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ANZAC Gallipoli special for 2010 Part 6 - Alfred John SHOUT - Australia
Captain Alfred John SHOUT, whilst a recognised Australian Victoria Cross recipient was actually born on 8th August 1882 in Wellington, New Zealand.
At the age of 18 years, In 1900, Shout joined a New Zealand Army contingent for service in the Second Boer War in South Africa. He served cited as serving with distinction as a member of the New Zealand Border Horse, and was wounded twice. On Jan 29th 1901, when he was then a lance corporal, Shout was engaged in action with his unit at Thabaksberg. Throughout the battle, he assisted greatly in maintaining the position of his men, and at one stage ventured out under heavy rifle fire to retrieve a wounded man, bringing him back to a place of safety. As a result of his great courage in this action, Shout was Mentioned in Despatches. He was promoted to sergeant on 7 May 1901 and discharged from service in 1902.
Shout remained in South Africa after his discharge and enlisted in Prince Alfred's Own Cape Field Artillery which was a South African unit of the British Army, as a sergeant in 1903. During this time, he married had a daughter Florence then in 1907, the Shout family emigrated to Australia, settling in the Sydney. Shout became a carpenter and joiner, but also pursued his military interests by joining the 29th Infantry Regiment of the Citizens Military Force. A foundation member of the 29th Infantry Club, Shout was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Citizens Military Force (ARMY reserves) on 16 June 1914.
At 09:00 on 9 August 1915, the 1st Battalion relieved the 3rd Battalion at Sasses Sap on the Lone Pine frontline. During the attack at Lone Pine a large portion of Sasses sap was found to be occupied by the enemy. Captains Shout and Sasse decided to clear it. They gathered together three men carrying sandbags with which to construct barricades and then both officers charged down the trench, Shout bombing and Sasse shooting. They advanced in short hops, building a barricade at each stop. In the morning in one section of trench Shout killed eight enemy and routed the remainder. In the afternoon, gathering another party of eight and again accompanied by Sasse, he captured a further section of trench in similar fashion. They had just determined a suitable position for the final barricade when Shout lit three bombs for the final dash. The third bomb burst in his hand, blowing it completely away and shattering one side of his face and body. Despite the severity of his injuries, Shout maintained consciousness and was dragged out of the firing line and evacuated to the hospital ship where he apparently remained cheerful drank tea and sent a message to his wife. Alas he eventually succumbed and died of wounds and was buried at sea.
For a much broader idea of SHOUTS actions and heroics as well as full millitary history and more about his personal life please check out his Wikipedia entry Click here
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Mark Minehan, PP Travel, London
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LEST WE FORGET!
Posted: 09 April 2010 22:28:22 GMT by MarkBeing at Gallipoli for the Dawn Service on Anzac Day where our forefathers landed in Turkey, creating the Anzac legend, will be a moment cherished by a privileged few. PP Travel has just completed another series of very successful tours for the Da ... read more
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