Pte
Albert Edward Abbott
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1894 |
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Place of birth: Dinmore, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Locomotive fireman |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 5294 |
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Enlistment place: Cairns, Queensland, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 26th Bn. (Queensland and Tasmania) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: IV Row: B Grave: 19 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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British War Medal Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal — 03/04/1918 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Private Albert Edward Abbott served as a private in the 26th Battalion Australian Infantry, part of the 7th Australian Brigade, of the 2nd Australian Division. The Division was brought to Flanders to participate in the Third Battle of Ypres. On the 4th of October 1917, the Division passed through Zonnebeke. It prepared itself for the Battle of Broodseinde, a phase of the offensive.
The 2nd Australian Division attacked at 5.25 a.m., with two brigades. They met the same German counter-attacks, as the 1st Australian Division and likewise fought them off. The 6th Australian Brigade captured Zonnebeke village, including the hamlet of Broodseinde.
The 7th Australian Brigade cleared Zonnebeke village of snipers. Little or no opposition was met with, until they reached the Broodseinde ridge. Here they encountered severe fire from German machine guns positioned in Daisy Wood, some 300 yards away. It was decided to consolidate a line in an old British trench from 1914-1915, 200 yards short of their objective.
Private Albert Edward Abbott was killed in action during the Battle of Broodseinde. He was initially buried just west of Daisy Wood. The location of his initial grave may suggest that he was killed in the final stages of the attack on the Broodseinde Ridge. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
The 2nd Australian Division attacked at 5.25 a.m., with two brigades. They met the same German counter-attacks, as the 1st Australian Division and likewise fought them off. The 6th Australian Brigade captured Zonnebeke village, including the hamlet of Broodseinde.
The 7th Australian Brigade cleared Zonnebeke village of snipers. Little or no opposition was met with, until they reached the Broodseinde ridge. Here they encountered severe fire from German machine guns positioned in Daisy Wood, some 300 yards away. It was decided to consolidate a line in an old British trench from 1914-1915, 200 yards short of their objective.
Private Albert Edward Abbott was killed in action during the Battle of Broodseinde. He was initially buried just west of Daisy Wood. The location of his initial grave may suggest that he was killed in the final stages of the attack on the Broodseinde Ridge. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
Sources 4
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26th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/43/27). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1916415 Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, ABBOTT A E). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 99. Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480087 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=f832219e-9dfc-46c6-94f9-1cf3121aefae |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7337407 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=112 |