Born on 1 July 1897 in Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Alfred John Lines was an 18-year-old engineer's buyer from Alfred Street, Granville, New South Wales. He was the son of Mr. Alfred Lines and Mrs. Emily Lines, also of Alfred Street, Granville.
He enlisted on 28 October 1915 and was assigned to 7 Light Horse Regiment, 16 Reinforcements with the rank of Private (service number 2355). He embarked with his unit aboard the HMAT ‘Palermo’ from Sydney on 18 April 1916.
He was posted with the signallers in Tell-el-Kebir on 10 June 1916. On 2 January 1917 he was transferred to the 2 Light Horse Regiment in Moascar, Egypt before being transferred to the 7 Light Horse Regiment on 6 January 1917. He was admitted to hospital on 22 May 1917 suffering from ulcers, then on 25 May 1917 he was diagnosed with malaria and was transferred to hospital in Pyrexia, Abbassia, Egypt. He was in and out of hospital several times before returning to his unit on 18 August 1917. On 28 August 1917 he was again re-admitted to hospital with malaria and remained until he was discharged on 1 September 1917. On 18 November 1917 he was transferred to the 7 Light Horse Regiment. He embarked for Australia aboard the HT ‘Malta’ from Egypt on 3 July 1919.
After returning home, he married Dorothy M. Rose in Granville, N.S.W. in 1924.
On 12 April 1959, Alfred passed away, aged 61. He was a late resident of Cronulla, formerly of Carlingford and Granville. He was survived by his beloved wife Dorothy and two children Ted and Verlie.
Kimberley Russell, Volunteer Research Assistant, City of Parramatta, Parramatta Heritage Centre, 2017
& updated Anne Tsang, Research Assistant, City of Parramatta, Parramatta Heritage Centre, 2020
References
Australia Remembers Ltd. (no date). [Lines, Alfred John], Honouring Veterans. Retrieved from https://honouringveterans.org/vet_profile.php?id=377863
Australian War Memorial. (no date). First world war embarkation roll : Alfred John Lines. [service number 2355], AWM8 10/12/4 - 7 LHR [Light Horse Regiment] - 14 to 20 Reinforcements (March-July 1916). Retrieved from https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2046123
Australian War Memorial. (no date). First world war nominal roll : Alfred John Lines. AWM133 31 – Nominal roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad, 1914-18: Lee W – Loose C E. Retrieved from https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2227916
Lines, Alfred John [Death notice]. (1959, April 13). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 22
Lines, Alfred John [Funeral notice]. (1959, April 14). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 30
National Archives of Australia (2020). NAA: B2455, Lines Alfred John. Item barcode 8195815. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8195815
The Cumberland Argus, compiler. (1920). Parramatta and district soldiers who fought in the Great War, 1914-1919. Parramatta, N.S.W. : The Cumberland Argus, p. 83. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-81897020
Tsang, A. & Sahni, N. (eds). (2019). City of Parramatta World war one and horse soldiers. Parramatta, N.S.W. : City of Parramatta, p. 35. Retrieved from https://arc.parracity.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/World-War-One-Horse-Soldiers-Final.pdf#page=37
UNSW Canberra (2016). Alfred John Lines, The AIF Project [database]. Retrieved from https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=177131