MACDONALD (MCDONALD), Alfred Robert
| Service Numbers: | 2411, VX101279, V145472 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 April 1915, Swan Hill, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Auxiliary Horse Transport Company/ies |
| Born: | Balranald, New South Wales, 31 March 1897 |
| Home Town: | Swan Hill, Swan Hill, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Natural causes, Swan Hill, Victoria, 1962 |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2411, Swan Hill, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2411, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne | |
| 16 Jul 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2411, 5th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2411, 5th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 17 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 57th Infantry Battalion | |
| 27 Feb 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 57th Infantry Battalion | |
| 2 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 57th Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Oct 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Sergeant, 57th Infantry Battalion | |
| 25 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Sergeant, 2411, 57th Infantry Battalion, Villers-Bretonneux, Gas | |
| 29 Sep 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Sergeant, 2411, 57th Infantry Battalion, Breaching the Hindenburg Line - Cambrai / St Quentin Canal, 2nd occasion - GSW (right ankle) | |
| 5 Oct 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Sergeant, 2411, 57th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 17 Sep 1942: | Enlisted Private, VX101279, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 1942: | Involvement V145472 | |
| 3 Feb 1944: | Discharged Private, VX101279, Auxiliary Horse Transport Company/ies |
Help us honour Alfred Robert Macdonald (Mcdonald)'s service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Victor Stewart
Embarkation Roll (www.awm.gov.au) has incorrectly spelled Surname MCDONALD
Alf in 1915 enlisted with the AIF for service abroad and saw action with the 5th Infantry Battalion in Gallipoli. On his return to Egypt, Alf joined the 57th Infantry Battalion on its formation at Tel-El-Kebir.
The 57th Infantry Battalion was raised in Egypt on 18 February 1916 as part of the doubling of the AIF. Half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 5th Battalion and the other half fresh reinforcements from Australia. In June 1916, the Battalion moved from Egypt to France as part of the move of the Australian Divsions to the Western Front. This led to Alf participating in some of the most significant actions on the Western Front involving Australian troops, including the battles of Fromelles (July 1916), Villers-Bretonneux (April 1918), Peronne (September 1918) and the Hindenberg Line (September 1918).
Alf was gassed during the legendary counter attack on 25 April 1918 by the 15th Brigade led by General Pompey that recaptured Villers Bretonneux and turned the tide of the War. He was wounded a second time in the Battle for St Quentin Canal on 29 September 1918.
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