Pte
Alfred Victor Pippard
Informatie over geboorte
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Geboortejaar: 1886 |
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Geboorteplaats: Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australië |
Algemene Informatie
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Laatst gekende woonplaats: Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australië |
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Beroep: Ketelmaker |
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Geloof: Church of England |
Informatie legerdienst
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Land: Australië |
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Strijdmacht: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rang: Private |
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Service nummer: 4507 |
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Dienstneming datum: 05/01/1916 |
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Dienstneming plaats: Melbourne, Victoria, Australië |
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Eenheden: — Australian Infantry, 24th Bn. (Victoria) (Laatst gekende eenheid) |
Informatie over overlijden
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Datum van overlijden: 05/10/1917 |
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Plaats van overlijden: Zonnebeke Château Grounds, Zonnebeke, België |
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Doodsoorzaak: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Leeftijd: 31 |
Begraafplaats
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: XXIX Rij: C Graf: 8 |
Onderscheidingen en medailles 2
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British War Medal Medaille |
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Victory Medal Medaille |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Geboorteplaats | ||
| #2 | Laatst gekende woonplaats | ||
| #3 | Dienstneming plaats | ||
| #4 | Plaats van overlijden (bij benadering) |
Mijn verhaal
Alfred Victor Pippard, a former boiler maker, was born in 1887 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was the son of William Pippard. On January 5, 1916 he enlisted in Melbourne and embarked from Melbourne on board RMS Malwa on March 21, 1916, with the 11th reinforcement of the 24th Battalion, part of the 6th Australian Brigade of the 2nd Australian Division.
The 24th 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. By 4.45 a.m. the companies of the Battalion were in position at the jump-off trench. They made use of shell holes and old trench systems to form a line. Their goal were the German positions at the Broodseinde ridge, which they would reach by crossing the Zonnebeke Creek, up the rising, past De Knoet Farm and across the Broodseinde- Beselaere Road, over the crest of the ridge, and to the line, of the objective, on the forward slope.
At 5.30 a.m. moments before the Battalion would attack, the German artillery, including minenwerfers, started shelling the jump-off line. The Germans were about to attack themselves in the hope of recapturing Zonnebeke. The heavy shell fire was very destructive, killing forty men and two officers instantly. The Battalion’s strength was consequently reduced by round thirty per cent, even before the attack had commenced.
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 eventualy 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.
Alfred Victor, aged 31, was killed in action on October 5, 1917; around 5.30 a.m. while awaiting the signal to attack. Although it’s noted that he died on October 5, 1917, the location of his initial grave and the testimonies in his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File suggest he was killed during the 24th Battalion’s attack on October 4, 1917. Private Pippard was found after the war where he fell, close to Zonnebeke Chateau (28.D.28.a.20.30). His remains were exhumed and reinterred at Buttes New British Cemetery; Plot 29, Row C, Grave 8.
The 24th 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. By 4.45 a.m. the companies of the Battalion were in position at the jump-off trench. They made use of shell holes and old trench systems to form a line. Their goal were the German positions at the Broodseinde ridge, which they would reach by crossing the Zonnebeke Creek, up the rising, past De Knoet Farm and across the Broodseinde- Beselaere Road, over the crest of the ridge, and to the line, of the objective, on the forward slope.
At 5.30 a.m. moments before the Battalion would attack, the German artillery, including minenwerfers, started shelling the jump-off line. The Germans were about to attack themselves in the hope of recapturing Zonnebeke. The heavy shell fire was very destructive, killing forty men and two officers instantly. The Battalion’s strength was consequently reduced by round thirty per cent, even before the attack had commenced.
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 eventualy 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.
Alfred Victor, aged 31, was killed in action on October 5, 1917; around 5.30 a.m. while awaiting the signal to attack. Although it’s noted that he died on October 5, 1917, the location of his initial grave and the testimonies in his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File suggest he was killed during the 24th Battalion’s attack on October 4, 1917. Private Pippard was found after the war where he fell, close to Zonnebeke Chateau (28.D.28.a.20.30). His remains were exhumed and reinterred at Buttes New British Cemetery; Plot 29, Row C, Grave 8.
Bronnen 7
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24th Battalion Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/41/25). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Gebruikte bronnen |
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6th Brigade Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/6/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Gebruikte bronnen |
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Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), RCDIG1064166). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Gebruikte bronnen |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, PIPPARD A V). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Gebruikte bronnen |
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Harvey W.J., The Red and White Diamon: The Official History of the 24th Battalion Australian Imperial Force, (Uckfield, The Naval & Military Press Ltd, 1920), p. 179-190. Gebruikte bronnen |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 99. Gebruikte bronnen |
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Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM8). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Gebruikte bronnen |
Meer informatie 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480409 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7463230 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=7a94e27b-b8ce-4501-843b-e8f2fe4f1e4b |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=241957 |