22430
NEAVE, Albert George Ferdinand
| Service Number: | 131 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 August 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Semaphore, South Australia, 6 October 1890 |
| Home Town: | Exeter, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter, S.A.R |
| Died: | Somerton, South Australia, 19 August 1968, aged 77 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Minlaton War Memorial WW1, Peterhead Glanville School Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Morphettville, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 131, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 131, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide |
WW1
The details provided are taken from the book "Stealth Raiders - a few daring men in 1918" written by Lucas Jordan, published 2017, refer to pages 173+4, plus page 272. The personal details and service history covers his service in the 10th Infantry Battalion, but also has detail of one memorable activity in the reference, plus his promotion to Acting CSM of the company in which he served.
Submitted 17 March 2020 by Maxwell HILL
Biography
"NO TIME FOR THE BAYONET. TURKS DISLIKE THE COLD STEEL.
Sergeant A. G. F. Neave, D Compary, Infantry, who was wounded in the Dardanelles, writes to his mother, Port road, Hindmarsh, as follows:-
"I am well except for a punctured left leg. I am in the Victoria Hospital at Alexandria, and am being looked after all right. I could not send a cable, as I am nearly broke, and did not have enough money. All day Sunday (April 25) we had a pretty bad time. Sunday night we held our own. On Monday we had the best of the go. At times shrapnel bullets were falling like hail. The enemy are not too good with their rifles. The machine and big guns are fair. They have no time for the bayonet. If you go at them with it they empty their rifles at you, and then about turn, and go like one thing. On Sunday the enemy had great pleasure in dropping 13 stretcher-bearers, and using the bayonets on the wounded. On Monday while two stretcher-bearers were carrying a man, both fell to bullets. One Turk about 18, was caught in our trench dressed in Australian uniform, sniping officers. It is strange the number of officers and N.C.O.'s who were dropped in D Company. There were the sergeant-major, quartermaster-sergeant, five sergeants, and three corporals that I know of. Two corporals and a sergeant-major never reached the shore; the remainder had a little time in the line! I was well enjoying the time from 1.30 a.m., Sunday, until 2.30 p.m., on Monday. Then I had to keep under cover until 9 p.m., when I left the trench I started to walk without help, but had only got 50 yards, when I had to be assisted the rest of the way to the beach. That was about two miles. My leg is a bit stiff, but I can walk a little. I thought about three weeks; the doctor says a month, and then I go back. There is no need to worry about me, as we have gone through the worst. We landed against big odds. They were 10 to 1 against us. We had a big loss, but it had to be, for us to get there at all. When we landed they had everything ready for us, big guns, machine guns, rifles, explosive bullets, and dum dums. We had rifles and bayonets, and after daylight the warships. I hope when you receive this I shall be in the firing line again." - from the Adelaide Daily Herald 19 Jul 1915 (nla.gov.au)
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