WINN, Albert John
| Service Number: | 5228 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Fakenham, Norfolk, England, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Katanning, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 18 September 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Cerisy-Gailly French National Cemetery, France Plot I, Row E, Grave No. 9. IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR JACK GOD GRANT TO HIM ETERNAL REST |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5228, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 5228, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 31 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 5228, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Fremantle | |
| 18 Sep 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 5228, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5228 awm_unit: 11 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-09-18 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Albert John Winn was a young Englishman who arrived in Fremantle in 1911 at the age of 21. He went working on a farm at Katanning, WA.
His older brother, Able Seaman Charles Robert Winn, Royal Navy, died when the cruiser HMS Cressy was torpedoed and sunk off the Dutch coast on 22 September 1914.
Albert was awarded the Military Medal when he "evinced great gallantry and initiative" when he and his section commander, the only two left in their section "mopped up an enemy gun post" then "captured 35 German soldiers including an officer and three machine guns" on 3 June 1918. A Bar to the Military Medal was awarded during August 1918 when acting as a runner, as all the "company runners had been sniped", and whilst "under heavy fire, he never failed to deliver his despatches" and he "evinced splendid endurance, tenacity and courage."
According to his Red Cross file, Winn was hit the abdomen during an advance near Villaret on 18 September 1918. He was lying wounded in a shell hole and was carried back by some mates until they found some German prisoners who carried him to a Field Ambulance. He died of wounds the same day. It was stated by one witness, “several men said he was a fine soldier, one of the best in the Battalion.”
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