ALBERRY, Frank
| Service Number: | 867 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 August 1914, Original of H Company |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | No. 2 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 16 September 1891 |
| Home Town: | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | 1968, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Tree Plaque: |
Port Arthur Soldier's Memorial Avenue
|
| Memorials: | Port Arthur Carnarvon and Oakwood Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Corporal, 867, 8th Infantry Battalion, Original of H Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 867, 8th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 867, 8th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Melbourne | |
| 3 Aug 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sergeant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) | |
| 6 Nov 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, No. 2 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Frank Alberry was born on 29 September 1892 in Hobart, Tasmania, He grew up in Port Arthur and worked his passage to England as a ship's engineer steward when young and enlisted in the British Army's Welch Regiment. After a year and a half's service, he deserted to return to Australia.
On 24 August 1914, Frank enlisted with 8th Battalion AIF as an infantryman, at Broadmeadows, Victoria. He took part in the Landing at Anzac Cove and served at Gallipoli for the duration. After training with the Machine Gun School in Egypt Frank was promoted to Corporal then Sergeant of the Lewis Gun section of the 8th Battalion.
On 25 July 1916, he was commanding a section of four Lewis guns in the Battle of Pozieres. When the 8th Battalion's Company C was held up in its attack by the Germans, Alberry led his gunners in a flanking movement that dislodged the defenders. Following that, he took a Lewis gun forward into a shell crater to provide covering fire while the battalion dug in. The next night, Sergeant Alberry again flanked the Germans with a machine gun while his battalion set up a strongpoint. Alberry then took over the stronghold and held it under fire for two days. He was being relieved from this post on 27 July when a bullet hit his right kneecap. His gallantry in during the Battle of Pozieres earned him the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Badly wounded, Frank was evacuated to England where his right leg was amputated above the knee. He remained in hospital until 26 March 1917, when he was discharged.
When healed, Alberry still wished to serve, so he resorted to the unusual step of gaining a personal audience with King George V to request a transfer to the Australian Flying Corps. The king assented, and on 3 August 1917 Alberry began pilot training at the No. 1 School of Aeronautics in Reading. Having successfully completed training despite his lack of a leg, he was granted a commission as a second lieutenant in the AIF.
He returned to France on 4 April 1918, and in June 1918 he was posted to No. 2 Squadron Australian Flying Corps to fly the S.E.5a single-seat fighter. During August 1918 he spent four days at a Casualty Clearing Station suffering from a concussion. He returned to his squadron, where between 16 September and 4 November he accounted for seven German first-line fighters – two Fokker Triplanes and five Fokker D-VII’s. Incredible effort for a man who had a lost a leg at Pozieres.
Frank Alberry also served for several years during the Second World War as a recruiter with the RAAF Reserve.