HITCHINS, Alfred Reginald
| Service Number: | 6520 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kilkunda, Victoria, Australia , 1874 |
| Home Town: | Richmond (V), Yarra, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tramway gripsman |
| Died: | Killed in action, Gueudecourt, France, 5 February 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Bancourt British Cemetery Plot VIII, Row E, Grave No. 15. WORTHY OF LOVE AND RESPECT IS HE FROM THOSE HE LEFT BEHIND |
| Memorials: | Armadale Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 9 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6520, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 6520, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 6520, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne |
War grave
http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=3426678
Submitted 5 February 2015 by Elizabeth Allen
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
The son of Alfred and Catherine Hitchins; husband of Alice Maude Hitchins, of Richmond, Victoria, and father of three children.
Alfred enlisted in May 1916, at 42 years of age, the same day as his son, 6635 Corporal Reginald Samuel Hitchins, who was 17 years of age. They were both put in the 14th Battalion and sailed from Australia together.
Alfred joined the 14th Battalion in France on 14 January 1917, and died just over two weeks later, as the 14th Battalion held the Australian support trenches while the 13th Battalion made their famous attack on Stormy Trench, at Gueudecourt, France. The son Samuel missed the action as he had fallen sick and been sent to hospital.