Albert Edward John Walls

Albert Edward John Walls

Personal Information
Date of Birth	not known Apr 1885
Place of Birth	Moonambel, Victoria
Death	10 Jun 1918
Place of Death	Morlancourt, France
Age at Enlistment	30 years, 5 months
Description	5'4¼" (1.m) tall ; 128 lbs 58.06 kg ; dark complexion ; brown eyes ; dark brown hair
Occupation	Sleeper cutter
Religion	Church of England
Address	Canning Mills, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr Daniel Walls
Military Information
Reg Number	3300
Date of Enlistment	6 Sep 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	28th Battalion, 7th reinforcement
Date of Embarkation	13 Jan 1916 ‒ 16 Feb 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A7 Medic
Fate	Killed in Action 10 Jun 1918
Monument	Villers-Bretonneux Memorial WA State War Memorial AWM The AWM's Roll of Honour has his surname as Wallis in error
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Electoral Roll entry - 1916 Canning Mills, sleeper hewer

War Service

Entered Blackboy Hill camp on 6 Sep 1915, and on 1 Nov 1915 he was allocated to the 7th reinforcement draft for the 28th Battalion, and travelled with them aboard HMAT A7 Medic to Egypt. Soon after their arrival they were sent on to France. In Alexandria on 21 Mar 1916 he boarded SS Oriana and disembarked in Marseilles on 27 Mar 1916.

In Marseilles he was hospitalised in the Lahore Stationary Hospital from 9 - 22 Apr 1916 with influenza before transferring to the 2nd Australian General Hospital on 23 Apr 1916. Three days later he was released to the 2nd Division's Base Depot in Étaples. Albert was taken on strength by the 28th Battalion on 3 May 1916, just as they were moving into the trenches in the Bois Grenier area.

On 27 Jun 1916 Albert was admitted to hospital suffering from shell shock caused by what the war diary considered to be a feeble enemy response to their own bombardment of enemy lines. Seen by the 8th Casualty Clearing Station he was placed on an Ambulance Train for the 14th Stationary Hospital in Boulogne where he was admitted from 27 - 29 Jun 1916.

Albert embarked on HMHS St Patrick in Boulogne on 29 Jun 1916, evacuated to England where on 30 Jun 1916 he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital, before being admitted on 12 Jul 1916 to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield. Albert was released to the No. 1 Command Depot in Perham Downs on 16 Aug 1916, and then on 16 Jan 1917 to the No. 4 Command Depot. He did not return to France until 3 Feb 1917 when he exited England through Folkestone.

On arrival in Étaples he was quickly moved on to the 28th Battalion and he rejoined them on 8 Feb 1917 at 'Acid Drop Camp' near Fricourt where as the Brigade's Reserve battalion they were providing working parties to support those in the front lines. On 1 Jun 1917 he presented to the 7th Field Ambulance who sent him on to the 56th Casualty Clearing Station a week later with Trench fever.

Placed on an Ambulance Train, he was sent on 9 Jun 1917 to the 6th General Hospital in Rouen, and by 24 Jun 1917 he had recovered sufficiently to be transferred to the No 2 Convalescent Depot, followed by the 11th Convalescent Depot on 26 Jun 1917 where he remained until he was released to the 2nd Division's Base Depot in Le Havre. On 14 Aug 1917 he again caught up with his battalion who were rebuilding and training in a rear area.

During an attack on Westhoek Ridge south of Ypres, Albert was wounded in action a second time. He was wounded by shrapnel to the leg on 20 Sep 1917 and after basic treatment by the 6th Field Ambulance he was sent to the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and on to the 32nd Stationary Hospital in Wimereux on 21 Sep 1917. On 3 Oct 1917 he was released to the Convalescent Depot, and he rejoined the 28th Battalion on 14 Oct 1917 near Steenvorde on the border with Belgium. He remained with them until 14 Jan 1917 when he was granted leave in England, returning to the Battalion on 31 Jan 1918.

During the week prior to 10 Jun 1918, the 28th Battalion was in the line east of Morlancourt in the Somme Valley. At dusk on the 10th, the 28th Battalion along with others of the 7th Brigade attacked the southern section of the Morlancourt Spur that overlooked Sailly-Laurette on the Somme. Although the attack was deemed a great success, it is when Albert was Killed in Action. Initially buried 1200 yards southwest of Morlancourt, his grave could not be found later and thus he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.

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  Villers-Bretonneux Memorial 2915 photo L. Reynolds
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  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Virtual War Memorial