WENSLEY, Albert William
| Service Number: | 6667 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Balmoral, Victoria, 1898 |
| Home Town: | Hamilton, Southern Grampians, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Strathkellar State School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Hamilton, Victoria , 26 September 1961, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Hamilton Public Cemetery, Victoria https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/211621948/albert-william-wensley |
| Memorials: | Hamilton Borough of Hamilton Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6667, 5th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 6667, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 6667, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne | |
| 12 Jun 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6667, 5th Infantry Battalion, embarked England for Melbourne on board Port Darwin | |
| 3 Sep 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 6667, 5th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private Albert William Wensley (Service No:6667) served four years with the Senior Cadets prior to enlisting in the AIF on 9 June 1916 - his guardian (eldest brother Frederick) gave permission 'on the condition that he does not leave the colony till he reaches the age of nineteen' (NAA:1916). Private Wensly was attached to 5th Infantry Battalion on 2 October 1916 when he embarked with his Unit from Melbourne for Plymouth on board HMAT A71 Nestor. Private Wensley served with the 5th Infantry Battalion on the Western Front - Reninghelst in Belgium, Ypres, Westhoek Ridge, Hazebrouk, Amiens, Hamel and was at Bazeul on 11 November 1918 when the messgae came through at 8.15am that ' Hostilities will cease at 11.00am today'. Private Wensley embarked from England for Melbourne on 12 June 1919 on board the Port Darwin and was attached to 5th Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 3 September 1919.
The youngest of nine children, Albert was born in Balmoral Victoria in 1898 to Frederick Powick Wensley (b1850 in Maitland, NSW) and Margaret Clark Brown (b1857 in Kennilworth, Victoria). Frederick and Margaret married in Ballarat in 1874 and lived in Geelong, Hotham, Balmoral and Hamilton - Frederick was Captain of Balmoral Volunteer Rifles and an elected member of the Yat Nat, Balmoral Riding School Board of Advice. Frederick died in 1903 and Margaret in 1908.
Following the death of both his parents, Albert was raised by his eldest brother Frederick Pike Wensley and Frederick's wife Louisa, living in Strathkeller via Balmoral and in Balmoral. Albert was a Labourer when he enlisted in the AIF, and returned to Stathkeller following his Discharge. He was working as a Labourer in 1920 when he married Evangeline Johnson (b1901 in Balmoral, Victoria) and later that year was granted land at the Kanawalla Estate near Hamilton. Albert and Evangeline settled at Hensley Park via Hamilton where they raised their family and Albert was a Farmer. Albert died in 1961 and Evangeline in 1977.
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