MEECH, Albert
| Service Number: | 4735 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 25th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Inglewood, Queensland, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Inglewood, Goondiwindi, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 14 November 1916, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Warlencourt British Cemetery Also commemorated on a family grave - Bald Hills Cemetery. , Warlencourt British Cemetery, Warlencourt-Eaucourt, Arras, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Inglewood War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4735, 25th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 4735, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Mooltan embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 12 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 4735, 25th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mooltan, Sydney |
A family united in spirit
While sweeping and weeding up at my cemetery (Bald Hills Cemetery) on Anzac Day a closer glance at the Meech family plot revealed another Anzac memorial.
The words; "Also his two sons killed in France.14 Nov 1916." With no service number I began my online search for those two young men.Finding William accompanied with a photo was just magic.Albert took a little longer to find,but oh what joy when his name matched the dates and that of his parents, William and Ellen Meech of Inglewood .
Both from Inglewood they both enlisted on 30th September,1915 at Toowoomba,Qld.They embarked together on 12 th April,1916 from Sydney,NSW,on board RMS"Mooltan."They served together in 25th Battalion/12th reinforcement.They died in the same battle on the same day in the Somme.Albert's remains are at Warlencourt New British Cemetery,Pas-de-Calais,France.William is buried in Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.Albert was 23 and William was 24.
So, just a closer look at a marble headstone and ANZAC Royalty was revealed. I feel so privileged to research young Anzacs. I have made it my business to read about their experiences at Gallipoli and the Western Front. They lived it and I wanted to know exactly what horrors they faced.
Lest we forget Helen Holdey
Submitted 30 May 2016 by Sharyn Roberts
Click images to start slideshow.