Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

COOMER  Alfred  #1080  36th Battalion
 
Alfred Coomer was born in Woodford but attended school in Caboolture according to his mother Eliza. Alfred enlisted on 23rd January 1916 at Coffs Harbour where he was working as a labourer. His elder brother Ernest was who had enlisted earlier that year was also working in NSW.
 
Alfred declared that he was 24 years old and single. He was allocated to the 36th Battalion which would be formed in England. Upon embarkation on the “Beltana” in Sydney Alfred allocated 3/- of his daily pay to his mother in Caboolture. He disembarked at Devonport on 9th July 1916 and made his way to the 3rd Division training camp at Larkhill.
 
Training continued at a great pace under the leadership of the new divisional commander, Major General John Monash. At one time, the King, George V travelled down to inspect the Australians prior to deployment overseas.
 
During a period of leave, Alfred contracted VD. He was hospitalised for a period of 79 days and was left behind when his battalion was posted to the western front. Alfred was discharged from hospital and made his way to the border region of France and Belgium where the 3rd Division were being acclimatised to trench warfare during the early months of 1917.
 
It would appear that Alfred suffered a relapse of his VD infection and by February 1917 he had been transferred to hospital in Boulogne. Upon discharge he spent some time at the training depot at Etaples before making his way back to his battalion in early April.
 
The summer of 1917 would see the opening of a new offensive on the western front which would be centred on the Ypres Salient in Belgian Flanders. In preparation for the offensive, extensive training and preparation was carried out during the early spring. The firing of 19 underground mines placed under the German trenches along the Messines Ridge on 7th June was the opening of the Flanders campaign. The 36thBattalion was engaged in supplying ammunition, water and wiring supplies to the advancing infantry on the first day. Later that month, the battalion was charged with reinforcing the line south of Messines in the vicinity of Ploegsteert Wood. (Most soldiers called it Plugstreet).
 
During an action around the village of Warneton on 21st July, Alfred Coomer was killed in action. His file indicates that a burial party located his body and he was buried behind the Australian lines. Subsequent artillery action in this sector meant that when graves were being consolidated, no trace of Alfred could be found. Alfred Coomer is listed on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres along with 54,000 other British and Dominion soldiers who died in Flanders and have no known grave. To honour the sacrifice of these men, the citizens of Ypres conduct a ceremony at the Menin Gate every evening at 8:00pm which includes the recitation of the Ode and the playing of the Last Post.
 
Alfred’s father, Edmund, died at Caboolture in 1919. His mother moved in to live with Mrs Boustead and was granted a pension of 25 shillings per fortnight.