Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

ANTONSON, Albert Bernard
Service Number: 1451
Enlistment Date: 9 December 1914
Enlisted with: 10th Battalion 3rd Reinforcements
Last Rank: Lance Corporal
Last Unit: 4th Pioneer Battalion
Born: 2 August 1891
Home Town: Port Adelaide, South Australia
Schooling: Port Adelaide School
Occupation: Horse Driver

World War 1 Service:
19 February 1915: Private, 10th Infantry Battalion
19 February 1915: Embarked HMAT Runic, Melbourne
7 May 1915: Gallipoli with 3rd Reinforcements
19 June 1915: Wounded
30 June 1915: Admitted to Australian General Hospital, Heliopolis, Cairo
17 September 1915: Rejoined his unit at Gallipoli
30 December 1915: Admitted to hospital with Pleurisy
26 February 1916: Taken on strength to 50th Battalion
16 March 1916: Transferred to 4th Pioneer Battalion
3 June 1916: Proceeded overseas (from Cairo) per ‘Scotean’
11 June 1916: Disembarked Marseilles
1916 The Battles of the Somme
- The Battle of Pozieres including the fighting for Mouquet Farm

1917 Operations on the Ancre
German retreat to the Hindenburg Line
The Arras offensive
- The First attack on Bullecourt (11 April)
The Battle of Messines (7-10 June)
25 June 1917: Detached for duty with the 4th Brigade from 4th Pioneers as a Lewis Gunner Belgium

12 July 1917: Rejoined Battalion from detachment with 4th Brigade Machine Gunners
1917: The Third Battles of Ypres
- The Battle of the Menin Road (20 - 25 September)
- The Battle of Polygon Wood (26 Sep - 3 October)
- The First Battle of Passchendaele (12 October)

23 April 1918: Promoted to Lance Corporal

1918 The First Battles of the Somme, 1918
- The First Battle of Arras, 1918 (28 March)
- The Battle of the Ancre (5 April)
- The actions of Villers-Brettoneux (24-25 April)
The capture of Hamel (4 July)
The Battle of Amiens (8-11 August)
The Second Battles of the Somme 1918
- The Battle of Albert (21-23 August)
8 February 1919: Embarked ‘Burmah’ for Australia at cessation of hostilities
15 April 1919: Discharged from Army
Total Service: 4 years, 128 days
Service Abroad: 3 years, 350 days

BIOGRAPHY

Albert Bernard Antonson was born 2 August 1891 at Queenstown, South Australia. He was the oldest child of John and Mary (nee McKenna) Antonson. He had 2 younger brothers, Harold and Ivor and a little sister Vera who died when she was 18 months of age. He attended Port Adelaide School and his occupation on enlistment was a horse driver.
From January 1895 until 1898, Bert and his family lived at New Residence on the River Murray. His family was among 17 other families from Port Adelaide who took up land in the village settlement scheme.
On enlistment, Bert is described as being 5’ 7 ½” tall, with brown hair and light blue eyes. He was 23 years and 3 months of age when he enlisted.
He enlisted with the AIF on 9 December 1914 and sailed for Egypt aboard the HMAT Runic in February 1915, joining the amassing in soldiers in Egypt. Bert was a member of the 10th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements and after the re-organisation of battalions after the Gallipoli evacuation, he joined the 4th Pioneer Battalion. Bert served at Gallipoli and the Western Front, including battles at Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele, Ypres, Villers-Brettoneux, Amiens and the Somme. He eventually returned home to Australia in early 1919. Meeting him were his mother and younger brother Ivor. Bert’s father died in March 1918 and his brother Harold, a member of the Light Horse, died in Damascus in October 1918.
Returning to civilian life, Bert found work again as a horse driver and eventually he worked as a wharf labourer until his retirement. In 1921 Bert married Florence May Carr, daughter of the Hon John Carr MLC and Margaret Carr (nee Thomas), and they became the proud parents of 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls - one daughter dying when she was 5 years of age. Their first home was at Alberton and they later lived at Port Adelaide.
When World War 2 began, Bert volunteered for service in the AIF again; by this time he was 49 years of age. He served in the 4th Garrison Battalion and was discharged on 7 May 1940 when his oldest child Doug went to serve in the Navy.
Bert died at Semaphore on 6 September 1971 aged 80 years of age. He is buried with his wife, little daughter, parents-in-law and brother-in-law in a family grave at Cheltenham Cemetery, South Australia.