Albert the most tragic of four soldier sons

TOWARD the end of 1917, the weekly Tasmanian Mail newspaper featured photos of Margaret Cartledge and her four soldier sons.

Individual images of Mrs Cartledge and her sons John, William and George, were grouped together in a box, while Albert’s photo was off to the side.

No explanation was given for this unusual layout. Perhaps it was because Albert was a corporal at the time and his brothers were privates.

He would also be the only one of the brothers not to come home at the war’s end.

Albert Edward Cartledge was born at Hobart in 1889. He worked as a labourer after leaving the New Town State School.

He married Amy and soon had a son and three daughters. He enlisted in October 1915 and by January 1916 he was in camp at Broadmeadows, Victoria. After he arrived in Egypt several months later, he had a short-lived transfer to the Anzac Police. He was promoted to corporal early in 1917 and had several stints in hospital in France that year. He later reverted to private.

On July 5, 1918, Albert’s unit was working near Corbie in northern France when he received several serious shrapnel wounds to his thigh, ankle, arm and hand. Witness Albert Neil, of South Australia, put it more bluntly. “Cartledge, a married man, about 32 … fair, an old hand, clean shaven, had two arms blown off.”

He was initially taken to the 4th Australian Field Ambulance and then to the 47th Casualty Clearing Station where he died the next day from his wounds. He was buried in the Crouy British Cemetery, Crouy-sur-Somme, France.

Private Albert Edward Cartledge is remembered at tree 455 on the Soldiers’ Memorial Avenue and on honour boards at the Hobart Town Hall, New Town Primary School and St John’s Church, New Town.