ALSTON, Andrew Giffen
| Service Number: | 1786 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 37th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Wahgunyah, Victoria, Australia, 5 July 1895 |
| Home Town: | Corowa, Corowa Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Corowa Superior Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 28 January 1917, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres Plot III, Row E, Grave No. 32, Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres, Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Corowa War Memorial, Daysdale Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1786, 37th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 1786, 37th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 1786, 37th Infantry Battalion, RMS Orontes, Melbourne |
Help us honour Andrew Giffen Alston's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Andrew's father died in 1906 and his mother, two brothers and three sisters lived on a farm at Coreen near Corowa NSW. The local papers reported that he was he was given a send off at the Coreen Hall in 1916 and that he was one of the finest young fellows in the district. His loss was particularly hard on his mothers and sisters as he was the only single son in the family.
From his Red Cross Wounded and Missing file Alston was killed in action during a raid on the German trenches at Houplines by the 37th Battalion on 28 January 1917. The wire was not cut and casualties were heavy, the enemy machine guns opened fire whilst the raiders were trying to get over the wire and they did not get into the enemy trenches. Alston was severely wounded on the return trip and died about an hour later. 13 men from the unit were killed during this raid.