Anderson, Albert Andrew

No.5 Private Albert Andrew Anderson - 28^th Battalion AIF

Albert Andrew Anderson was born in Geelong Victoria in 1893 to Mr. and Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson. The family moved to Western Australia circa 1900 and took up residence in 167 Forrest Street Fremantle. (later renumbered 90 Forrest) Albert was educated locally and after leaving school he took up employment as a labourer. However in 1912 he joined the Royal Australian Navy. After initial training he was sent to the London Depot of the RAN and was given the rank of Stoker 2^nd class.

On the 18^th January 1913 Albert joined his first ship HMAS Melbourne and he served on this ship as a Stoker until the 26^th November 1913. The following day he was transferred to HMAS Yarra and he served on this ship until the 6^th April 1914. On the 7^th April he was transferred to HMAS Penguin but he did not remain there for long as on the 15^th May 1914 he was invalided out of the RAN.

Returning to the family home in Fremantle Albert soon found employment with the WA Government Railways as a fireman. He worked for them into early 1915. On the 12^th February 1915 Albert went to the Swan Barracks in Perth to enlist in the AIF. He was found to be fir for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height:                              5 feet 7 & ½ inches;

Weight:                              132 lbs;

Chest Measurement:          33-35 inches;

Complexion:                      Fresh;

Eyes:                                 Blue;

Hair:                                  Light;

Religious Denomination:    Church of England;

Distinctive Marks:              Tattoo of Britannia on upper right arm; Sailor and girl on upper left arm.

                     It seemed the tattoos were a reminder of Albert’s Navy days. After being accepted as fit for service Albert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.8 Depot Company. At one stage in early 1915 Western Australian troops were going to form two companies in the 24^th Battalion, and Albert was initially assigned to C Company of the 24^th Battalion. However it was soon realised there were enough recruits in WA to form a full Battalion, so the 24^th Battalion became a full Victorian unit and the new WA Battalion became the 28^th. Albert was assigned to ‘A’ Company of the 28^th Battalion with the regimental no.5.

The next few months were taken up with training as the 28^th Battalion prepared for service overseas. Their embarkation orders finally came through and on the 29^th June 1915 the 28^th Battalion boarded the HMAT Ascanius in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for Egypt. Reaching Egypt in late July, the battalion were disembarked and sent into camp however they were not to remain long in Egypt. At the beginning of September they boarded the HT Ivernia in Alexandria and set sail for the Dardanelles. On the 4^th September they arrived at Gallipoli, where after being disembarked they were directed to the northern sector of the battlefield, where they went into the trenches near the Apex. On the 21^st September Albert was sent to the 7^th Field Ambulance suffering from varicose but returned to his unit after five days rest. On the 14^th October 1915 when the battalion was stationed at lower Cheshire ridge he was evacuated to the 7^th Field Ambulance with an injury to his testicles. It seems he was also quite ill at the time so he didn’t return to the line until the 29^th October 1915. On the 21st November he was again sent to the Field Ambulance ill but returned a day later.

Albert was with the 28^th Battalion when they evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915. They had a few weeks at Lemnos Island and they then returned to Egypt on the 10^th January 1916. It appears that Albert remained with the 28^th Battalion, training in the desert for the next few months. However he was sent to the 3^rd Australian General hospital on the 14^th March with deformed feet and thus missed going with the 28^th Battalion as they sailed for France. Albert remained in hospital in Egypt until the 2^nd June 1916, when he boarded the HT Minnetonka in Alexandria Harbour and sailed for England, reaching Plymouth on the 12^th June.

Albert would remain in England for the next two months and as he had been diagnosed with flat feet he would be returning to Australia. On the 8^th August 1916 he boarded the HT Marathon and set sail for Australia, disembarking in Fremantle on the 24^th September 1916. He was officially discharged from the AIF on the 24^th November 1916. He resumed work for the WA Government Railways as a fireman and in 1918 he married Winifred Dixon and they would have five children; Albert, Desmond, Aileen, Doreen and Joan.

Two of his children served in World War Two and survived unscathed. By the 1960’s Albert was living in West Perth and he died in 1968. His wife Winifred died in 1994.