CHRISTIE, Alfred Bembrick
| Service Numbers: | 1583, 1520 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Newtown, New South Wales, Australia, June 1896 |
| Home Town: | Otford, Wollongong, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Electrician |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 2 May 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Gallipoli |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1583, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1520, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1520, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Melbourne | |
| 2 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1583, 14th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Alfred Bembrick CHRISTIE, (Service Number 1583) was born in June 1896 Sydney with his birth registered in Newtown. An entry in the 1913 Annual Report, records that on 13 February 1913 he joined the Electrical Branch of the Railways as a junior. The 1915 Annual Report notes the discharge, also of an electrical junior, on 2 November 1914 of an Alfred J Christie from the Tramways Electrical Branch. There is no other record of an Alfred Christie.
However, on 30 October 1914, Alfred Delaney (his alias) enlisted in the AIF at Melbourne, giving his birth place as Wellington, India and his age as 20 years and 7 months. His gave his father’s address as the Duke of Wellington Hotel, Melbourne, though this man was actually the station master at Otford. Fortunately, he did give his mother’s address as Otford. After training he travelled to Gallipoli where he is recorded as dying on 2 May, though there was conflicting evidence, with another soldier stating that Delaney had died on 25 April. In 1930 when Christie’s mother, Dorothy, tried to clarify the facts the army simply stated that it was all too long ago, the witnesses were dead, and the date would have to stand.
The military authorities tried to contact Alfred’s father to inform him of his son’s death, but, of course, they could not find him at a hotel in Melbourne. When they did track down his mother in Otford the whole façade was discovered. It was clear that Delaney and Christie were one and the same man. Obviously, the parents wanted the correct name on the headstone, so it now has both. Initially Christie was buried in an isolated grave in Monash Valley, but after the war his remains were transferred to a more consolidated cemetery at Shrapnel Valley.
To further confuse matters Violet Delaney contacted the military authorities trying to trace her delinquent husband Albert, who had deserted her and their children, suspecting that the dead Alfred might be him.
Submitted 27 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Peter Rankin
Served under alias Alfred Delaney
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Alfred Bembrick CHRISTIE, (Service Number 1583) was born in June 1896 in Newtown. An entry in the 1913 Annual Report. On 13th February 1913 he joined the Electrical Branch of the Railways as a junior.
On 30 October 1914, Alfred Delaney (his alias) enlisted in the AIF at Melbourne. He gave his birth place as Wellington, India and his age as 20 years and 7 months. He gave his father’s address as the Duke of Wellington Hotel, Melbourne, although he was actually the station master at Otford. Fortunately, he did give his mother’s address as Otford. After training he travelled to Gallipoli where he is recorded as dying on 2nd May, though there was conflicting evidence, with another soldier stating that Delaney had died on 25th April. In 1930 when Christie’s mother, Dorothy, tried to clarify the facts the army simply stated that it was all too long ago, the witnesses were dead, and the date would have to stand.
The military authorities tried to contact Alfred’s father to inform him of his son’s death, but, of course, they could not find him at a hotel in Melbourne. When they did track down his mother in Otford the whole façade unravelled. It was clear that Delaney and Christie were one and the same man. Obviously, the parents wanted the correct name on the headstone, so it now has both. Initially Christie was buried in an isolated grave in Monash Valley, but after the war his remains were transferred to a more consolidated cemetery at Shrapnel Valley.
To further confuse matters Violet Delaney contacted the military authorities trying to trace her delinquent husband Albert, who had deserted her and their children, suspecting that the dead Alfred might be him.
Alfred Bembrick Christie’s name does not appear on the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board. It does not appear on the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Roll. He had left his railway position and was not employed any longer, as all other railwaymen in the AIF were. He did not collect extra cash to bring his army pay up to the same level as his civilian pay.
for - based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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