Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Aleric (Alec) was born on 12 Nov 1900 at Mundoora (SA) to Thomas Dick and Alice Edith Dick (nee Cooper). He was the eldest of 10 children in the family, 7 boys and 3 girls. His family lived at Mundoora SA, where his father was a farmer. The family moved to Brooker in 1913. After the droughts followed by the floods of 1914 - 16 the family relocated to Warratta Vale in 1917 and share farmed for Mr. Monfries.
Aleric went to school at the Brooker Provisional School, which had been opened in 1912, leaving after completing Grade 7. He then worked on the farm at Warratta Vale, until his enlistment in the Army on 3 Nov 1918 at Port Lincoln. At the time he gave his occupation as Labourer and his address as Warratta Vale.
After enlistment he was sent to Adelaide for processing at the Adelaide Town Hall before being sent to Mitcham Camp for basic training, apparently being attached to Base Light Horse. However the Armistice was signed on 11 Nov 1918 and he was then granted leave on 12 Nov 1918 to return to Tumby Bay whilst awaiting the finalisation of his discharge “due to the cessation of hostilities”, which was completed on 18 Nov 1918.
He remained on the farm at Warratta Vale until the early 1920s before leaving for Elliston, undertaking general labouring in that area. It was whilst here that he met and married Mary Edith Enright on 1 May 1923 at Polda (near Kyancutta).
The couple started their family at Elliston before moving to Kyancutta and opening a store. They had their second child at this location. Unfortunately his wife died on 9 Oct 1927 and with two young children he had little option but to sell the business.
On 1 Oct 1932 Aleric remarried to Marjorie Fraser Cameron of Adelaide. He returned to the Tumby Bay/Port Neill area and operated a carrier business after purchasing a Berlie Truck and trailer unit. It was a solid rubber tyred outfit and was capable of carrying very heavy loads for its time. The unit became well known in the area. He continued in this business until the mid1930s and then moved to Adelaide with his family and opened a green grocer business at Kilkenny (SA). His 2 sons went to school at Kilkenny.
He re-enlisted in the Army on 13 Jan 1942 and was posted to 1st Battalion (Bn), Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC); this unit was known as the Western Region Bn. The VDC was an Australian part-time volunteer military force of World War II modelled on the British Home Guard. It was established in July 1940 by the RSL and was initially composed of ex-servicemen who had served in World War I . The Federal Government took over control of the VDC in May 1941, and expanded the role of the Corps to training for guerrilla warfare, collecting local intelligence and providing static defence of each Bn home area. Following the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, the Government increased the VDC in Feb 1942. Membership was opened to men aged between 18 and 60, including those working in reserved occupations. As a result, the VDC reached a total strength of almost 100,000 in units across Australia. As the threat to Australia declined the VDC's role changed from static defence to operating anti-aircraft artillery, coastal artillery and searchlights. Members of inland VDC units were freed from having to attend regular training in May 1944 and the VDC was officially disbanded on 24 Aug 1945.
Aleric returned full time to the store and remained there until his death on 8 Nov 1960. He was cremated and his ashes interred in Centennial Park at Springbank