WILSON, Albion Staple Colin
| Service Number: | 62890 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 June 1918 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st to 3rd (WA) and (TAS) Reinforcements |
| Born: | Perth, Western Australia, 13 October 1899 |
| Home Town: | Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Perth Modern School, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Bank Clerk |
| Died: | Influenza and Pneumonia, Woodman Point Quarantine Station, Western Australia, 14 December 1918, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia Baptist AA 191A. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Coogee "Boonah" Tragedy Memorial, Homebush Western Australian Bank WW1 Roll of Honor, Kings Park Western Australia State War Memorial, Subiaco Perth Modern School WW1Honour Board, Subiaco Perth Modern School War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jun 1918: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 62890 | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 62890, 1st to 3rd (WA) and (TAS) Reinforcements, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Oct 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 62890, 1st to 3rd (WA) and (TAS) Reinforcements, HMAT Boonah, Fremantle | |
| 14 Dec 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 62890, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 62890 awm_unit: 3rd General Service Reinforcements awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-12-14 |
Private Albion Staple (Colin) Wilson
The troopship, 'Boonah' arrived back in Fremantle in 1918 bearing soldiers infected with the Spanish Flu then rampant in South Africa where the ship had docked. A number of the soldiers, quarantined at Woodman Point, and the nurses attending them died.
Colin from that disease on 14 December 1918 and was buried at East Rockingham cemetery the following day. On 5 December 1919, he was reinterred at Karrakatta (Bap AA191A, a shared family grave). He was only 19 years of age, from Perth, WA.
A room in the museum at the former quarantine station, and a Boonah memorial outside the former Isolation Hospital commemorates the tragic loss of life. Colin and other men and women were also honoured at a Boonah Century Commemoration Ceremony at the former quarantine station in December 2018.
In thankfulness to God / for the beautiful years of / Private A.S.C. Wilson (Colin) / 2nd son of Rev A.S. Wilson / died 4th December 1918 aged 19 years / doomed to know not winter only spring a being / trod the flowery April for a while / took his fill of music, joy and thought and seeing / came and stayed and went nor ever ceased to smile.
AWM Roll of Honour, Panel 185
Footnote:
Colin's Karrakatta gravesite has expired and a grave renewal program was conducted by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board from the 1970s to 2006. Headstones, some of which had official commemorations, were removed and existing graves were narrowed to make room for other burials. Reporter, Ben Harvey's Youtube video, 'Yes We Forget', [May 2025] explores this sad event.
Lest We Forget.
Submitted 31 May 2025 by gail dodd
Biography contributed
Albion Staple Colin WILSON was born in Perth, WA on 13th October, 1899
His parents were Alfred Samuel WILSON & Annie Blanche MEAD
Biography contributed by Robert Johnson
Article from The West Australian, 16 December 1918:
THE LATE PRIVATE A. S. C. WILSON.
Private Colin Wilson, one of the victims of the disease, was the elder son of Mr. A.S. Wilson, the general secretary of the Perth, Y.M.C.A. A lad of unusual promise, he sailed for the front on the Boonah on the eve of his nineteenth birthday. He was educated at the Modern School, and took a high place in class as well as in sport, being one of the first four at tennis, and one of the finest cricketers in the school. He was captain of the "blue faction" at the Modern School, and was one of the team which won the Slazenger Cup last year. It was, however, as a musician that he excelled. Mr. A. J. Leckie Mus. Bac., had predicted a fine career for him in the musical world. In camp and on shipboard he was extremely popular, his geniality and personal charm winning for him a host of admiring friends. Mr. A.W. Bean, the Y.M.C.A. secretary aboard the Boonah, says the late Private Wilson was an invaluable helper at all concerts, Bible classes, etc. He also assisted with the ship's newspaper, compiled by the soldiers.
For the past four years he was the organist and choirmaster of the Museum Street Baptist Church, as well as conductor of the Sunday School choir, and from these church activities he will be greatly missed. Much local sympathy is expressed with Mr and Mrs Wilson, and with the latter's sister (Dr. Gertrude Mead) in their bereavement. The funeral took place in the Rockingham Cemetery yesterday afternoon, the Rev. F. E. Harry officiating, Mr. A. S Wilson and Captain C. O. Tebbutt being the chief mourners.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/27499341
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