KING, Albert Leslie
| Service Number: | 100 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 November 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 8th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Clunes, Victoria, Australia, 1881 |
| Home Town: | Clunes, Hepburn, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Clunes State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Fitter |
| Died: | Wounds, Palestine, 13 November 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Clunes Church of St Cuthbert Roll of Honour, Clunes Methodist Church & Sunday School Roll of Honour, Clunes War Memorial, Jerusalem Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Nov 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Feb 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Trooper, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment, Melbourne on A16 HMAT Star of Victoria | |
| 22 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Trooper, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 7 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Trooper, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment, The August Offensive - Lone Pine, Suvla Bay, Sari Bair, The Nek and Hill 60 - Gallipoli, The Nek | |
| 2 Jun 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 8th Light Horse Regiment, Egypt | |
| 5 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment, Battle of Romani, Katia | |
| 13 Oct 1916: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, Egypt and Palestine - Light Horse and AFC Operations, Katia Raid | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment, Battle of Magdhaba | |
| 1 Mar 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 8th Light Horse Regiment, Egypt | |
| 31 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment, Battle of Beersheba | |
| 12 Nov 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment, GSW to head sustained at Menshiye, Palestine. Evacuated to 5th Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance (situated near Keratiya) however died of wounds the following day. | |
| 13 Nov 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 100, 8th Light Horse Regiment |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Albert Leslie King, aged 33, enlisted in the AIF at Ballarat on 21 November 1914. He embarked overseas on 25 February 1915 and arrived in Egypt about five weeks later.
The regiment left Egypt on 16 May 1915 and landed at Gallipoli on 22 May (without their horses) and took up defensive positions around Walkers Ridge. The regiment’s first major engagement was on 7 August 1915 when they were in the first wave of light horsemen who disastrously charged at The Nek and sustained 234 casualties (154 killed).
On 13 October 1915, Albert King became ill and was hospitalised in Egypt for the next four months with mumps and then a septic throat. He was discharged on 26 February 1916 and re-joined his unit. He was promoted to Corporal on 2 June 1916 and the regiment then moved east into the Sinai to defend the Suez Canal.
On 5 August 1916, the day after the Battle of Romani, the 8th Light Horse was tasked with chasing the retreating Turks and had some success at Katia, where they captured 425 Turks. For his work here, Cpl King was later awarded the honour of being mentioned in General Murray’s despatches on 13 October 1916.
The 8th Light Horse was next involved in the successful attack on the Turkish blocking force at Magdhaba on 23 December 1916, after which Cpl King returned to Egypt and was hospitalised for four weeks with bronchitis from 21 January 1917.
He remained in Egypt for the next six months, recuperating and training, during which time he was promoted to Sergeant on 1 March 1917.
He re-joined the regiment in Palestine on 24 July 1917 and their next major action was during the early stages of the Battle of Beersheba on 31 October 1917, after which they were part of the allied force chasing the Turks back to Gaza. It was during one of these skirmishes that Sgt Albert Leslie King sustained a gunshot wound to his head at Menshiye on 12 November.
He was evacuated to the 5th Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance at Karatiya, near Gaza, however died of his wound the next day 13 November 1917 and was buried nearby.
His grave could not be located after the war, and he has no known grave. He is remembered on Panel 58 of the Jerusalem Memorial in Palestine.
Source: Extract from "Clunes War Memorial WW1" by Robert Wight, June 2022.