By Charlene Macaulay
At the beginning of World War I, Laverton carpenter Albert Victor Hyde enlisted in the army with his mate George Handcock. After initial training at Broadmeadows and then Egypt, he landed at Gallipoli with the 14th Battalion.
After Gallipoli, the 14th Battalion returned to Alexandria, Egypt, where Albert joined the 46th Battalion.
He was wounded in France on February 14, 1917, when a shell exploded in front of him, resulting in a fractured right leg and shrapnel embedded in his body.
He was evacuated to Woking Military Hospital, England and was discharged from hospital and boarded the SS Themistocles on November 5, 1917.
On arriving in Australia, Albert was discharged from the army on February 5, 1918 and married his fiancee, Irene Newland.
He worked at the Explosives Reserve in Altona for 40 years, before retiring due to a heart attack.
Albert reached the rank of Sergeant during his service and was awarded the 1914/15 Star Medal, Victory Medal and British War Medal.
Information courtesy of the Wyndham History website.
Charlene Macaulay
