DING, Albert Wonesford
| Service Number: | 62794 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st to 3rd (WA) and (TAS) Reinforcements |
| Born: | Goolwa, South Australia, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Beverley, Beverley, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fitter |
| Died: | Died of Illness, Australia, 13 December 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia Karrakatta General Cemetery, Karrakatta, Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Beverley District Honour Roll WW1, Beverley St Mary's Anglican Church Lynchgate, Beverley War Memorial, Coogee "Boonah" Tragedy Memorial, Kings Park Western Australia State War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Oct 1918: | Involvement Private, 62794, 1st to 3rd (WA) and (TAS) Reinforcements, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 1918: | Embarked Private, 62794, 1st to 3rd (WA) and (TAS) Reinforcements, HMAT Boonah, Fremantle | |
| 13 Dec 1918: | Involvement Private, 62794, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 62794 awm_unit: 3rd General Service Reinforcements awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-12-13 |
Private Albert Wonesford Ding
The troopship, 'Boonah' arrived back in Fremantle in 1918 bearing soldiers infected with the Spanish Flu then rampant in South Africa where the ship had docked. A number of the soldiers, quarantined at Woodman Point, and the nurses attending them died.
Albert died from that disease on 13 December 1918 and was buried at East Rockingham cemetery the following day (ER: RC1). On 20 January 1920 he was re-interred at Karrakatta (Ang OC 0059). He was 42 years of age, from Beverley, WA (originally Goolwa, SA).
A room in the museum at the former quarantine station, and a Boonah memorial outside the former Isolation Hospital commemorates the tragic loss of life. Michael and other men and women were also honoured at a Boonah Century Commemoration Ceremony at the former quarantine station in December 2018.
62794 Private / A.W. Ding / Australian Imperial Force / 13th December 1918 / Deeply mourned and sadly / missed by wife and sons.
AWM Roll of Honour, Panel 185.
Lest We Forget.
Footnote:
The grant on Albert's grave expired and 'renewal' status is complete.
In May 2025, Journalist Ben Harvey, highlighted the sad issue of the removal of hundreds of veterans' headstones and of gravesites being squeezed in either side of the original plot in a renewal process. His Youtube video, titled 'Yes We Forget' highlights four examples. According to the Department of Veterans' Affairs, for a period of time, the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board has been working with the State RSLWA and the OAWG to assess whether any of these commemorations could be reinstated at the site of internment. This process is ongoing at this time.
Submitted 31 May 2025 by gail dodd