Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Father Atolf Aleksantera Alto  and  Mother     (nee      ) Nystad, Finland, Russia.

Lived at prior to enlisting Nar Nar Goon and Eaglehawk, Gippsland, Victoria

26/12/1912    Arrived in Melbourne, per Bertha, from Sweden

Described on enlisting 21 years 10 months old; single; 5' 10 1/4" tall; 171 lbs;
fair hair; blue eyes; fair hair; Lutheran.

Tattoos:  Naked woman on right forearm; Emu and Kanagaroo around Australia
on left forearm.

6/7/1915         Obtained "Certificate of Naturalization into Australia"

29/7/1915       Enlisted in Bendigo, Victoria
                       completed medical - fit for service

23/10/1915     Embarked from  Melbourne on board HMAT Ceramic A40
                       5th Infantry Battalion, 12th reinforcements

29/10/1915     Commanding Officer appointed Aalto to 12th Infantry, 5th reinforcements

22/2/1916       Taken on strength, 5th Battalion, Serapeum

25/3/1916       Proceeded from Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force
31/3/1916       disembarked Marseilles

17/6/1916       Admitted to Field Ambulance
22/6/1916       rejoined Battalion

31/5/1917       Admitted to 1st Field Ambulance - diptheria
                       admitted to 1st Australian Division Rest Station
8/6/1917         rejoined unit

21/11/1917     Admitted to 3rd Canadian General Hospital, Boulogne
29/11/1917     transferred to England
                       admitted to Horton, c/o London War Hospital, Epsom - trench fever   
2/1/1918         to 1st Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield
4/1/1918         discharged to furlough (leave)
8/1/1918         to report to No. 3 Command Depot, Hurdcott
9/1/1918         Admitted to 2nd Auxiliary Hospital, Southall - pains and debility, post trench fever
7/2/1918         discharged to report to No. 1 Command Depot, Sutton Veney
27/2/1918       Marched out to Overseas Training Brigade

16/3/1918       Admitted to 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital, Bulford
19/3/1918       discharged

5/6/1918         Proceeded overseas to France
12/6/1918       rejoined Battalion

14/6/1918

19/7/1918       Admitted to 2nd Australian Field Ambulance - jaundice, Weil's disease
20/7/1918       transferred to New Zealand Stationary Hospital
30/8/1918       discharged, 30 August 1918; rejoined Bn, 2 September 1918.

Awarded the Military Medal.

15/1/1919      On leave to United Kingdom
18/1/1919      Admitted to North West Hospital, Hampstead - mumps
7/2/1919        discharged
21/2/1919      granted furlough to report to No. 2 Command Depot
                      leave extended until 22 February 1919
                      further extension of leave until 1 March 1919
8/3/1919        Marched into No. 2 Command Depot, Weymouth.

5/4/1919        Returned to Australia on board HMT Armagh, ex Devonport, England
28/4/1919      admitted to ship's hospital
16/5/1919      discharged

18/5/1919      disembarked into Melbourne

10/7/1919      discharged from service

Medals:
Military Medal, 1914/15 Star (1047); British War Medal (29079); Victory medal (28870)

Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan.  29/10/2014.  Lest we forget.

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"At 19 years old, Atolf Aleksanter Aalto left his family home in Nystad, Finland and travelled alone to Australia to seek his fortune as a miner. He arrived in Melbourne on 26 December 1912 after a long sea voyage.

Two years later, after the outbreak of the First World War, Atolf decided to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. At this time, Finland was part of the Russian Empire, so in order to be able to enlist for war service, Atolf had to sign naturalisation papers which made him a British Subject. This he did on 6 July 1915 and joined the AIF three weeks later in Bendigo, Victoria. In the physical description section of Atolf’s service record, it notes that he had a tattoo of an emu and a kangaroo, and the words “Advance Australia” on one of his forearms.

Atolf left Australia with a reinforcement group for the 5th Battalion in November 1915. After a period of training in Egypt he went on to serve in France until June 1916, when he was evacuated sick to hospital. He returned to his unit a week later, but over the next two years was continuously in and out of hospital, once with trench fever. On 14 June 1918 Atolf showed great bravery during a German attack near Strazeele in France, for which he was awarded the Military Medal. The citation for his award read:

Pte. AALTO, who had just taken up his position in a new Lewis gun post, found himself heavily attacked, and, realising that his platoon post was depending on his protection of the flank, he continued to work his gun, causing the enemy many casualties and prevented them from getting round the flank of the platoon post … After having fired 600 rounds his gun was red hot and stopped. Pte. AALTO then withdrew under heavy fire carrying his gun. 

At war’s end in November 1918, Atolf was again in hospital, this time with the mumps. He made the long sea voyage back to Australia on board the Armagh in April 1919." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)