . [ONLINE] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4703771&isAv=N. [Accessed 21 March 2017].

RSL Virtual War Memorial | Albert Leslie GRIMM. 2017. RSL Virtual War Memorial | Albert Leslie GRIMM. [ONLINE] Available at: https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/people/123901. [Accessed 21 March 2017].

First World War Embarkation Rolls: Albert Leslie Grimm | Australian War Memorial. 2017. First World War Embarkation Rolls: Albert Leslie Grimm | Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R2024352/. [Accessed 21 March 2017].

Albert Leslie Grimm. 2017. [ONLINE] Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=120439. [Accessed 21 March 2017].

May 1915 | Events of the Gallipoli Campaign | Anzac timeline | Gallipoli and the Anzacs. 2017. May 1915 | Events of the Gallipoli Campaign | Anzac timeline | Gallipoli and the Anzacs. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gallipoli.gov.au/anzac-timeline/events-of-the-gallipoli-campaign/may-1915.php. [Accessed 21 March 2017].

ANZAC Centenary. 2017. Albert Leslie Grimm. [ONLINE] Available at: http://anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/embarkation/albert-leslie-grimm/. [Accessed 22 March 2017].

National ANZAC Centre. 2017. Albert Leslie Grimm. [ONLINE] Available at: http://nationalanzaccentre.com/albert-leslie-grimm. [Accessed 22 March 2017].

Civics and Citizenship Education. 2017. Australia's involvement in World War I. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/fast_facts_file,9614.html. [Accessed 22 March 2017].