Pte
Alexander Thomas Bethune
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1878 |
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Place of birth: Penola, South Australia, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: Banyena, Victoria, Australia |
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Profession: Labourer |
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Religion: Presbyterian |
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: 6280 |
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Enlistment date: 31/08/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 22nd Bn. (Victoria) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Zonnebeke Château Grounds, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 39 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 23D |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Alexander Thomas Bethune, a former labourer, was born in June 1878 in Penola, South Australia, Australia. He was the son of John Bethune and Ellen Jane Aitkin (formerly Bethune). On August 31, 1915 he enlisted in Ballarat, Victoria and joined the 22nd Battalion, part of the 6th Australian Brigade of the 2nd Australian Division. He embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A20 Hororata on November 23, 1916, with the 18th reinforcement of the 22nd Battalion.
On the 4th of October 1917 the 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Broodseinde, a phase in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 22nd Battalion was part of the 6th Brigade, which attacked on the right of the divisional front. The 22nd Battalion would take the first objective, the red line.
Once they had taken this line, the 24th would pass through the 22nd on the right and the 21st would do the same on the left. The Battalion assembled before the attack at the jumping-off positions in front of Tokio, but soon moved closer to the road leading to Tokio on account of German artillery fire on and around Albania. They made use of shell holes and old trench systems to form a line.
At 5.35 a.m. moments before the Battalion would attack, the German artillery, including minenwerfers, started shelling the jump-off line, causing heavy casualties. The Germans were about to attack themselves in the hope of recapturing Zonnebeke. The heavy shell fire was very destructive.
At 6 a.m. the British and Australian artillery opened fire on the German positions and the troops started to advance. The 22nd led off, followed by the 21st and 24th. Zonnebeke Lake was on the jumping-off line on the left. The three battalions had to storm the front over 3oo yards right of the lake. Once they had passed the lake the units on the left had to change direction to cover the ground allotted to them.
The German infantry was utterly surprised by the allied barrage. They were quickly dispersed, killed or taken prisoner by the advancing Australians. Docile Trench and De Knoet Farm fell without much opposition and the 22nd Battalion reached their objective by 6.50 a.m. On the right flank of the 24th Battalion the troops met resistance in Romulus Wood, but the Germans were eventually overpowered. At 7.30 a.m. the 21st and 24th moved up behind the protective barrage, reaching the second objective, the blue line at 8.10 a.m., where the dug in and prepared for eventual counterattacks.
Alexander Thomas, aged 39, was killed in action on October 4, 1917. Private Bethune was mentioned on a cross close to where he fell, close to Zonnebeke Lake (28.D.28.a.30.40), together with 3 others. This cross was initially re-erected at Perth China Wall Cemetery. His remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Alexander Thomas Bethune has no known grave and is remembered on panel 23D of the Menin Gate Memorial.
On the 4th of October 1917 the 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Broodseinde, a phase in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 22nd Battalion was part of the 6th Brigade, which attacked on the right of the divisional front. The 22nd Battalion would take the first objective, the red line.
Once they had taken this line, the 24th would pass through the 22nd on the right and the 21st would do the same on the left. The Battalion assembled before the attack at the jumping-off positions in front of Tokio, but soon moved closer to the road leading to Tokio on account of German artillery fire on and around Albania. They made use of shell holes and old trench systems to form a line.
At 5.35 a.m. moments before the Battalion would attack, the German artillery, including minenwerfers, started shelling the jump-off line, causing heavy casualties. The Germans were about to attack themselves in the hope of recapturing Zonnebeke. The heavy shell fire was very destructive.
At 6 a.m. the British and Australian artillery opened fire on the German positions and the troops started to advance. The 22nd led off, followed by the 21st and 24th. Zonnebeke Lake was on the jumping-off line on the left. The three battalions had to storm the front over 3oo yards right of the lake. Once they had passed the lake the units on the left had to change direction to cover the ground allotted to them.
The German infantry was utterly surprised by the allied barrage. They were quickly dispersed, killed or taken prisoner by the advancing Australians. Docile Trench and De Knoet Farm fell without much opposition and the 22nd Battalion reached their objective by 6.50 a.m. On the right flank of the 24th Battalion the troops met resistance in Romulus Wood, but the Germans were eventually overpowered. At 7.30 a.m. the 21st and 24th moved up behind the protective barrage, reaching the second objective, the blue line at 8.10 a.m., where the dug in and prepared for eventual counterattacks.
Alexander Thomas, aged 39, was killed in action on October 4, 1917. Private Bethune was mentioned on a cross close to where he fell, close to Zonnebeke Lake (28.D.28.a.30.40), together with 3 others. This cross was initially re-erected at Perth China Wall Cemetery. His remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Alexander Thomas Bethune has no known grave and is remembered on panel 23D of the Menin Gate Memorial.
Connection to other soldiers 1
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Frank William Bethune
brother |
Sources 5
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22nd Battalion Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/39/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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6th Brigade Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/6/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455). https://www.naa.gov.au/ Sources used |
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Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM8). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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Virtual War Memorial Australia. https://vwma.org.au 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/1597667 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7360377 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=8cd90d57-6865-4ff4-bd21-ceb5f0d2ba80 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=21751 |