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Albert William Buckley - Information

Albert William Buckley was born in Campbelltown in March 1898. He was living with his mother, Elizabeth Buckley, in Auburn, while serving in the cadets in Illawarra and Marrickville. By the time the war started, Albert was working as a fisherman in Unanderra. At just 18 years old, he enlisted in the AIF in Wollongong on the 6th of June 1916.

Albert was allocated to the 6th Reinforcements, 45th Battalion as a Private, and left Sydney on the 7th October 1916. He arrived at Plymouth in late November, and received more training before leaving for France in May 1917, joining the 45th Battalion in the trenches. The following month, Albert experienced the true brutality of modern warfare. The Battle of Messines commenced with the explosion of large mines buried underneath German lines in Belgium. The infantry then successfully rushed forward capturing the German lines. Next on the agenda for the 45th Battalion was the Third Battle of Ypres. During these assaults, Albert was appointed Lance Corporal on the 7th of September. He and his mates then fought in the mud around Passchendaele. Over the winter Albert became ill, and between December and July was in and out of hospital. On the 8th of August, the 45th participated in the Allies'€™ grand offensive at Amiens. They were determined to push back the Germans following their break out operations earlier in the year. The Hindenburg Line was breached, and the war ended on November 11th. Albert departed for Australia on the 12th of May 1919. After the war he lived in Wollongong.