Alfred James CARR

Per his military service record (regimental no. 2155), Alfred James Carr was born at Wellington, N.S.W.[1] He gave his age as 25 years and 1 month, his marital status as single, and his occupation as labourer. His description on his Certificate of Medical Examination was height 5 feet 11 inches tall, weight 168 lbs., with a fair complexion, blue eyes, and dark brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. He claimed that he had no previous military service.

He completed his medical examination at Wellington on 18^th October 1915 (the day the Coo-ees marched from Wellington to Dripstone). He was attested by Captain T. A. Nicholas at Stuart Town on 19^th October 1915 (the day the Coo-ees marched from Dripstone to Stuart Town).

After completing the Coo-ee March he went to Liverpool Camp and joined the 15^th reinforcements for the 6^th Light Horse Regiment.

On his embarkation roll his address at time of enrolment was Maughan Street, Wellington N.S.W.[2] His next of kin was listed as his father, George Edward Carr, at the same address.

On 22^nd March 1916 Trooper Carr (along with fellow Coo-ees Troopers Condon, Kennedy and Sullivan) departed Sydney on the HMAT A4 Pera, with the 15^th reinforcements for the 6^th Light Horse Regiment.

After arriving at Suez in Egypt, Trooper Carr was hospitalised suffering Mumps on 21^st April 1916.

He was discharged from the Government Hospital at Suez, and taken on strength of the 2^nd Light Horse Training Regiment at Tel-el-Kebir on 26^th April 1916.

On 27^th May 1916 Trooper Carr was admitted to the 3^rd Australian General Hospital at Abbassia, Egypt, suffering Influenza.  He rejoined the Training Regiment at Tel-el-Kebir on 13^th June 1916.

On 15^th July 1916 he was taken on strength of the 12 Company of the 1^st ANZAC Battalion of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade at Abbassia.

On 2^nd August 1916 Trooper Car was admitted sick to the 1^st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Abbasia. He was discharged from hospital on 8^th August 1916. He was taken on strength of the No. 11 Company of the Imperial Camel Corps at Moghara on 17^th August 1916.

On 1^st September 1916 Trooper Carr was admitted sick to the 17^th General Hospital at Alexandria, Egypt. He was discharged from hospital on 11^th December 1916.  (Trooper Carr had been transferred to the 3^rd ANZAC Battalion of the Imperial Camel Corps on 11^th November 1916). On 15^th December 1916 he marched out the No. 1 Company of the Imperial Camel Corps.

On 24^th March 1917 Trooper Carr was admitted to the 14^th Australian General Hospital at Abbassia with septic sores on his left leg. He rejoined his unit on 17^th June 1917.

On the 1^st of September 1917 Trooper CARR was admitted sick to the 26^th Stationary Hospital at Ismailia, Egypt, with Herpes zoster [shingles]. He was discharge from hospital on 9^th September 1917. He was posted to 1^st Battalion Imperial Camel Corps, and joined No. 1 Company, on 21^st September 1917.

On 21^st March 1918 Trooper Car went to hospital in the field sick. On 25^th March 1918 he was admitted to the 14^th Australian General Hospital at Port Said suffering from Psoriasis. He was discharged from hospital on 10^th May 1918 and sent to a Rest Camp in Abbassia. He rejoined his unit on 31^st May 1918.

On 1^st July 1918 Trooper Carr was transferred to the 14^th Light Horse Regiment.

On the 5^th September 1918 Trooper Carr was admitted to the 14^th Australian General Hospital at Port Said suffering a swollen groin. He was discharged from hospital on 25^th   November 1918 and sent to a Rest Camp.

He was sent to Cairo on 28^th November 1918, on 14 days leave.  He returned to Port Said from leave on 13^th December 1918.

On 14^th December 1918 Trooper Carr was admitted to the 2^nd Australian Stationary Hospital sick. He was transferred to the 14^th General Hospital at Abbassia on 3^rd March 1919. He was discharged from hospital on 22^nd March 1919.

On 23^rd of March 1919 Trooper Carr marched out with  “Olden’s Force”,  a contingent  of 400 Australians led by Lieutenant-Colonel Olden, tasked with suppressing an Egyptian nationalist rebellion, which ‘moved up the Nile to engage a large rebel concentration at Bedrasheen’.[3]

On 8^th April 1919 Trooper Carr was admitted to the 14^th Australian General Hospital at Abbassia suffering from ulcers of the abdominal wall. He was discharged to a Rest Camp at Port Said on 17^th April 1919.

Trooper Carr departed Port Said, Egypt, aboard the H.T. Dorset on 29^th April 1919, commencing his return to Australia for medical discharge (ulcers).

He arrived in Australia on 11^th June 1919.  He was discharged medically unfit on 26^th July 1919.

Trooper A. J. Carr was one of a number of returned soldiers who was named in the Wellington Times on 27^th November 1919, who were to be welcomed home to Wellington and presented with a gold medal. After a concert programme, over 200 gold medals were presented to local returned soldiers before a large crowd at the Skating Rink in Wellington on Wednesday night, 3^rd December 1919. They then adjourned to the Oddfellows Hall for light refreshments, and dancing.[4]

[1] NAA: B2455, CARR A J

[2] Australia War Memorial. First World War Embarkation Roll, Alfred James Carr, HMAT Pera A4, 22^nd March 1916. Note his address is misspelt as ‘Manghan’ Street.

[3] Ian Jones, ‘Olden, Arthur Charles (1881–1949)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/olden-arthur-charles-7899/text13735, published first in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 13 October 2018.

[4] WELLINGTON WELCOME HOME. (1919, November 27). Wellington Times (NSW : 1899 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved October 13, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141615694 ; WELCOME HOME TO SOLDIERS. (1919, December 4). Wellington Times (NSW : 1899 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved October 13, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141610945