Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Alex was born  in 1880 as Matthew Alexander McFarlane ABERLINE in Terang in Victoria

His parents were James ABERLINE and Janet McFARLANE - he was one of 13 children born in Victoria

He enlisted with the NSW Imperial Bushmen ( Mounted Infantry)

Unit left Sydney on 23rd April, 1900 on ship Armenian

He died of Wounds on 4th October 1900 in Lichtenburg

Buried Lichtenburg Municipal Cemetery, Ngaka Modiri  Molena  District Municipality - North West, South Africa

He is commemorated in the Hay Boer War Memorial

WITH THE IMPERIAL BUSHMEN.
An Interesting Letter from the Front.
We take the following extracts from a letter written to his cousin, Mrs. R. Jennings, of Hay, by Serge H. A. Tebbutt, of the ' F' Squadron of the Imperial Bushmen, who was wounded in the mouth at the battle of Kaffirskraal, and subsequently invalided  home. Sergeant Tebbutt, before proceeding with the Bushmen to South Africa, was an officer in the Australian Horse at Quirindi. He was at the side of the late Trooper A. M. Aberline when he was shot, and writes as follows of the wounding of that Hay lad :-- "Woodstock Hospital, Capetown, 11th Dec. I knew Kilgour and poor Aberline well. They were both in my troop. I was next to Aberline when he was shot. It was a most awful affair. About eleven of us rode up to a crowd of Boers, 200 strong, within fifteen yards of them, in a mistake. The cowards offered us no quarter, but opened fire upon us, and we started to gallop away. I saw Aberline fall from his horse, shot, and three others. The next second my horse was shot and fell, and I was taken prisoner. The Boers saw that the four men were so badly wounded that they could not take them away, so they put them in a farm house, and, to my surprise, left me to look after them until our doctor came out, whom they had sent for. I put the field dressing on all their wounds. They were brutal to look at, as they were caused by the large Martini Henri bullet. Poor Aberline was shot in the right side, near the groin, and seemed in great agony, I did all I could for them, and then made my escape back to the column, about four miles away. Three out of the four died during the next couple of days at the Boer hospital in Lichtenburg. I have been in the cemetery where he was buried. It was about a fortnight before that that we buried Lieutenant White, who was killed there. Aberline's dog, that he brought with him, is still alive, but does not seem to realise that his master is dead."
Sergeant Tebbutt, who was subsequently wounded in the engagement at Kaffirskraal, refers to the event as follows : — I suppose you were all rather surprised at my being shot, but I was not so myself, for the fire the enemy opened on us was so severe, and no cover available, that I knew it would be a miracle if I escaped. However, I stood facing it for half-an-hour, when I "stopped one." The bullet pierced my upper lip, broke five of my teeth into atoms, and penetrated my tongue, striking the back of my throat, where it must have stopped. I do not remember too much about it. I was on my horse at the time. Immediately I got hit I dismounted, and staggered a few yards, and then fell unconscious. I was put into an ambulance waggon, and sent to  Zeerust, about a mile from where the fight was. From there I was sent to Mafeking, and then on to Kimberley hospital. I came down from Kimberley a week ago. . . . I had the privilege of being at Lord Roberts' reception at Capetown, which was a very grand affair. The good old Field-Marshal is steaming out of Table Bay on the S.S. Canada as I write this letter ? This is the last letter you will receive from South Africa from me, as I am going back to Australia the day after to-morrow. It does feel Delightful that you are going home, and to feel that your life is safe after so much fighting, and so many perils and dangers one has to pass through while on active service. The only thing I am sorry about is that I have to go home before my regiment, which I did not want to do, but as I have been wounded I have been compelled to go."