Alfred Arthur Martin

Alfred seated Photo courtesy Rob Richings
Wedding photo Alfred and Florence Simmonds courtesy Rob Richings
Personal Information
Date of Birth	9 Oct 1895
Place of Birth	Dartford, Kent, England
Death	June Qtr 1972
Place of Death	Hove, Sussex, England
Age at Enlistment	19 years, 9 months
Description	5' 6½" (1.69m) tall; weight 134 lbs (60.8 kg); dark complexion, brown eyes, dark hair
Occupation	butcher
Religion	Church of England
Address	Cardup via Beenup, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father Mr Lewis Arthur Martin
Military Information
Reg Number	3141
Date of Enlistment	12 Jul 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	16th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement, transferred to the 48th Battalion 7 Platoon B Company / 12th Brigade, 4th Division
Date of Embarkation	13 Oct 1915 - unknown at Port Suez
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A32 Themistocles
Date of Return	28 Feb 1919 - 7 Apr 1919
Ship Returned On	HMAT A68 Anchises
Fate	Wounded in Action 13 Aug 1916 Mouquet Farm Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale War Memorial (Beenup panel)
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Three days after entering camp. Alfred was allocated to the 10th reinforcement draft for the 16th Battalion. After three months training at Blackboy Hill camp he travelled with them to Egypt.

Following more training on arrival in Egypt, he was taken on strength by the 16th Battalion on 5 Feb 1916 at Moascar, before becoming one of the initial members of the 48th Battalion on 3 Mar 1916 at Tel-el-Kebir. The 48th trained in the Serapeum area before manning front line trenches at Habieta for a brief time before embarking for France in early June.

Their early experience of front line duty on the Western Front was in the "nursery area" around Fleurbaix before moving to the Somme where on 8 Aug 1916 they relieved the 27th Battalion in the trenches near the Windmill on the Bapaume road at Poziéres. During the night of 5th, and until noon on 7 Aug 1916 they suffered very heavy casualties from continuous heavy shelling by the enemy [104 killed, 418 wounded and 76 missing]. Then on the 8th they faced an enemy counter attack.

Having had a rest in Sausage valley during the 9th and 10th, they moved back into the front line at 6am on 12 Aug 1916 and were again heavily shelled on the 13th. This was when Alfred received his injuries - shrapnel wounds to his left thigh and right shin.

He was evacuated to UK on HMHS Panama from Le Havre on 18 Aug 1916, and admitted to 1st London General Hospital at Camberwell. While rehabilitating at 70th Battalion Wareham, Alfred had a couple of AWOL episodes, but returned to his unit in France on 3 May 1917 at Millencourt a training area west of Albert.

On 14 Jun 1917 he returned to hospital in the UK via the HMHS St David suffering from influenza, and again took the opportunity to be AWOL for a short time. He again returned to his unit on 2 Nov 1917, and this time they were near Ypres having come from the battle for Passchendaele Ridge.

His next hospital visit, to the Southwark Military Hospital in East Dulwich was on 12 Feb 1918, caused by trench fever. He was reunited with the 48th Battalion on 7 Jun 1918 near the Somme River at Vecquemont between Amiens and Corbie. Thus he participated in the 1918 advance up the Somme valley.

Discharged 5th Military District 3 Jun 1919.

Alfred provided an eye witness account of the death of a fellow platoon member, Pte O. Fisher

"I saw Private Fisher hit by a shell while in the trenches at Poziéres; he was literally blown to pieces. He had some Australian sovereigns in his pocket and was just going to lend them to a friend, Private R.G. McLean, when the shell came over."

In a Red Cross report Alfred is again quoted..

" A shell came over and hit the last one of four cookhouses, causing forty-two casualties. I saw Private Bole there just before the explosion and all that could be found of him afterwards was his watch, which his brother (who is in the same battalion) took. I was slightly wounded myself at the time.."

Discharged 5th Military District 3 Jun 1919.

Post War

on 21 Feb 1920 at Beenup, Alf married Florence C Simmons.

Electoral Roll entries - 1919 - 1931 Cardup, Beenup, labourer. Soon after he returned to England with Florence who was also British born.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Virtual War Memorial