SAYERS, Albert Henry
| Service Number: | 3215 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 March 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | Railway Unit (AIF) |
| Born: | Perth, Western Australia, 1 August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Busselton, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Busselton State School, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Died: | Pneumonic influenza, Quarantine Station, Woodman Point, Perth, Western Australia, 15 December 1918, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rockingham Cemetery, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Busselton Cenotaph Victoria Square, Busselton Rotary Park Of Remembrance War Memorial, Busselton Rotary Park of Remembrance Memorial Walk, Busselton St Mary's Anglican Church Honour Roll, Coogee "Boonah" Tragedy Memorial, Kings Park Western Australia State War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Mar 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3215, Reinforcements WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1918: | Involvement Private, 3215, Railway Unit (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Oct 1918: | Embarked Private, 3215, Railway Unit (AIF), HMAT Boonah, Adelaide | |
| 15 Dec 1918: | Involvement Sapper, 3215, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3215 awm_unit: Railway Unit Details awm_rank: Sapper awm_died_date: 1918-12-15 |
The Toll of Spanish Flu
Albert Henry Sayers and Joseph Clatworthy
By Gail Dodd for Friends of Woodman Point Recreation Camp Inc
On this last day of NAIDOC week 2024, I was delighted to discover that two men honoured at the former quarantine station at Woodman Point were Aboriginal: Albert Henry Sayers and Joseph Clatworthy. They are briefly mentioned in the Department of Local Government, Sport and Industries’ online publication, ‘They Served With Honour’ and their first world war service records are online at the National Archives.
AIF 62782, Private Joseph Clatworthy from Esperance was just 21 years old when he succumbed to Spanish Flu on 23 December 1918. He was buried in the military cemetery at the quarantine station, but on 27 June 1958 Joseph, and other service personnel buried there were reinterred at the Perth War Cemetery.
AIF 3215, Private Albert Henry Sayers from Busselton was 27 years old when he died at Woodman Point on 15 December 1918, also from the Spanish flu. His body is interred in the East Rockingham Cemetery.
Joseph and Albert were two of 26 servicemen who died at Woodman Point as a result of infection aboard the troopship Boonah which docked in South Africa where the Spanish Flu was rampant. Three Australian Army nurses and one civilian nurse attending them also died. 'The Boonah Tragedy' by Ian Darroch (2004) provides an excellent historic account of this heartbreaking period.
The Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour commemorates the lost service personnel (Panel 185 for Joseph and Panel 26 for Henry).
Lest we forget.
Submitted 19 April 2025 by gail dodd
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Carinia Sayers, who was of Aboriginal descent, and Flora Hasseldon Thompson. Albert was the eldest of four sons and brother to three sisters.
Private Albert Henry Sayers (3215), 5th Railway Unit; son of Carini and Flora Sayers, Busselton, W.A., was bornat Perth and educated at Busselto. He enlisted in March, 1917, and went into camp at Blackboy Hill. Later he went to Langwarren Camp, S.A., for further training. He embarked for England in October, 1918, per the S.S. Boonah He was at Durban when the Armistice was signed, and he returned to Australia, arriving at Fremantle on the 12th
December, 1918. He contracted influenza on board, and died on the 15th December, 1918, and was buried in the Rockingham Cemetery,
Click images to start slideshow.