SAVAGE, Alfred Fordham
| Service Number: | 481 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 September 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Busselton, Western Australia , 1894 |
| Home Town: | Busselton, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Busselton State School, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Sleeper Hewer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 10 August 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Heath Cemetery, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Balingup War Memorial Clock, Busselton Cenotaph Victoria Square, Busselton Rotary Park Of Remembrance War Memorial, Busselton Rotary Park of Remembrance Memorial Walk, Kirup War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 481, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1914: | Involvement Private, 481, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1914: | Embarked Private, 481, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Fremantle | |
| 10 Aug 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 481, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 481 awm_unit: 11 Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1918-08-10 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Joy Dalgleish
Busselton Dunsborough Mail
Feb 26 2015
Among the first ashore at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, was the WA-raised 11th Battalion and within those ranks was Private Alfred Fordham Savage, the first man in Busselton to enlist into the Army after Australia entered World War 1.
Savage was born in Busselton in 1894 within a settler family; his father was James Savage and mother, Hannah. After schooling, Savage worked as a sleeper hewer at Kirrup. He would have become used to the company of men, a valuable skill for someone who would later join up. Savage answered the call to arms, after war was declared and was first through the doors at the Busselton enlistment depot on 1 September 1914. He was given service number 481 and joined recruits from throughout the state at Blackboy Hill in Greenmount, near Perth.
Two months later, Private Savage, part of D Company, 11th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, embarked from Fremantle aboard Transport A11 Ascanius, bound for the staging and training ground in Egypt.
The WA battalion continued to serve in Gallipoli until the evacuation in December, eight months later. Savage then saw action on the Western Front, rising in rank to sergeant. He took part in the last big push at the Battle of Amiens in northern France in August 1918.
While it was the battle that broke the German resolve, it was a battle too far for Sgt Savage. His service record simply states that he “was killed by machine gun bullets”.
A fellow 11th Bn sergeant wrote of the death of another comrade in the same attack on the same day; we can only speculate that Sgt Savage met a similar fate. Sgt F.M. Steel: "He was hit on 10th Aug, about 8am, just as we hopped off for the attack on Crepy Wood. We were only a few yards behind when he was hit.I saw him lying dead as we passed. He had been hit in the body by several M.G. bullets”. Sgt Savage’s name is engraved on the Busselton Cenotaph.
Acknowledgements and thanks:
Local resident, Joy Dalgleish, who researched the names on the Busselton Cenotaph.
Busselton Public Library for its help and access to records.
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