Austin, Herbert

3307 Private Herbert Austin 57th Battalion AIF

Herbert Austin was born on the 22nd May 1878 in Baildon Yorkshire to Jonathan and Adah Austin. He was one of six siblings, with, Illingworth (1864), Anne (1868), Sarah (1871), Alfred (1873) and John (1876). He was educated in Yorkshire, with the family living at Thornton in Bradford.

The 1901 English census shows Herbert living at Glass Houghton Yorkshire and was listed as working as a coal miner.

Herbert migrated to Australia circa 1910 and took up residence in Fremantle Western Australia. In 1912 he was living at 314 Mandurah Road Fremantle and was listed as working as a labourer. He was also listed as living at 256 Mandurah Road where he was residing with the Piggott family. 

His father Jonathan was listed as his next of kin when he originally enlisted but sadly, Jon died in Yorkshire in 1916.

On the 4th March 1915 Herbert enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment, with the medical officer recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 6 inches;

Weight - 155lbs;

Chest Measurement - 35-38 inches;

Complexion - Medium-Dark;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment Herb was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp. He was initially assigned to No.10 Depot Company where he was taken through some basic infantry training. However he was soon assigned to "D" Company of the 24th Battalion.

Initially D Company of the 24th Battalion was going to be the Western Australian contribution to the 2nd Australian Division however it soon became evident that there were enough men to form a complete Battalion so the 24th Battalion became a purely Victorian Battalion and a new unit was formed in WA called the 28th Battalion.

Herbert was assigned to "B" Company of the 28th Battalion with the regimental number 205. He trained in WA with his new Battalion until the 6th June 1916 when they departed from Fremantle Harbour aboard the transport ship HMAT Ascanius. The ship then set sail for Egypt. The men were then disembarked and sent to the 2nd Australian Division training area.

While in Egypt Herbert contracted venereal disease and after initial hospital treatment was sent back to Australia. On the 4th August 1916 he boarded the transport ship Port Lincoln and was shipped back to Australia. He was disembarked in Port Melbourne and set to a venereal disease hospital.

After recovering Herbert re-enlisted and was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements to the 21st Battalion AIF. He trained with this group at Broadmeadows Camp in Victoria. On the 17th November 1915 Herbert and his group embarked from Port Melbourne on the transport ship HMAT Wiltshire.

They arrived in Egypt in December 1915 and were then sent into the AIF reinforcement camp.  Herbert and his group would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli, but with that battlefield being evacuated, Herbert and the other reinforcements were retained in Egypt.

The 21st Battalion returned to Egypt from Gallipoli in January 1916 but Herbert never joined them. Due to the large amount of reinforcements then in Egypt it was decided to form two new Australian Divisions. In February 1916 Herbert was sent to join the 60th Battalion AIF. He spent two weeks with this unit and was then transferred to the 57th Battalion AIF.

The 57th Battalion trained in Egypt from March to May 1916. In June 1916 they departed for France and after arriving at Marseilles were entrained north for the Armentieres sector.

Just after arriving in this sector they were sent into the front line. Shortly after arriving the 57th Battalion, which was part of the 5th Division were sent into action at the Battle of Fromelles.  The 15th Brigade had the hardest task in capture the German line near the Sugar Loaf Salient. No Mans Land was very wide at this point and the advancing Australians were mown down by the German fire. The 57th Battalion were in support during this attack so did not got forward with its sister battalions but they still sustained casualties.

Fortunately Herbert came through the Fromelles action unscathed. As the 57th Battalion had the least casualties in their Brigade, they took the brunt of the forward work over the next few months.

On the 19th August 1916 Herbert was wounded when shrapnel hit him in the arm. He was evacuated to the 14th General Hospital at Wimereux but after a week of treatment here was then shipped to England. Upon arrival he was sent to hospital in Nottingham. He spent a few weeks there and on the 8th September 1916 was transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield. Herbert spent a few more weeks here but on the 29th September was sent to the 15th Training Battalion at Perham Downs Camp.

Herbert spent six weeks at the 15th Training Battalion before returning to France on the 12th November 1916. He then spent ten days at the 5th Australian Division Base Depot.

On the 22nd November 1916 Herbert was taken on strength of the 60th Battalion AIF. The 60th Battalion were then in the vicinity of Flers on the Somme battlefield. He remained with the 60th Battalion for a few weeks but on the 5th December 1916 was transferred back to the 57th Battalion. The 57th Battalion remained in the Flers region through the 1916/17 French winter.

In March 1917 the Germans began their withdrawal to their pre-prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line. The Australian and British followed up this retirement closely and several sharp actions were fought. The 57th Battalion captured the village of Beaumetz after a sharp fight and defended it against a German counter attack. During this action Herbert was wounded in the left arm. 

After initial medical attention at the 15th Field Ambulance he was sent to the French town of Rouen where hew as admitted to the 10th General Hospital. He stayed at Rouen for a week and was then shipped to England. On arrival he was sent to the Kitchener War Hospital at Brighton. He remained here until the 16th May when he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford.

On the 15th June 1917 Herbert had recovered enough to be sent on a two week furlough. On the 29th June 1918 he was sent to No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs. He remained here for a few weeks and on the 23rd July 1917 returned to France.

Herbert was taken back on strength of the 57th Battalion on the 11th August 1917. They were then on a rest period out of the front line but were soon returning. In September 1917 they headed for Belgium to take part in the Third Battle of Ypres.

On the 26th September 1917 at Polygon Wood, Herbert was wounded for the third time in the war. He was hit by shrapnel in the neck and after medical treatment at the field ambulance and casualty clearing station was sent to Etaples where he was admitted to the 7th Canadian General Hospital. He remained here receiving treatment for a few weeks and then on the 12th October 1917 was sent to England.

Upon arrival he was sent to the 2nd Southern General Hospital at Bristol. Herbert remained in this hospital for several weeks recovering from his severe neck wound. 

On the 4th January 1918 Herbert was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford where he remained for the next three weeks. On the 24th January 1918 Herbert was put aboard the hospital ship Dunluce Castle for the journey back to Australia.

In Cape Town South Africa Herbert was transferred to the ship Karoola which brough him to Fremantle, disembarking on the 4th March 1918. Herbert was discharged from the AIF on the 26th March 1918.

Herbert was then granted a pension of 40/- per fortnight.

After his discharge he returned to lived at 256 Mandurah Rd South Fremantle

Herbert married in 1920 to Ada Jane Riley and had they had several children, Jack, Jean in 1922 and Mary in 1924, Margaret, Edna and Ada. Sadly Mary died shortly after birth.

After two years in Fremantle Herbert tried his hand at farming as in 1921 he was at Gabbin (near Toodyay)

After a few years the family then moved to York Road in Greenmount where he was still working as a farmer. Herbert was here for the rest of his life.

Herbert died at Hollywood Hospital on the 28th September 1946 aged 68. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.