WHITE, Albert
| Service Number: | 5746 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Violet Town, 1879 |
| Home Town: | Violet Town, Strathbogie, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Violet Town State School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Violet Town, 1963, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Violet Town Public Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Euroa Telegraph Park, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1, Violet Town Primary School Honour Roll, Violet Town St Dunstan's Honor Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5746 | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 5746, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 4 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 5746, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Lincoln, Melbourne | |
| 1 Jun 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 59th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Sep 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 5th Machine Gun Battalion |
Help us honour Albert White's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Elsa Reuter
WHITE Albert 5746 GNR
59th Battalion
1879-1963
Abel White and his wife Margaret (Aldridge) settled on a farm in Nalinga Road a few miles north of Violet Town. Here they raised 12 children. There were eight sons and four daughters; Bert was the fourth child, history relates that they were educated at Violet Town and Upotipotpon South state schools. Their farm was equidistant from both schools.
On 26 February 1916 when Bert was 36 he enlisted in WW1. His brother Dave followed suit the following month and after some initial training they embarked together on HMAT Port Lincoln. Their destination was France but Dave had to disembark at Suez where he was hospitalised with bronchitis. Bert sailed on to France where, in October he was allotted to the 59th Battalion, which was by this time in action at Passchendaele.
The winter was about to settle in and conditions at the front deteriorated. The engineers were kept busy constructing duckboards to make progress possible. Trench fever, trench foot and rheumatism were common. Bert succumbed to all three illnesses and spent April 1917 until January 1918 in and out of hospital. He was finally sent to England where the warmer climate and good nursing contributed to his return to health. While in England he had a visit from his brother Dave; the brothers hadn’t seen each other for nine months.
Bert spent the remainder of 1918 training in England, a return to France for action as a member of the 5th Machine Gun Battalion, then back to Weymouth to await transport home to Australia. This finally came in August 1919. He was discharged in Melbourne on 9 December.
On 26 August while awaiting discharge Bert was given a warm welcome home. The Violet Town Sentinel reported that ‘the Cheero girls were greatly in evidence with their new instruments and words of welcome were spoken by Cr Wilson. “For he’s a jolly good fellow” and cheers for the returning warrior and his parents were heartily given . . . Gnr White was motored through the guard of honour to his home by Cr Wilson.’
After the war Bert returned to farming, married Mary Agnes Hayes in 1921 and raised two children. A daughter, Dulcie May was born in 1921 and died in 1928, and there was also a son, Albert John who died in 1983.
Bert died in Violet Town in 1963 and is buried in the Violet Town cemetery.
Service Medals: British War Medal Victory Medal
Memorials: Violet Town State School Honour Board
Upotipotpon State School Honour Board
St Dunstan’s Anglican Church Honour Board
Main Honour Board, Memorial Hall, Violet Town
Copper Plaque affixed to exterior wall, Memorial Hall, Violet Town
In 2013 a Ceratonia siliqua – Carob – was planted in McDiarmid’s Road by Joan Webb
© 2016 Sheila Burnell
Click images to start slideshow.