Albert Edward ABBOTT
Year of Birth: 1894
Place of Birth: Dinmore, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 23 February 1916
Date and Place of Embarkation: 8 August 1916, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Ship: HMAT A50 Itonus
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 26th Australian Infantry Battalion
Regimental Number: 5294
Died: 4 October 1917
Albert Edward Abbott was born in Dinmore, Ipswich, Queensland to Joseph & Selina Abbott who had emigrated from England in 1885. He had two sisters and a brother who predeceased him. His older sister Violet Jane born 1891 married Charles William Keeble in 1917 and younger sister Daisey May born 1896 married Harry Embling in 1916. His parents also adopted and raised a young son and daughter of a friend who lost his wife.
When Albert enlisted at Cairns on 23 February 1916, he was a locomotive fireman, aged 21½ years, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds. He had a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was Presbyterian and named his father as his next of kin.
He embarked from Brisbane aboard HMAT Itonus on 8 August 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth England on 18 October 1916.
The Itonus was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean 20 December 1916.
Private Abbott was admitted to hospital at Bulford, Wiltshire on 2 November and transferred to Park House convalescent hospital in London on 20 December.
He proceeded to France on the Princess Clementina from Folkestone Kent on 29 December 1916 to Etaples France where he spent some time in camp before joining the 26th Battalion 12 February 1917.
From a Casualty Report of 26th Battalion dated 7 October, he was reported killed in action on 4 October 1917 and is buried in Buttes New British Cemetery Polygon Wood, Belgium.
In May 1917 the Mareeba Oddfellows Lodge held a function to honour its members who were fighting or had died. Private Abbott was among those honoured and his name was placed on the Lodge’s Honour Board.
Albert Edward Abbott’s name is also located at panel 106 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial.
Online Resources
NAA: B2455 (ABBOTT Albert Edward) National Archives of Australia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Australian Light Horse Studies Centre
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
If you have a photograph or further information about this soldier you would like to share and add to his biography, please contact the Society at projects@cdfhs.org or leave a comment below. Thank you!
Albert was my Mothers great uncle..She had a brass and wooden memorial plaque of a soldier and a Lion ..It had his name engraved on the back..It got lost somehow..
This young man was my great uncle..So heart-warming yet very sad to hear of his demise at such a young age..