Date of birth: 12/05/1892

Place of birth: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Profession: Carter

Country: Australia

Force: Australian Imperial Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 2707

Enlistment date: 14/09/1916

Enlistment place: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Units:  —  Australian Infantry, 42nd Bn.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 04/10/1917

Place of death: Thames Wood, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 25

1914-15 Star Medal

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

During the night of the 2nd/3rd of October and the day of the 3rd of October, the 42nd Battalion A.I.F. bivouaced East of Ypres near the Menin Gate. The assembly position for the attack that took place on the 4th of October was located South West of Hill 40 near Zonnebeke Railway Station, between Zonnebeke stream and a line running North West from the railway at a point about D.21.d.2.1.. The Battalion Headquarter was located at D.27.a.2.5.. The plan of attack was as follows: the 43rd Battalion A.I.F. was to penetrate to 700 yards depth. The 42nd Battalion A.I.F. then had to leapfrog through the 43rd Battalion A.I.F. all the way to the red line, which ran across the railway line at D.22.b.25.65. southwards through “T” in Thames and Northward to D.22.a.5.9.. When this objective was achieved, the 44th Battalion A.I.F. and the 41st Battalion A.I.F. were to leapfrog through the 42nd Battalion A.I.F.. The 44th Battalion A.I.F. had to reach the intermediate objective, and the 41st Battalion A.I.F. had to proceed to the final objective, the blue line, located 2100 yards in enemy territory. The attack began at 6 a.m., and the 43rd Battalion A.I.F. reached its objective without much difficulties. At 4.41 a.m. the 42nd Battalion A.I.F. leapfrogged through the 43rd Battalion A.I.F. and continued the attack. There were Very Light signals, artillery and heavy shelling of Thames Wood. Nearly all the casualties fell at this stage. At 8 a.m. the 42nd Battalion A.I.F. had reached its objective (the red line). After this, consolidation took place.

Private Alfred Erold Ansell was killed on the 4th of October 1917. He was killed some 50 yards on the rightside of the Railway line from Zonnebeke, going towards Passchendaele. The 42nd Battalion had taken its objective, located 500 yards from Zonnebeke Station, and was consolidating the line. A shell landed in the trench where private Alfred Erold Ansell sat, and he was killed outright. He was buried where he fell.

42nd Australian Infantry, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/59/12). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used

Embarkation Roll https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/nominal_rolls/first_world_war_embarkation/?preferred_name=Ansell&service_number=2707&unit=&conflict=First+World+War%2C+1914-1918&op=Search Sources used

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, ANSELL A E). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx Sources used

Red Cross Wounded and Missing File https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/wounded_and_missing/?preferred_name=Ansell&service_number=2707&unit=&conflict=First+World+War%2C+1914-1918&op=Search Sources used

Roll of Honour https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/roll_of_honour/?preferred_name=Ansell&service_number=2707&unit=&conflict=First+World+War%2C+1914-1918&op=Search Sources used

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1597426

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=d1d8930b-1a3e-4a2f-b886-eefc75755c83

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7342887

The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=6309