99217
ELLIOTT, Alfred Frederick
| Service Number: | 5091 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Penwortham, South Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Port Pirie, Port Pirie City and Dists, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Stevedore |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 5091, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 5091, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Adelaide |
Help us honour Alfred Frederick Elliott's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Alfred Frederick Elliott was a soldier during World War One. He was born in Penwortham, South Australia sometime around 1872, located 120 kilometres north of Adelaide and just south of Clare. At some point in his life, he moved further north to Port Pirie where he settled down with his wife, Susanah, whom he had three children with by the time he had enlisted. Elliott worked as a Stevedore; a dock worker who would help to unload cargo from ships and boats before we had the aid of machinery. By the time he enlisted for the war in November of 1915 he was 43, nearly 44, years old. Elliott felt that it was his right to serve, even with his established life at home his country came first. Because his job was so physically demanding, he was in great physical condition. If it were not for his job he likely would have been turned away by the AIF or failed the medical exam for being too old and unfit.
Elliott embarked to France on August 18, 1916, on HMAT A9 Shropshire, a ship leased to the Commonwealth by a steamboat company to transport soldiers to and from Britain. By the 25th of August he was given his place in the 10th Battalion where he stayed until the end of the war. Some time during his service he changed Regimental numbers however this did not have him move battalions.
Time on the Western front was gruelling for many soldiers, Alfred Frederick Elliott included. Conditions were poor, records and photos depict dirty trenches overflowing with rats, dead bodies, broken machinery, and disease. Elliott succumbed to an illness during an important battle for his battalion in Merris Sector, France. This did not hold him for long, only missing out on about a day of fighting. In this battle, his battalion suffered several casualties with him luckily escaping without any damage.
Elliott was a brave and noble soldier; his talents were recognised when he was put into the position of acting lance-corporal for a brief period near the end of the war. Likely, the lance-corporal assigned to his Reinforcement was temporarily sick or injured, meaning they were in need for someone to step in. He could have been elevated to this position for a number of reasons, most likely his bravery or seniority being that he was one of the oldest soldiers in his battalion and one of only a few to not suffer a serious injury at some point. He was hospitalised overnight on the 4th July 1918 for the reason of dental - most likely to for a tooth extraction.
After nearly 4 years of service from 1915 to 1919, Elliott was honourably discharged and returned home to Australia. He came back to his family in Port Pirie and continued his job as a Stevedore. He was extremely lucky to have survived the war intact and without any injuries. F
Elliott embodied the Anzac spirit through his blind bravery and courage. He left his established life behind to fight for his country which definitely would have been hard especially before the ability to instantly communicate with people across the globe that we have now. On the theatres of war, he showed his bravery through his ability to step into leadership positions when he was told to do so. He fought bravely and endure four tiresome years abroad to protect Australia’s right to freedom and justice. Though his battalion may not have always been successful, he heroically fought onwards, showing his Anzac Spirit.
Bibliography
Service records:
· Terrace, V 2022, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3538283&S=1&R=0
Enlistment Form:
· Terrace, V 2022, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3538283
Medals:
· ACT, R 2022, Department of Defence, Defence.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards/medals/imperial-awards/world-war-one/1914-1915-star
· ACT, R 2022, Department of Defence, Defence.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards/medals/imperial-awards/world-war-one/british-war-medal-1914-20
· ACT, R 2022, Department of Defence, Defence.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards/medals/imperial-awards/world-war-one/victory-medal
· Embarkation Roll:
· 2022, Amazonaws.com, viewed 6 April 2022, https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1067552/large/5372277.JPG
Unit Diaries:
· AWM4 23/27/10 - August 1916 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1355635?image=2
· AWM4 23/27/29 - March 1918 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1341861?image=4
· AWM4 23/27/21 - July 1917 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1341853?image=2
· 10th Battalion – July 1918 | A World Away | South Australia’s War 2022, Sa.gov.au, viewed 6 April 2022, https://southaustraliaswar.history.sa.gov.au/blog-posts/10th-battalion-july-1918/