CORNWELL, Albert Edward
| Service Number: | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 November 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 47th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Limehouse, Middlesex, England, 10 February 1885 |
| Home Town: | Redfern, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey, London |
| Occupation: | Printer |
| Died: | Killed in action, Dernancourt, France, 5 April 1918, aged 33 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1980, 31st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 1916: | Involvement Private, 1980, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Feb 1916: | Embarked Private, 1980, 31st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Melbourne | |
| 5 Apr 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 1980, 47th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1980 awm_unit: 47th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-04-05 |
Help us honour Albert Edward Cornwell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Albert was the son of William Henry and Esther Ann Cornwell of England, both of whom had passed away prior to WW1. His brother, 63651 Private William Henry Cornwall 20th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, had been killed in action 25 October 1916, aged 25.
Albert gave his next of kin as his sister, Alice Cornwell, Bermondsey, London.
The Germans launched an attack in the vicinity of Dernancourt on the morning of 5 April 1918, with two and a half Divisions. It was said to be the strongest attack met by Australian troops during the war. The 47th Battalion were defending the railway embankment near where the Germans breached the Australian positions by forcing their way under a railway bridge. They suffered very heavy casualties in the fierce fighting, but the Australians eventually stemmed the tide of German infantry and were then able to regroup and stage a counter-attack. The defence by the Australians denied the Germans any further advance toward Amiens.
Albert Cornwell was seen to hit by shrapnel early in the fighting and he had to be left in the trench when the Australians withdrew. No trace of him was found after the ground had been recaptured.