Williams, Albert Andrew

3447 Corporal Albert Andrew Williams - 6th Field Company Engineers

Albert Andrew Williams was born in Swindon Wiltshire England in 1888 to James and Beatrice Williams.

He was educated in Wiltshire and after leaving school took up an apprenticeship in being a Blacksmith.

In 1912 he travelled to Western Australia and took up residence in North Fremantle. In 1913 Albert married Blanche Annie Welshman, the Welshman's having recently arrived in North Fremantle from Gloucester. During 1912/13 Bert was working for the WA Government Railways

Albert and Blanche took up residence at Marybrow Cottage in John Street North Fremantle later moving to Harvest Road North Fremantle. A son Albert was born in 1913 and followed by Leopold in 1914.

Albert was working as a blacksmith in North Fremantle when he enlisted into the AIF.

On the 24th July 1915 Albert enlisted and was accepted for service. The medical examiner recorded his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 9 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 144lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Dark Grey;

Hair - Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment Bert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.19 Depot Company which is where he was taken through basic infantry training.

He was then assigned to the Engineering reinforcements and as the engineering reinforcements were largely trained in Victoria and NSW, Albert was sent east and on the 16th September 1915 was assigned to "C" Section of the 6th Field Company Engineers.

On the 23rd November 1915 Albert embarked from Sydney aboard the transport ship, and the ship set sail for Egypt, arriving in Suez four weeks after departing Sydney.

After arriving Albert fell ill and was admitted to hospital for a few weeks but soon recovered.

On the 8th March 1916 Bert was appointed Lance Corporal and a fortnight later, as part of the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division AIF, they left Egypt and proceeded to France, arriving at Marseilles on the 27th March 1916.

After arriving in Marseilles, Bert and his unit were entrained north to the Armentieres region. They would have their first taste of Western Front trench life in this sector.

They remained in the Armentieres sector till June 1916, and after a short stint at Messines, were sent to the Somme battlefield.

On the 12th July 1916 Bert was promoted to the rank of 2nd Corporal.

On the 28th July 1916 the 6th Field Company Engineers went into the line at Pozieres, and they were there until relieved a week later. After a short break they went into the line again in August to support the infantry's attack at Mouquet Farm.

Bert survived the actions on the Somme and in September 1916 the unit was sent north to Belgium near Ypres which was at the time a quieter part of the front.

On the 29th September 1916 Bert reported ill and was found to be suffering with varicocele (enlarged veins). He was given medical treatment in France but was then shipped to England. This condition seemed to be a byproduct of venereal disease.

Until he was well again his fitness level was reduced to B2a which meant that he was not physically fit enough to serve at the front.

Bert remained in England through 1917, alternating between hospital visits and the training camps. His fitness was constantly being assessed but he was not well enough to return to the Western Front.

This persisted into 1918 and as he was not showing signs of improvement it was decided to return Bert to Australia.

On the 5th April 1918 he boarded the troopship A30 and set sail for home.  

After reaching Fremantle, Albert was discharged from the AIF on the 6th June 1918.

He returned home to North Fremantle and resumed his career as a Blacksmith.

Bert and Blanche had more children, Ralph in 1919, John in 1920 and Jim in 1924.

In 1925 the family were living at Ainslie Road North Fremantle and Bert was working as a storeman. Albert continued living in North Fremantle for most of his life.

Albert died in Subiaco in 1970 aged 81