S21079
BISHOP, Albert Henry
| Service Number: | 1003 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 December 1915, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Basket Range, South Australia, Australia, April 1887 |
| Home Town: | Basket Range, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Died: | 18 January 1968, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Norton Summit Cemetery Grave |
| Memorials: | Woodside District of Onkaparinga Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Corporal, 1003, 43rd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Involvement Corporal, 1003, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Corporal, 1003, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement He was involved in the battle of Messiness | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lieutenant, 43rd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Life Before the War:
Born in approximately April 1887 in Basket Range South Australia, Albert Henry Bishop was a market gardener before enlisting in the AIF during World War I. Bishop’s next of kin was his mother, Alice Mary Bishop who was Methodist. Bishop was five feet and eight inches tall with a weight of around 60 kilograms, and his complexion was described as fresh with blue eyes and brown hair.
Life in Service:
On the 31st of December 1915, at the age of 28, Albert Henry Bishop enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and was issued with a Service Number of 1003. Bishop enlisted in Adelaide, South Australia and was assigned as a Junior Non-Commissioned Officer at the rank of Corporal to A Company of the 43rd Battalion. The 43rd Battalion was raised with volunteers from South Australia and formed part of Australia’s 3rd AIF Division. After undertaking a brief ab-initio training period in South Australia, Bishop with the other 1022 members of the 43rd Battalion embarked on the HMAT A19 Afric on the 9th of June 1916 and headed for England.
On arrival in England, the 43rd Battalion undertook further training on the Salisbury Plain. As a Section Commander within the 43rd Battalion, Corporal Bishop commanded up to ten Private soldiers. Unfortunately, shortly after arrival in England, Corporal Bishop was admitted to hospital on two separate occasions for medical ailments with the latter admission in September 1916 identified in archival records as a result of a bronchial infection. After spending three weeks in hospital, Bishop was released in early October 1916 and re-joined the 43rd Battalion in training in England.
Shortly after re-joining the 43rd Battalion, Corporal Bishop was identified as a suitable candidate to undertake Officer training. To be selected to undertake Officer training, Bishop must have demonstrated sound leadership skills and significant potential to lead soldiers in battle. On the 6th of December 1916, Bishop was posted to the No. 6 Officer Cadet Battalion which was based at Balliol College in Oxford England. Whilst undertaking Officer training archival records show that Bishop was again hospitalised with an unknown medical condition for a short period of time in February 1917. On the 30th March 1917, Bishop completed officer training with the other Australian cadets at Balliol College and was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant.
After a short time in England awaiting reinforcement orders, Second Lieutenant Bishop was deployed to France in early April 1917 and subsequently re-joined the 43rd Battalion on the Western Front on the 27th April 1917. From the 7th-14th June 1917, the 43rd Battalion was involved in its first significant action of the war, the Battle of Messines. It was during this battle that approximately 677 Australian lives were lost. Shortly after commanding a Platoon (30 soldiers) during the Battle of Messines, Second Lieutenant Bishop succumbed to a period of illness for a number of medical ailments. Bishop was hospitalised on 30th of June 1917 with stomach ulcers and was again hospitalised on the 1st of August 1917 with indigestion. It was during this second period of hospitalisation that Albert Bishop was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 17th August 1917. On the 8th September 1917, the now Lieutenant Bishop re-joined the 43rd Battalion who were currently undergoing training in the rear area of the Western Front. Shortly after this period of training the 43rd Battalion was involved in a number of significant battles along the Western Front including the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge and the Battle of Passchendaele. These battles proved costly for the AIF within excess of 2000 Australian soldiers losing their lives.
In the months following these ferocious battles, Lieutenant Bishop was again admitted to hospital on 4th December 1917 with an unknown illness. Archival records show that Lieutenant Bishop was not hospitalised for long, as on the 15th December 1917 he was granted a period of leave in Paris. After returning from leave, Lieutenant Bishop reported to his Unit Regimental Aid Post on the 21st of January 1918 with an infection. He was hospitalised with this condition on the 26th January 1918 and was subsequently released on 15th February 1918. Soon afterwards it was decided that his service as an officer was no longer required and the decision was made by his superiors to return him to Australia.
Life After the War:
Lieutenant Bishop commenced his return journey to Australia from England aboard the HT Gaika on the 17th May 1918. Lieutenant Bishop arrived in Australia on the 5th July 1918. His Service with the AIF was subsequently terminated on the 20th of July 1918. Little is known about Lieutenant Bishops’ life after returning to Australia, however he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service during World War I.