BARBER, Alfred Anthony
| Service Number: | 1968 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 48th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hyde Park, South Australia, 27 May 1891 |
| Home Town: | Cowell, Franklin Harbour, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Plympton Public School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 28 March 1918, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Commissioner of Public Works Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cowell Men from Franklin Harbour WW1 Roll of Honour, Cowell Remembrance Park, Cowell War Memorial, Edwardstown District WW1 Roll of Honor, Kimba Men Roll of Honour, Kimba War Memorial, Plympton District Roll of Honor, The South Australian National War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1968, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1968, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
| 28 May 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Jun 1917: | Honoured Military Medal | |
| 9 Oct 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 28 Mar 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1968, 48th Infantry Battalion, Dernancourt/Ancre, Killed in Action on this day. |
Help us honour Alfred Anthony Barber's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cowell RSL
Born in Hyde Park, SA and educated at the Plympton Public School, Alfred Anthony Barber enlisted in June 1915 aged 24 years. Prior to World War 1, Alfred Anthony Barber worked as a teamster for 6 years with his brother, Samuel, on the Salt Creek farm of Mr H Hornhard.
Private Barber embarked Adelaide in February 1916 for Suez. After a brief stint with the 32nd Infantry Battalion he transferred to the 48th Battalion.
Private Barber (known as ‘Barb’) was promoted to the rank of Corporal in May after the 48th was engaged in the Battle of Bullecourt where they suffered many casualties.
Following this, the 48th was involved in the Battle of Messines, where 19 powerful mines exploded under the German trenches along the Messines Ridge. The explosion beneath Hill 60 was reportedly heard in London and Dublin. Corporal Barber was awarded a Military Medal for ‘Bravery in the Field’ on the 23rd of June (twenty two Military Medals were awarded overall to the 48th Battalion during the Battle of Messines).
Again, Barber was promoted, this time to the rank of Sergeant. After taking a short amount of leave in England he proceeded to the Hayling School of Musketry and then returned to the 48th Battalion in France in January 1918.
At this stage the Russians had surrendered on the Eastern Front and the Germans transferred 35 divisions to the Western Front. On the Somme the Germans broke through the British front and were forced into retreat. The Australian Corps was rushed in to plug the gap, and the Australians reassured French civilians in one town, “Fini retreat, Madame, beaucoup Australiens ici” (The retreat is over, Madam, there are many Australians here).
On 27 March 1918, along with others from the 12 and 13th Brigades, the 48th Battalion fought against a strong German attack on the railway embankment at Dernancourt, France. The brigades held firm and counter-attacked effectively and the Germans’ greatest offensive was stopped.
Sergeant Barber MM was killed outright by a shell while manning a Lewis Gun on the Railway Line near Albert (2 miles from Dernancourt) on 28 March 1918. His body wasn’t found. A memorial cross was erected in his memory in the nearby Ribemont Communal Cemetery Extension, France.
References
Australian War Memorial
AWM4 Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War. Infantry. Item number 23/65/17. 48th Infantry Battalion
Australian National Archives record
SA Red Cross Information Bureau Record
Virtual War Memorial Australia
Cowell RSL – WW1 Full Biographies. Stocker, B.
Biography contributed by Cleve Area School
Alfred Anthony Barber was born in Hyde Park South Australia on the 27th of May 1891. As a young man Barber attended the Plympton Public school in Adelaide. Prior to enlisting in the services, Mr Barber was a farmer in Arno Bay South Australia.
Barber was enlisted on 14th of June 1915 at age 24, and disembarked for service on the 7th of February 1916 out of Adelaide. Barber's unit was the 48th Infantry Battalion, where upon embarkation he was listed as a Private.
He was promoted to Corporal 28th May 1917 and soon after was awarded a Military Medal for bravery in the field, 23rd June 1917. The details were published in the London Gazette 14th August 1917. October 9th, 1917 Barber was promoted again, to Sergeant
He was killed in action on the 28th of March 1918, aged 26 years old. Barber is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France.
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