Pady, Albert Edward
3225 Private Albert Edward Pady - 28th Battalion AIF
Albert Edward Pady was born in Exeter Devonshire England circa 1863 to John and Elizabeth Pady. He grew up in the town of Colyton in Devon and received his early schooling here. When he left school Albert took up a Bakery apprenticeship.
Albert Pady came out to Western Australia as a 21-year-old in 1883 aboard the ship Iberia.
After arriving in Western Australia, Albert took up working as a baker but soon became involved in the local Bakers Union. This soon grew to involve with work with other Unions in Fremantle and soon Albert was working out of Trades Hall.
In 1896 in Fremantle Albert married Alice Atkin and they took up residence at 54 Wardie Street South Fremantle (now 35 Wardie). They had a daughter Lorna born in Coolgardie in 1902 and Ilma in South Fremantle in 1912.
They family owned this property in Wardie Street from 1909 to 1944.
Albert was a Union organiser and was featured quite often in the newspapers of the time particularly the Westralian Worker. He had also been a president of the Fremantle Trades Hall Association. He represented a wide variety of workers groups from miners, bakers to dairy workers.
In the 1890's and 1900's he also was involved in cricket and soccer matches representing teams from Coolgardie and Fremantle over different years.
In the 1st December 1912 issue, the Sunday Times ran an interesting piece on Albert, part of which is below;
Albert was also a Justice of the Peace on the Fremantle Court Bench in the years prior to the Great War.
Despite being an unionist, Albert seemingly had no hesitation in enlisting into the Australian Imperial Force in the Great War. His father had been a soldier in India and his great grandfather had fought at the Battle of Waterloo.
On the 19th August 1915, despite being over 50 years old, Albert enlisted into the AIF. He had put his age down as 44, but was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 6 & 3/4 inches tall;
Weight - 164lbs;
Chest Measurement - 36-38 inches;
Complexion - Dark;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Dark Brown.
Upon his successful enlistment Albert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to No.27 Training Depot. At this camp he was taken through the basics of infantry work. He spent a few weeks here and on the 1st November 1915 he was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements to the 28th battalion.
On the 18th January 1916 Albert and his reinforcement group boarded the transport ship HMAT Medic in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for Egypt. After reaching Egypt in February 1916, the 28th Battalion was already at it's full umbers so Albert was sent to the 7th Training Battalion. This group departed from Egypt on the 21st March 1916 and set sail for France, disembarking at Marseilles on the 27th March 1916.
Albert and the reinforcements were then sent to Etaples where the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot was being established. He spent the next two months in Etaples and on the 9th June 1916 was taken on strength of the 28th Battalion.
In July and August 1916 the 28th battalion saw action on the Somme at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm. On the 29th July 1916 the 28th Battalion attacked the German trenches at Pozieres but as the area they advanced on was raised the Germans were able to pour a devastating fire of machine guns and artillery into the advancing men. Albert was buried by a shell but was dug out unwounded. Though the attack failed, the survivors tried again on August 4th 1916 when the vital windmill position was captured.
On the 1st September 1916 Albert was sent to hospital ill and was diagnosed with pleurisy. He was first admitted to the 3rd Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne and was then transferred to No.26 General Hospital at Etaples where it was also diagnosed that Albert was suffering from debility. On the 9th October 1916 he was then sent to England where he was admitted to the County of London War Hospital in Epsom. While in hospital he wrote home a letter which was published in the Westralian Worker;
On the 17th November 1916 Albert was sent to No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs. Three days later he was granted a generous period of furlough and did not have to report back to camp until the 26th December 1916. Albert's fitness level had been downgraded to C1 so he would not be going back to France anytime soon.
In January 1917 the medical authorities recommended that Albert be returned to Australia. He would remain at No.1 Command Depot Camp at Codford until he was assigned a berth on a ship home.
On the 13th April 1917 he left Codford and proceeded to Weymouth where he went to No.2 Command Depot Camp.
On the 4th May 1917 Albert boarded the hospital transport ship Runic at Devonport England, and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 26th June 1917.
After disembarking in Fremantle, Albert was sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle and was given a full medical assessment. It was then that Albert told the authorities that he was 52 years old, whereas he was closer to 55. It was found that being buried by the shell at Pozieres had exacerbated his health issues, including muscle weakness and increased his debility and senility.
Albert was discharged from the AIF on the 19th December 1917.
After his return from the war, Albert became involved in helping returned soldiers and was also prominent in the pro conscription movement. One such pro conscription meeting at the Miners Institute in Mt Magnet was described in the Mount Magnet Miner newspaper, and among the speakers was Albert Pady; Part of the transcript read;
Albert was President of the Fremantle branch of the Returned soldiers Association. He continued this association through the 1920's and 30's and was also on the State Executive Committee.
On the 6th September 1941 Albert was crossing the road at the intersection of Mandurah Road (now south terrace) and Charles Street South Fremantle when he was hit by a car and was killed.
Albert Pady was buried in Fremantle Cemetery plot Anglican MonA6 0234.