Remembrance Events 
Local Heroes WW1
LUKANDER, Albert
- Details
- Last Updated: Thursday, 29 December 2016 22:04
- Hits: 3404
Albert Lukander M.M.
Corporal Albert Lukander 1377, a Sailor from, Birkenhead, Port Adelaide, South Australia, prior to enlistment 24 November 1914, he embarked with the 10th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A46 Clan Macgillivray on 2 February 1915.
| Regimental number | 1377 |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Occupation | Sailor |
| Address | GPO, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 23 |
| Next of kin | Sister, Alma Lukander, Bergmans, No 6 Helsingfords, Finland |
| Enlistment date | 24-Nov-14 |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 10th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/27/2 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A46 Clan Macgillivray on 2 February 1915 |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Corporal |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 3rd Trench Mortar Battery |
| Fate | Returned to Australia 20 November 1918 |
| Medals | Military Medal |
| 'For conspicuous bravery during the operations east of YPRES on the morning of 4th October, 1917. Our Stokes guns were in position covering enemy strong posts and machine gun emplacements. At zero hour the guns were ordered to open a hurricane fire on these positions. Just prior to this time the enemy, who intended to make an attack on our lines, opened up a heavy bombardment. Cpl. LUKANDER'S gun was blown out and put out of action, he and some of its crew being partially buried. He immediately mounted a reserve gun and got into action again in time for our bombardment and fired all ammunition for the operations, effectively silencing the Machine guns which he had bombarded. By his cool courage and quick action the infantry were greatly assisted in their advance. LUKANDER, although in a shaken condition and subjected to very heavy artillery fire, set a splendid example to his men throughout the operation.' | |
| Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 120 | |
| Date: 7 August 1918 | |
| Other details | War service: Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front |
| Medals: Military Medal, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal |
"Corporal Wiggo Eneberg (Left), standing and another Swedish, Albert Lucander, AIF. Both were injured and allowed to recover in Malmo with their families before they returned to Adelaide, Australia. cousin Asta Eneberg (Eriksson No: 8: 3: 3), which died Christmas 1999 when said Barbara visited Sweden in 1982 that she will remember that the whole family met them at the train station. she was small, 5 or 6 years old; - "Great soldiers in strange uniforms "and all the brothers, Gotthard, Johan, Sigfrid, Alexander, who all became intoxicated together. And even grandfather Olaf."
After the capture of Polygon Wood [1917] the next objective was the ridge at Broodseinde, an action in which three Australian divisions (1st, 2nd and 3rd) took part. Corporal Albert Lukander was with a light trench-mortar battery in the lines here. Lukander was a Finn who had made Australia his home in 1911, one of those former seamen covered with elaborate tattoos. Among the first of the Finns to enlist in the AIF, he was wounded in the chest during the Gallipoli landing. On recovering, he rejoined his unit (10th Battalion) on the peninsula, remaining there until the troops were all evacuated at the end of December 1915.
At Broodseinde the three Australian divisions planned an attack for the early morning of 4 October [1917], which was to be preceded by a barrage of the enemy positions. This plan ran into problems, however, when the Germans, who were intending to make their own attack, got in first and ‘opened up a heavy bombardment’. The citation for Lukander’s Military Medal describes his role in that action, when he came under sustained artillery fire. ‘Cpl. Lukander’s gun was blown out and put out of action, he and some of his crew being partially buried’. Quick-thinking, Lukander immediately mounted ‘a reserve gun and got into action again in time for our bombardment and fired all ammunition for the operation, effectively silencing the Machine guns which he had bombarded. By his cool courage and quick action the infantry were greatly assisted in their advance. … Lukander, although in a shaken condition and subjected to very heavy artillery fire, set a splendid example to his men throughout the
operation.’
- Born 5.01.1891
- Place Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland
- Ethnic origin Finn
- Religion Lutheran
- Father Lukander, Albert
- Residence before arrival at Australia worked in the merchant service for 3½ years
- Arrived at Australia
- from South America on 12.12.1911 per Englhorn disembarked at Adelaide
- Residence before enlistment Port Adelaide
- Occupation 1914 sailor, 1921 labourer
- Service
- service number 1377 enlisted 28.11.1914 POE Oaklands, SA
- unit 10th Battalion; 3rd Brigade LTM Battery rank Corporal
- place Gallipoli, 1915; Western Front, 1916-1918 casualties WIA 1915, 1918
- awards 20.11.1917 awarded MM (LG 19.03.1918)
- final fate RTA 20.11.1918 discharged 24.03.1919
- Naturalisation 1921
- Residence after the war 1933 Semaphore, SA
- Wife Helena Johanna Lukander
- Materials digitised naturalisation (NAA)
- digitised service records (NAA)
- digitised recommendation for award (AWM)
- Group portrait of the Light Trench Mortar Battery of the 1st Division. E01761 (AWM)
Light Trench Mortar Battery of the 1st Division
ID number E01761
Collection Photograph
Object type Black & white - Glass original whole plate negative
Photographer Unknown Australian Official Photographer
Place made Belgium: Western Front (Belgium), Messines Area, Neuve Eglise
Date made 23 February 1918Description
Group portrait of the Light Trench Mortar Battery of the 1st Division. Identified from left to right, back row: 5440 Private (Pte) J G Nordberg; 907 Lance Corporal (LCpl) V A Bone MM; 2056 Pte O R Hart; 2561B Pte S V Botting; 5494 Pte J A Wright; 230 Pte A J Blackmore; 30531 Pte Sydney Roy Hebble-Thwaite (killed in action 4 July 1918); 7264 Pte A R Harvey; 3729 Pte E Bunce; 2509 Pte C W Stansfield; 5776 Pte E H Ratke; 906 Pte A S Graham; 5387 Pte G Jennings; 6079 LCpl C Martennson; 3107 Pte E J Hogan; 2063 Pte C A Seymour. Middle row: 5684 Pte J M Dick MM; 2410 Pte R J Williams; 3026A Pte A H Vacher; 1040A Pte S Gould; 4636 Pte H Knight; 4480 Pte D M Haynes; 2623A Pte R G Campbell; 30679 Pte James Brennan; 3132 Pte T Walker; 5347 Pte R Bergin; 3829 Pte J Houlding; 1385 Pte H M Frazier; 1046 Pte S R Harvey; 4581 Pte G M Stodart; 4312 Corporal (Cpl) E J Sellers; 3126 Pte C S Taylor. Front row: 6316 Pte J G Selkeld; 15253 Pte H R Driscoll; 1608 Cpl G Wilson DCM; 1133 Cpl C R Harvey DCM; 373 LCpl D Purden; 931 Cpl J North DCM; 4575 Cpl G H Shields; 1344 Sergeant (Sgt) H Flint; Lieutenant C W Cooke; Captain A J Newlands MC, Officer Commanding; 778 Sgt E V Hockey DCM MM; 1828 Cpl M R Archer MM; 2645 LCpl C F N Moisge; 151 Cpl G Farnham DCM MM; 1377 Cpl A Lukander MM; 2220 Cpl G Blackwood (killed in action 24 July 1918); 5122 Pte H Jones; 4559 Pte Wiles Francis Rowlings MM; 4248 Pte S J Townson; 5474 Pte H A Schaefer.
Awards
Military Medal
Created in 1916 by King George V for other ranks in the Army to correspond with the Military Cross instituted two years earlier, but eventually back dated in availability to 1914. Awarded to other ranks for 'acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire'.
In 1916, the Medal was extended to other ranks of the Navy serving in France, but only for actions in World War 1. In 1931, the availability of the Medal was extended to other ranks of the Air Force for gallant conduct on the ground. Recipients of the medal are entitled to use the post-nominal MM. Discontinued in 1993 when the Military Cross was made available to all ranks. The ribbon is principally of dark blue with three white and two crimson vertical stripes in the cental third. Australians have won a very large number of Medals in the campaigns to 1972 when the last award to an Australian was made. 11,038 Military Medals were awarded to Army personnel and 14 to Air Force members. 478 first Bars were awarded, 15 second Bars and a unique third Bar to a stretcher bearer with the 55th Infantry Battalion AIF in World War 1, Private E A Corey, meaning he had won the Medal four times.
Rank: Corporal
Unit: 3rd Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery
Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918
Recommendation: Military Medal
Date of recommendation: 15 November 1917
Do you have old Photos, articles or stories of any Service Men of Semaphore & Port adelaide?
