Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

This biography was written as part of a historical enquiry into the life and experiences of a World War 1 serviceperson, in this case Private Albert James Dun.

Information was gathered from a range of primary and secondary sources, including documents from the National Archives, RSL Virtual War Memorial, and the Australian War Memorial website.

World War 1 began on the 4th of August 1914, when Britain and Germany declared war on each other. The news was received in Australia with great excitement, and even enthusiasm to prove the worth of this new and developing country. Over 416,800 Australian men enlisted, of whom more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner (Australian War Memorial, nd).

Albert James Dun was born on the 16th of March 1896 in Stroud, NSW. He was the son of Eliza and James Dun, the second youngest of seven siblings, and the only boy.

On his enlistment certificate, his occupation was listed as ‘wharf hand’. Many of the other recruits recorded their occupations as ‘Clerk’, ‘Blacksmith’, ‘Tailor’ and other such trades (National Archives of Australia, nd).

Most of these required an apprenticeship, and it was listed on his Certificate of Enlistment that he was not an apprentice. This means that either his trade did not require an apprenticeship, or he had completed an apprenticeship already.

Albert enlisted as an A.I.F. private on the 7th of February 1916,  in Newcastle, NSW. He was appointed to his unit, the 35th Infantry Battalion, on the same day. At the time of enlistment, he was 19 years and 11 months old, with brown eyes, dark hair and a tanned complexion, and his religion was listed as Church of England (National Archives of Australia, nd). The 35th Infantry Battalion became a part of the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division. On May 1st 1916 the 35th embarked on the HMAT Benalla in Sydney, bound for England. They disembarked on the 9th of July in Plymouth, spent the subsequent four months training for the war ahead (Australian War Memorial, nd).

On the 16th of September, Albert was transferred from the Reinforcements of the 35th to the 55th Infantry Battalion (National Archives of Australia, nd).

The 55th Infantry Battalion was raised in Egypt, on the 12th of February 1916. Half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 3rd Infantry Battalion, and the other half were fresh reinforcements from Australia, mainly NSW. The 55th Infantry Battalion arrived in France on the 30th of June, 1916. They entered the frontline trenches on the 12th of July, and fought their first major battle at Fromelles a week later.

The battle was a disaster for the division, resulting in heavy casualties across the division. The 55th Battalion, although in reserve, was quickly brought into attack and ended up playing a critical role, forming the rearguard for the withdrawal of the 14th brigade (Australian War Memorial, nd).

The Ludendorff Offensive was a series of German attacks along the Western Front in the spring of 1918; the last major German offensive move before the end of the war (Australian War Memorial, nd). Albert Dun was hospitalised for a gunshot wound to the left shoulder on the 26th of March 1918, and transported to Rednal Hospital in Birmingham. He was discharged from service as he was deemed unfit for service, and embarked on the HMAT Khyber to return home to Australia, and disembarked on the 2nd of August the same year (National Archives of Australia, nd).

It has been recorded that he received two service medals for his time in the AIF; the British War Medal and the Victory Medal (National Archives of Australia, nd).

There is little information on what his life was like after the war, but it seems that he returned home, married Arline Clarice Thompson when he was 45, and died at 78 years of age due to natural causes/old age. He was buried with his wife in the Dawson River Lawn Cemetery, NSW. His grave is No. 135, located in Row B .