Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Cpl. Albert Knight DCM, is thought to be one of only three Aboriginal Soldiers to be Awarded the D.C.M. in the great war. (The other two being L/Cpl. Richard Norman Kirby DCM, 792, and Pvt. William Allan Irwin DCM, 5709). SOURCE (blogs.slq.qld.gov.au)

Cpl. Albert Knight's brother, L/Cpl. William Albert Knight MM, 105, was also acknowledged for his bravery on the Western Front during the 4th Battle of Ypres, receiving the Military Medal in January 1918.

"...Albert Knight was born in 1894 on Toorale Station near Louth, New South Wales, to John and Elizabeth Knight. He went to work on the outback stations around Bourke after what was probably only a brief period at school. In November 1915 at Dubbo, New South Wales, Albert enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and was posted to the 13th Battalion; he was the second of three Knight brothers to join up.

Albert joined the 13th Battalion near Ypres, Belgium, in October 1916. This was the beginning of what would be one of the harshest winter periods on record in the region. Trench life was miserable, and troops endured relentlessly wet and freezing conditions. Private Albert Knight became ill with influenza, and was admitted to hospital in France until he was well enough to return to the front.

As the winter weather abated, the scene was set for a continuation of the horrendous fighting across the battlefields of northern France. At this time the Germans had withdrawn to their strong defensive positions on the Hindenburg Line. The British and empire forces, including Private Knight’s 13th Battalion, attacked the Germans near the village of Bullecourt. The attack was hastily planned and resulted in disaster. Tanks which were supposed to support the attacking Australian infantry either broke down or were quickly destroyed.The infantry managed to break into parts of the German defences but, uncertain as to how far the allies had advanced, supporting artillery fire was withheld, and eventually the Australians were hemmed in and forced to retreat. In this battle the Australians suffered over 3,300 casualties.

One of the wounded at Bullecourt was Private Albert Knight. He had suffered a shrapnel wound to his face and was once again hospitalised. The wound was not considered serious, and within a few weeks Albert was again well enough to return to his unit. In September that year Albert was transferred to the 43rd Battalion, joining his brother Bill in that unit.Promoted to lance corporal following the fighting at Passchendaele, Albert became known for his bombing and scouting skills.

While serving on the Somme battlefield in May 1918 Albert placed his foot on an unexploded Mills bomb. The explosion seriously wounded Albert in the foot, and he spent the next two months in hospital.

Albert returned to his unit in July; at this time it appeared more likely than ever that the Germans would be defeated. In August Albert was promoted to temporary corporal, in which role he would soon set an outstanding example of courage under fire.

On 30 September Albert was leading an attack on entrenched enemy positions in the French village of Bony. Australian bombing parties were pinned down by heavy enemy machine-gun and trench mortar fire, unable to advance towards their objectives. Albert moved with his Lewis Gun section then pushed forward with another NCO (non-commissioned officer) to pinpoint the enemy position. To do this, they had to move across open country for a distance of around 300 yards with only shell holes for protection. This was carried out in broad daylight and within full view of the enemy lines. Despite the danger, Albert was able to get to a spot where he could locate and plot the positions of the enemy weapons that were firing on the Australians. He then returned to the lines his information was used to allow artillery fire to successfully take out these enemy positions.

For his calm leadership and courage under fire, Albert Knight was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal,  and was soon promoted to corporal. Within the next few weeks the First World War came to an end. The guns fell silent on 11 November 1918, and Corporal Albert Knight DCM, along with thousands of other Australian servicemen and servicewomen whose lives had been embroiled in this conflict, began to think about their return to Australia and what lay ahead.

Albert returned to Australia aboard the transport ship HMAT Nestor in July 1919. He is thought to have married, spending the rest of his life working in the bush around Bourke. He died on 15 October 1973 and was buried in the local cemetery." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)