Description

Offered is a 1967 Anzac Commemorative WW1 Gallipoli Medal/Plaque to A. HURN. The plaque is correctly engraved named and comes with the case of issue and with copy’s of service record and extracts 6th Battalion war diary August 1915 & 31/101917.

Alfred Hern was born in 1895 (possibly a false date of birth) in Harpe Market, Norwich. At some stage he emigrated to Australia. A small man at 5’4, he was working as a farm hand when enlisted into the 6th reinforcements of the 6th Battalion (service #2185), on 10/3/1915 at Heyfield, Victoria. After initial training he embarked at Melbourne on 7/6/1915 bound for Egypt. He joined the battalion on Gallipoli 6/8/1915 or the 7th being posted to ‘B’ Company. The 6th Battalion ware part of the 2^nd Brigade in support of the attack at Lone Pine and providing support for the Defence of Lone Pine. On the 6 – 7 it attacked ‘German Officers trench’ and ‘Sniper Trench’. It remained in the firing line until it withdrew to rest on the 13/9/1916, by this stage the battalion was down to 16 officers and 377 other ranks.

He was evacuated on the 13/9/1915 with influenza and finished in England via Mudros on the 4/12/1915. He landed in France 5/9/1916 and re-joined the battalion 19/9/1916.

The battalion had just been relieved in the front line and moved into a rest camp near Ypres, German aircraft bombed the camp on the night of 30/31 October 1917 and he was slightly wounded with a gunshot wound to his hand and hip, after treatment after re-joined the battalion 1/11/1917. He survived the war to return to Australia 7/9/19 for discharge.

Possible false date of birth on his enlistment papers, where he stated his age was 20 and 6 months. A recruit required parental permission to enlist if under 21. A note on his file states parents were living in England and he had no guardian in Australia. A letter (dated 1965) on his file from his brother who was living in Southern Cross, Western Australia, (seeking his whereabouts) dated 1965 could indicate he did not wish his correct date of birth to be known. Alfred’s address for his application for the Gallipoli medal was Cairns, Qld (1967).