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War Memorial
Australia

When Albert Edward Williams was born on January 14, 1897, in Victoria, his father, Henry, was 26 and his mother, Mary, was 19. He married Jessie Augusta Wittorff on April 30, 1924, in Collie, Western Australia. They had six children in 12 years. He died on April 19, 1955, in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, at the age of 58, and was buried there.

Albert Edward Williams was born 14 January 1897 in Thorpdale Victoria, Died 19 April 1955 (aged 58).  He was buried  21 April 1955.  

AE Williams worked on the railways and was a fireman.

Went to France WW1 (44th Battalion) and was injured in combat.  According to his discharge papers he had gunshot wounds to his Left foot, Rt knee and Rt Shoulder.  Uncle Keith (his son) tells me that pop lay injured on the battlefield and German soldiers went around hitting the knee of those lying there -smashing their knee - and if you flinched you were still alive, and were then stabbed with their bayonet.  Pop did not flinch and then lay for three days until rescued by the Salvation Army who gave him fruit cake and "plonk".  

His original war diary and uniform can be found in the Boulder War Museum.

Pt Albert Edward Williams Regimental No. 2651 44th Battalion

Enlised 31 July 1916 at Blackboy Hill, embarded Fremantle 9 November 1916 "Argyllshire", Disembarked Devonport 10 January 1917, Deployed to France 19 April 1917, wounded in action 10 June 1917, returned to Australia 25 August 1917, discharged 14 November 1917.


 
Sporting Notes
Posted 27 jul 2013 by seagreen33
Taken from a newspaper cutting, unfortunately no date.  Edited

Wagin V Collie

On Saturday last a B Grade team of footballers journeyed from Collie to try conclusions with a team selected from the Wagin Association.  There was a good attendance of the public who had anticipated a great struggle between the teams, but after the first quarter the home team showed their superiority in every department of the game, and ran out winners by 66 points.  The Wagin ruck was far too strong for the visitors and Arthur Madden and Tim Nelson, with Oxman roving, showed first class football, and always had the visitors thinking and were ably supported by L Piesse, H Taylor, J Cousins, E Lowther, H Hornby and others too numerous to mention.

Collies best men were Billie Williams, "Nugget" Wright, Jones, Murray, Weir, Pool and Suraski.  The final scores were Wagin 13.13, Collie 3.7.  Mr Jim Wansbrough umpired in a fair and impartial manner.

In the evening at 7 o'clock the Collie boys were entertained at dinner by the Wagin Football Association at Moran's Wagin Hotel. The Acting Mayor (Mr H S Goldsmith) presided.  After a hearty repast and the loyal toast had been honored, the Chairman proposed the toast of the visitors, and was supported by Messrs AE Reynolds and T McKEnna (On behalf of the Football Association).  All three speakers were in good form and treated their listeners to something extra special, and finished "hard held".  Mr Billie Williams responded on behalf of the Collie team, and said they were all pleased with the game of football and the kind manner in which they had been treated by the local residents. 
 
 
44th Battalion. Pop was (5th) Reinforcement
Posted 02 Jan 2015 by seagreen33
44th Battalion

The 44th Battalion was raised at Claremont, Western Australia in February 1916. It formed part of the 11th Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division, and soon became known as “Old Bill’s Thousand” after its first commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Mansbridge. The battalion left Australia on 6 June and proceeded to Britain for further training. It arrived in France on 27 November and entered the front line trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 29 December.

The 44th spent the bleak winter of 1916–17 alternating between service in the front line, and training and labouring in the rear areas. This routine was broken by only one major raid, an ill-fated effort involving almost half the battalion on 13 March 1917. The battalion fought in its first major battle at Messines, in Belgium, between 7 and 10 June. In the months that followed it was heavily employed in the Ypres sector, taking part in another major battle to capture Broodseinde Ridge on 7 June, and participating in costly defensive operations in horrendous conditions. Of the 992 men from the battalion who were involved in the Ypres operations, only 158 emerged unwounded when it was relieved for a rest on 21 October.

Belgium remained the focus of the 44th Battalion’s activities for another five months as it was rotated between service in the rear areas and the front line. When the German Army launched its last great offensive in March 1918, the battalion was rushed south to France and played a role in blunting the drive towards the vital railway junction of Amiens.

With the Germans’ last effort defeated the Allies began planning their own great offensive. The 44th took part in the preparatory battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918, and was part of the first wave when the offensive itself was launched on 8 August. Its involvement continued during the long advance that followed throughout August and into September. The 44th’s last major action of the war was fought between 29 September and 3 October 1918 as part of the Australian-American operation that breached the formidable defences of the Hindenburg Line along the St Quentin Canal. By this stage, the 44th was just about spent. It had crossed the Hamel start-line approximately 600-strong, but just on 80 men were relieved on 3 October. The battalion was out of the line when the war ended, and was disbanded in May 1919. Text from AWM

437 killed ,1346 wounded (including gassed)
44th Battalion AIF (Western Australia) [11th Infantry Brigade]
Formed Western Australia February 1916. Departed Fremantle Suevic 6 June 1916. 1st Reinforcements departed Fremantle Suevic 6 June 1916, 
2nd Reinforcements departed Fremantle Miltiades 9 August 1916, 
3rd Reinforcements departed Fremantle Suffolk 10 October 1916, 
4th Reinforcements departed Fremantle Port Macquarie 13 October 1916, 
5th Reinforcements departed Fremantle Argyllshire 9 November 1916,
6th Reinforcements departed Fremantle Beltana 6 December 1916, andPersic 29 December 1916, 
7th Reinforcements departed Fremantle Miltiades 29 January 1917, 
8th Reinforcements departed Fremantle Borda 29 June 1917, 
9th Reinforcements departed Albany Port Melbourne 24 July 1917.
Battle Honours: Messines 1917, Ypres 1917, Polygon Wood,  Broodeseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Somme 1918, Ancre 1918, Amiens, Albert 1918, Mont St Quentin, Hindenburg Line, St Quentin Canal, France and Flanders 1916-18