Albert Arthur Shillabeer

Albert was born on 20 May 1894 at One Tree Hill.  His parents were Andrew Shillabeer and Elizabeth Ann Foote.  His grandfather was Andrew who was born in 1829 in England and came to South Australia when he was 10 years old with his parents.  He married Harriet Miller on 16 January 1850.  Andrew farmed at Gould Creek, One Tree Hill for 48 years except for a small visit to the Victorian goldfields during the gold rush in the 1840s.

Albert had a number of siblings as listed below;

Andrew              born 31 August 1879 at One Tree Hill
Harriet Eleanor born  6 September 1887 at One Tree Hill   
Julia May            born 17 May 1889 at One Tree Hill   
Emily Maud       born 26 April 1894 at One Tree Hill   
William Oswald  born 10 May 1896 at One Tree Hill   
Ernest  Miller     born 19 December 1900 at One Tree Hill

Albert enlisted on 6 March 1916 when he was almost 22 years old.  He was an Engine driver and had been apprenticed for 4 years.  He was placed in the 2^nd reinforcements of the 48^th Battalion.  He embarked at Adelaide on the “AENEAS” on 11 April 1916.  He then embarked at Alexandria on 6 June 1916 and arrived at Plymouth, England on 16 June 1916.

The 48th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 16 March 1916 as part of the “doubling” of the AIF. Roughly half of its new recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 16th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia.  Reflecting the composition of the 16th, the men of the new battalion hailed mainly from regional South Australia and Western Australia. The new battalion formed part of the 12th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division.  It became known as the “Joan of Arc” (the Maid of Orleans) battalion because it was “made of all Leanes” - it was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ray Leane, his brother was the adjutant, and several other relatives were scattered throughout the battalion.

The 48th’s first major battle on the Western Front was Pozières.  Here, it was tasked with defending ground captured in earlier attacks by the 2nd Division and entered the firing line on two separate occasions - 5 to 7 and 12 to 15 August. During the former period the battalion endured what was said to be heaviest artillery barrage ever experienced by Australian troops and suffered 598 casualties.  Before it had recovered from the trials of Pozières, the 48th was also required to defend ground captured during the battle of Mouquet Farm.

1917 was also a trying year for the 48th Battalion. In two of the major battles in which it fought - the first battle of Bullecourt, in France, and the battle of Passchendaele, in Belgium - it was forced to withdraw with heavy casualties as result of poor planning and inadequate support.  On neither occasion did the battalion fail for want of courage or skill amongst its own troops.

Like most AIF battalions, the 48th rotated in and out of the front line through the winter of 1917-18. In the spring of 1918 it played a crucial role in blocking the main road into Amiens when the Germans launched their last great offensive. When it came time for the Allies to launch their own offensive, the 48th took part in the battle of Amiens between 8 and 10 August, and the battle to seize the Hindenburg “outpost line” between 18 and 20 September. This was the 48th’s last battle of the war. It disbanded on 31 March 1919.

In August 1917 after Disobedience of Orders – in that after being warned he was found in bed at 6.10am,  he was given three days C.C.  Five days later he was Absent Without Leave (AWOL) from the Quarter Masters Stores fatigue duties, after being warned and was awarded four days C.C.

He was sent to France on  the  S.S “VICTORIA” from Folkstone.  He joined the 12^th Training Battalion on 4 February 1917 at Etaples.  Albert was a signaller .  At Bullecourt he killed in action on 11 April 1917.  Details of his death is recorded in the Red Cross records.  He was hit by a sniper in the forehead and killed outright.   His parents waited anxiously for further news of his death from the Army.  After being informed about his death they had heard no further information for two months.

Albert is commemorated in the Villers-Bretonneux Cemetery, France and on the One Tree Hill memorial.  He was 23 years old.

His medals, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal and Memorial scroll were sent to his father.