Albert Rogers (1895-1918)

Post date: Dec 02, 2015 6:25:6 PM

Albert Charles Rogers was born at Wateringbury in the first quarter of 1895, the second (by 1911 there were six who lived out of the 10 born alive) child of Joseph and Eliza, who had by the time of the 1901 census moved to 56, King street in Maidstone where Joseph was a coachman. By 1911 the family had moved to 421 Tonbridge Road in Maidstone and Joseph was a farm labourer and Albert a house boy. It is unlikely that Albert ever went to Wateringbury School.

In March 1914 Albert, aged 19, emigrated without any other family member but along with 844 other passengers from Liverpool to Adelaide on the White Star Line's ship Irishman. It left Liverpool on 21st March on its six week journey. Albert is recorded as an "agriculturalist".

The KM says he joined up the same year as he emigrated but Dail Whiting has found a 1915 enlistment. All Australian enlistments were voluntary and their forces overall in WWI suffered disproportionately high losses.

Extract from Kent Messenger of 25th May 1918

[ PHOTO AS AT HEAD OF THIS PAGE ]

Pte. A.C. Rogers (Wateringbury)

Australian Imperial Force

Who has died of wounds .

Pte. Albert Chas. Rogers, Australian Imperial Force, eldest son of the late Mr. Rogers and of Mrs. Rogers of Wateringbury,

died on May 4th at a Casualty Clearing Station in France of wounds received in action on May 3rd.

He had been in Australia 4 years and had joined up there in 1914.

In March 1918, the German Army had launched its Spring Offensive, a last-ditched effort to win the war, unleashing 63 divisions over a 70-mile front. As the Allies fell back the 3rd and 4th Divisions were rushed south to Amiens on the Somme. The offensive lasted for the next five months and all AIF divisions in France were engaged in the attempt to stem the tide. By late May the Germans had pushed to within 50 miles of Paris. During this time the Australians fought at Dernacourt, Morlancourt, Villers-Bretonneux, Hangard Wood, Hazebrouck, and Hamel. At Hamel the commander of the Australian Corps, Monash, successfully used combined arms (aircraft, artillery and armour) in an attack for the first time.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission shows he had been in the 48th Battalion of the Australian Infantry and his service number was 3698. His grave is at Vignacourt, a village in the Department of the Somme on the west of the road from Amiens to Doullens, the D933, reference I.E.17.