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Local Heroes WW1
ANTONSON, Albert Bernard
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- Last Updated: Wednesday, 20 May 2015 16:42
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(L Cpl) Albert Bernard Antonson
Lance Corporal Albert Bernard Antonson 1451, a Horse driver from Portland, South Australia prior to enlistment on 9th December 1914 and embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, with his unit 10th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement, on board HMAT A54 Runic on 19 February 1915.
| Regimental number | 1451 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Horse driver |
| Address | Langham Place, Portland, South Australia |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 23 |
| Next of kin | Mrs M Antonson, Langham Place, Portland, South Australia |
| Enlistment date | 9-Dec-14 |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 10th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/27/2 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A54 Runic on 19 February 1915 |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Lance Corporal |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 4th Pioneer Battalion |
| Fate | Returned to Australia 14 December 1918 |
| WW2 Service Record | |
| Name | ANTONSON, ALBERT BERNARD |
| Service | Australian Army |
| Service Number | S212050 |
| Date of Birth | 2 Aug 1891 |
| Place of Birth | PORT ADELAIDE, SA |
| Date of Enlistment | 27-Sep-39 |
| Locality on Enlistment | PORT ADELAIDE, SA |
| Place of Enlistment | ADELAIDE, SA |
| Next of Kin | FLORENCE |
| Date of Discharge | 7-May-40 |
| Rank | Private |
| Posting at Discharge | 4 GARRISON BATTALION |
| WW2 Honours and Gallantry | None for display |
| Prisoner of War | No |
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 Farm1917 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 Belgium12 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
Albert Bernard Antonson (1891-1971)
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. http://www.rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/people/68970
Honours
Albert Bernard Antonson was certainly entitled to wear one ‘Wounded Stripe’ on the left forearm sleeve of his tunic. When he was wounded on 19th of June, 1915, From 336,931 Australians who embarked for overseas service (excluding the RAN), there were 155,133 ‘woundings’ (including gassing and shell-shock). There were 5,583 Australian soldiers wounded three times, 807 four times, 105 five times and 10 six times. One soldier is recorded as having been wounded seven times.
This was a strip of narrow gold Russia braid, two inches in length, worn perpendicularly on the left sleeve of the jacket to mark each occasion a soldier was wounded badly enough to be evacuated from the front line.
He was later awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal which were sent to him by Base Records Melbourne in about 1921.
The 1914-15 Star rewarded operational service within a theatre of war between the commencement of hostilities on 5 August 1914 and 31 December 1915. Almost 2.3 million Stars were awarded throughout the Commonwealth, of which 82,000 were awarded to Australians serving in an Australian unit.
The British War Medal 1914-1920 was awarded to members of British and Imperial forces for service between the outbreak of hostilities on 5 August 1914 and the Armistice on 11 November 1918, although eligibility was extended to include service in various theatres up to 1920. There were 338,000 medals in silver awarded to Australians.
The Victory Medal 1914-1919 was awarded to members of British and Imperial forces for operational service only, between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918, although eligibility was extended to include service in various theatres during 1919. There were 336,000 medals in silver awarded to Australians.
The Semaphore War Memorial was dedicated in 1925 to honour all of those from the district who fought in the war, such as Private Albert Bernard Antonson.
Local commemoration
The Semaphore War Memorial on the Esplanade was dedicated in 1925 to honour all of those from the district who fought in the war. A temporary ‘Memorial Arch’ of wood and iron was first erected at the entrance to the Semaphore Jetty bearing the banner title, ‘For King & Empire’. On 27 April 1924, four foundation stones for the new memorial were laid at the approach to the jetty – one on behalf of the citizens of Port Adelaide district, one for the RSSILA, one on behalf of the parents of the fallen men, and one on behalf of the widows and orphans.
Private Albert Bernard Antonson was most likely among the several thousand people who attended the unveiling of the Semaphore War Memorial on 24 May 1925. With him would of been his wife Florence, his Mother Mrs Mary Antonson and their thoughts would have been of Harold Leonard Antonson
The following year, a granite obelisk was erected on the foundation stones, with an electric ‘turret type’ clock and topped by a marble Angel of Peace with wings outspread. The local newspaper noted, “all the names of those who enlisted from the district or who made the supreme sacrifice cannot be placed on the monument” so it instead bears a simple commemorative plaque.
On 27 April 1924, four foundation stones for the Semaphore War Memorial were laid at the approach to the jetty – including this stone laid by Colonel Charles Philip Butler DSO (ex-43rd Battalion AIF) on behalf of the returned sailors and soldiers such as Private Albert Bernard Antonson.
Semaphore & Port Adelaide RSL
For the 2015 commemoration of the Anzac Centenary, the Semaphore & Port Adelaide RSL has created a virtual Honour Board listing the names of over 2,000 local men who volunteered to serve in World War 1. Among them are counted Albert Bernard Antonson, a Horse Driver and a wounded veteran of service in Gallipoli, France and Flanders.
