H213
PALEY, Alfred Bertie
| Service Number: | 6771 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | Tunnelling Companies |
| Born: | Norwood, Adelaide, South Australia, November 1887 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Mechanic |
| Died: | Adelaide, SA, 5 March 1945, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Kendrew Oval |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jan 1917: | Involvement Sapper, 6771, Tunnelling Companies, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Omrah embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 1917: | Embarked Sapper, 6771, Tunnelling Companies, RMS Omrah, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sapper, 6771 | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 6771 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Background before departing to war
Alfred Bertie Paley was 28 years and 10 months old when he enlisted for war. He was born in November 1887. He enlisted for the war on the 28th of August 1916. Alfred joined the 1st tunnelling companies and the 1st battalion. Before enlisting for the war, Alfred was a mechanic who lived in Norwood, Adelaide. He lived in 12 Cairn Street, Norwood, Adelaide. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs Friederike Poehle who lived with Alfred before he enlisted for war. Additionally, he was married to Marian Paley and they had a son who was named Raymond Paley. Alfred Bertie Paley’s service number for World War 1 was 6771.
Life on the Western Front
Alfred Bertie Paley signed up for the war through the Australian Imperial Force and he was a part of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company. He joined for the war in November 1917 meaning he would have been a part of the tunnelling company taking in place in a small village named Dranoutre in Belgium. The tunnelling units in World War 1 were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placement and maintaining the mines under enemy lines. The tunnelling units also did other underground work, for instance, the construction of deep dugouts for the troops, and digging trenches for many different reasons. Since they dug trenches and ventured, their experience was quite dangerous as they could have been bombed or shot anytime during their job. However, Alfred was not killed at war since on his gravestone, it states that he died in Adelaide in 1945, meaning he returned home after the war had finished before he passed away.
Life after the war
Alfred Bertie Paley survived the war and returned home safely as a survivor. He lived a happy life back with his wife and son. He passed away on March the 5th 1945 at the age of 57.He was deeply loved and remembered by his close family and friends and was buried at the AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide – Kendrew Oval.
Bibliography
AIF - Homepage. 2018. AIF - Homepage. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/index.html. [Accessed 04 April 2018].
Home | The Australian War Memorial. 2018. Home | The Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/. [Accessed 04 April 2018].
RecordSearch | National Archives of Australia . 2018. Session expired | RecordSearch | National Archives of Australia . [ONLINE] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx. [Accessed 04 April 2018].
Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War | The Australian War Memorial. 2018. Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War | The Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583. [Accessed 04 April 2018].
RSL Virtual War Memorial | Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History. 2018. RSL Virtual War Memorial | Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History. [ONLINE] Available at: https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/. [Accessed 04 April 2018].
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