Jaensch, Albert John
4829 Sergeant Albert John Jaensch - 11th Battalion AIF
Albert John Jaensch was born on the 26th May 1890 in Truro South Australia to Ernst and Albertina Jaensch, being one of three siblings, with Frida 1891 and Franz 1895.
The family moved to WA in 1900's and took up residence at Avon Bend Farm in East Brookton.
Prior to the Great War Albert was living as 61 Bellevue Terrace Fremantle and was working as an assembler.
On the 4th December 1915 Albert enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force and was found to be fit for enlistment. The medical examiner recorded Albert's physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 7 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 128lbs;
Chest Measurement - 33-36 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Light Brown.
After his successful enlistment, Albert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the depot training unit. After a few weeks of being taken through the basics of infantry training Albert was assigned to the 15th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. He spent a few weeks training with this group in WA but on the 1st April 1916 entrained to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship Ulysses and set sail for Egypt, arriving at Alexandria on the 25th April 1916.
Just after arriving in Egypt Albert was hospitalised with measles at the 21st General Hospital in Alexandria. After his recovery, Albert was released from hospital on the 16th May 1916 and was sent to the infantry reinforcement camp.
As the 11th Battalion was already in France, Albert was kept in the reinforcement camp for the time being. On the 29th May 1916 he left Egypt aboard the transport ship HMT Tunisian and set sail for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 5th June 1916.
After being disembarked Albert was entrained north to Etaples where he was sent to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot Camp on the 7th June 1916. Albert would spent the next several weeks in this camp, and was finally sent to join the 11th Battalion on the 29th July 1916. The 11th Battalion had just come through their first action at Pozieres and were low on numbers, so reinforcements such as Albert were needed.
Albert saw action with the 11th Battalion at Mouquet Farm in August 1916, after which the 11th Battalion were sent to Belgium for six weeks, where they were in the front line near Ypres. They returned to the Somme battlefield in October 1916 and were in the line near Flers.
On the 19th November 1916 Albert was evacuated with influenza, though after a week at the 3rd Field Ambulance, he returned to the 11th Battalion. Conditions were freezing and muddy and apart from casualties to the German fire, there would be much sickness for the troops in the next few months of the 1916/17 French winter though Albert came through this period unscathed.
In March 1917 the Germans began their withdrawal to their pre-prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line. The Australians and British units pressed their withdrawal all the way and several sharp actions were fought around what was known as the Outpost Line villages. The 11th Battalion seeing action near Morchies.
However Albert had fallen ill and was diagnosed with mumps and on the 23rd March 1917 was sent to the Field Ambulance to recover. He was here for the next three weeks and returned to the 11th Battalion on the 17th April 1917. Albert had been fortunate as two days previously the 11th Battalion had been involved in the action at Lagnicourt in which they received heavy casualties.
Just on three weeks later the 11th Battalion were involved in the 2nd Battle of Bullecourt. Albert again survived unhurt and after the action was promoted to Lance Corporal. After Bullecourt the 11th Battalion were given a three month rest period out of the lines with much of the time being taken up by training and sporting activities.
The 11th Battalion began to move back towards the front in Belgium in late August and were to take part in the Third Battle of Ypres. In early September 1917 Albert was given leave to the UK but soon returned to his unit.
On September 20th the 11th Battalion took part in the Battle of Menin Road and successfully took their objectives. On October 7th the 11th Battalion conducted a successful operation on Celtic Wood, causing the enemy a lot of casualties. As a result the enemy severely bombarded the 11th Battalion’s positions.
They then continued to hold the line around Zonnebeke, Broodseinde Ridge and Passchendaele through October and November 1917. Albert again emerged unscathed despite heavy casualties in his unit. However a good mate of his from Fremantle, Frederick Graham, had been killed in action on the 12th October 1917 while serving with the 48th Battalion. Albert arranged for a notice in the papers which appeared in the West Australian on the 30th November 1917.
After the action at Ypres, Albert was now promoted to the rank of Corporal.
From November 1917 to March 1918, the 11th Battalion held the front line in the sector between Messines and Ypres Belgium. On the 5th February 1918 Albert was promoted to Sergeant.
As a result of the German offensive of March 21st 1918 when they broke through the British front in the southern sector, the five Australian divisions were sent to the Somme to help stop this advance. The 11th Battalion, as part of the 1st Australian Division was the last of the Australian divisions to leave Belgium and had just arrived near Amiens when the Germans broke through the line in Belgium and made a speedy advance into northern France. The 1st Australian Division was then returned north and met the Germans around Hazebrouck, Meteren and Merris and for the next few months were in action here.
Albert came through the actions around Merris and Meteren unscathed but did have a week in hospital due to contracting influenza. The 11th Battalion would be in this sector till the end of July 1918. The 11th Battalion was then moved south to Villers-Bretonneux where they would take part in the large advance that was due to take place on August 8th 1918.
The 11th Battalion didn't take part in the first day of the advance but went into the line on the 9th August 1918 and on the following day attacked the German positions at Lihons. The Germans had well entrenched positions and unleashed a heavy machine gun fire on the advancing men of the 11th Battalion. Many of the 11th Battalion were killed and wounded by this fire but Albert had survived the action yet again.
Over the next week they continued to see action at Chuignolles and Framerville, but Albert was soon withdrawn from the line as he had been chosen to have a stint at the Training Battalion in England. On the 30th August 1918 Albert left France and went to England and was taken on strength of the 1st Training Battalion at Sutton Veny.
During his time on the training staff at Sutton Veny, Albert was sent on a course at Chiseldon regarding instruction in defensive measures against gas attacks. Albert passed this course and was then returned to the Training Battalion at Sutton Veny. Albert was still on duty here when the Armistice was declared on the 11th November 1918. He would remain at Sutton Veny till January 1919.
His period at the Training Battalion was now at an end and Albert returned to France on the 1st February 1919. He was taken back on strength of the 11th Battalion in France on the 5th February 1919.
With the war over, the Battalion was getting smaller as more men returned home. Albert remained in France till the 25th April 1919, as he then returned to England. On arrival Albert was sent to No.1 Group Camp at Longbridge Deverell. He would remain here while waiting to be assigned a berth on a transport ship home.
On the 1st June 1919 Albert boarded the transport ship Somali and set sail for home, arriving at Fremantle on the 8th July 1919. He was then discharged from the AIF on the 22nd August 1919.
Albert then resided for Fremantle for a time before returning to the family farm at Brookton. His father died in Brookton on the 15th April 1920.
Albert was married on the 24th February 1923 at St Mary's Church North Fremantle to Harriet Matilda 'Tilly' Olsen and a son Albert was born in 1924.
Albert and his family were now living at Wyndgate Farm in Newdegate. This is almost 400 km south east of Perth near Lake Grace.
Albert and the family returned to Fremantle sporadically as his in-laws were in Fremantle and Cottesloe Beach (Mosman Park) and a daughter Dorothy was born in 1928 at Nurse Bathgate's private hospital in East Fremantle.
The Jaensch family remained at Wyndgate Farm Newdegate through the 1930's.
Albert also served through World War Two with the Australian Army in WA. He had the service number W84218 and served with the 10th Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps. He served between 1942 to 1945. After the war he then returned to farming.
His mother died on the 1st April 1951 and after a few more years on the farm, Albert and Harriet returned to Perth.
Through the 1960's and 70's the family were living at Woodlands and Doubleview.
Albert's wife Harriet died on the 12th January 1978, and Albert survived for ten more years, dying on the 1st may 1988 at Trigg aged 97. Albert was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery plot Anglican Lawn 7 0037.
Photo of Albert and Harriet courtesy of the family ancestry page