Follington, Albert William

3146 - Albert William Follington – 34th Battalion AIF

Albert William Follington was born in Ryde NSW in 1891, one of nine children born to Edwin and Amelia Follington. All the children were born in NSW, Edwin (1884), Herbert (1885), Harold, (1887), Amelia (1888), Beatrice (1890), Emily (1892), Elise (1893) and Stella (1895). Albert received his early education in NSW but in 1896 the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in Spearwood, which was then in the Fremantle district. Edwin worked for the WA Government Railways, became a justice of the peace and was also a member of the Fremantle Roads Board.

His son Albert continued his education in Fremantle and then soon found employment as a Shoeing Smith. He was working at this trade when he enlisted in the AIF at the Swan Barracks in Perth on the 7^th October 1916. The medical examiner found him to be fit for service and listed his physical attributes as;

Height:                                     5 feet 3 inches;

Weight:                                    106lbs;

Chest Measurement:               30-33 inches;

Complexion:                            Fresh;

Eyes:                                       Grey;

Hair:                                        Fair;

Religious Denomination:         Church of England

Distinctive Marks:                    Nil.

Upon his successful enlistment Albert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.93 Training Depot. He spent just under a month here and on the 2^nd December 1916 he was transferred into the 8^th Reinforcements to the 46^th Battalion AIF. Albert spent the next four weeks training with this group but just after Christmas 1916 they received their departure orders and on the 29^th December Albert boarded the HMAT Persic in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for England. The sea journey took just over two months as the ship berthed at Devonport on the 3^rd March 1917.

The men were then disembarked and sent to the 12^th Training Battalion at Codford Camp on the Salisbury Plains. Albert would spend the next several months in England, for as well as his infantry training at Codford, he was selected to attend signalling school which added a few more months to his time in England. So between Albert’s work at the 12^th Training Battalion and No.4 Group Signal School, he remained in England until November 1917. The men were given leave during this time to see the sights of England though in October Albert took a few days unauthorised leave. After he returned to camp he had to face Lt Colonel Edmund Drake Brockman, the camp commander, and Albert was subsequently given 10 days of Field Punishment No.2 and had to forfeit 12 days pay.

After Albert had passed his course work at the Signal School, he returned for a short stint to the 12^th Training Battalion. He was then put in a draft of soldiers leaving camp for the Western Front. On the 6^th November 1917 Albert left Southampton on a transport ship and sailed across the Channel for France, where upon arrival the men were marched in to the 4^th Australian Division Base Depot at Le Havre. Albert had a few days in this depot but while he was here he was reallotted to a different unit. While Albert had been expecting to join the 46^th Battalion, the 34^th Battalion of the 3^rd Division was in need of signallers and thus Albert was transferred to this Battalion. The 34^th had been severely mauled during the Passchendaele action in October and were still rebuilding their numbers. Albert was taken on strength on the 11^th November 1917 when they were in billets in the town of Bleu. The 34^th Battalion then went to the front line trenches at Pont Rouge near Ploegsteert. It was a quieter part of the front line in the cold winter conditions but the Germans still regularly bombarded the trenches. On the 26^th November Albert was badly concussed by a shell and also slightly wounded but remained on duty due to the importance of his signalling work though he was patched up at the 9^th Field Ambulance.

When the 34^th Battalion was relieved from the front line trenches they returned to their billets and on the 5^th December Albert reported sick to the Medical Officer. It seems that the concussion of the exploding shell had caused a paralysis in Albert’s body, the medical term of which was Hemiplegia. This was identified by the Medical Officer at the 9^th Field Ambulance and after two days of no improvement being shown, on the 7^th December Albert was transferred to the 2^nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. Albert was then transferred on to the 14^th General Hospital at Wimereux. He spent six days here and on the 13^th December Albert was put aboard a hospital ship bound for England.

Albert was admitted to the King George Hospital in Stanford where he remained for the next month under treatment. On the 16^th January 1918 Albert was transferred to the 3^rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital, where over the next fortnight his condition improved, as on the 2nd February Albert was granted two weeks leave from Hospital. Though his condition had improved a medical examination showed that due to the cerebral concussion Albert would not be fit for active service for at least six months so it was decided to send him home.

Once he finished his leave on the 16^th February, Albert reported to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth where he waited a passage on a ship for return to Australia. On the 12^th March 1918 Albert boarded the Hospital Ship Kenilworth Castle. After sailing home via Egypt Albert reached Fremantle on the 13^th May 1918 where he was disembarked and sent to No.8 AGH in South Terrace Fremantle. He was soon released from hospital and was discharged from the AIF on the 23^rd June 1918.

After his release from hospital Albert returned home to Spearwood where he soon found work as a Gardener. In 1919 he married his sweetheart Frances Coram in Wesley Church South Fremantle. Albert had a long life, dying on the 21^st August 1966 aged 75. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery and is memorialised in Niche Wall B0001.