Albert Edmonds

Albert Edmondsalbert edmonds

Albert George Edmonds was born 12 October 1890 in Eketahuna, son of Albert and Emily Edmonds who farmed at Parkville, Eketahuna. He was the oldest of six children

By 1908 Albert was part of the signals section of the Eketahuna Mounted Rifles. Sometime after 1911, the family moved to Mona Station, Alfredton, where father and son farmed. Albert and his brothers worked as bushmen to clear the land. He was in the Territorial Army, part of C Squadron of the 9th (Wellington and East Coast) Mounted Rifles Regiment.

Albert enlisted on 8 February 1916 at Featherston Camp, service number 24856. He became a trooper in the Wellington Mounted Rifles which did all its training at Featherston. After five months he left New Zealand with the 14th Reinforcements, arriving in Egypt in August 1916 on the troopship Waihora.

He served in the Palestine Campaign from September 1916. In early 1918 he spent several weeks in a rest camp but was back in action soon after. In late March 1918, the N.Z. Mounted Rifle Brigade attacked across the Jordan River to Es Salt and Amman. Although the approach was successful and the railway cut in several places, Turkish opposition and lack of artillery meant the New Zealanders had to retreat across the Jordan. It was during this battle that Albert Edmonds was killed on 30 March. He has no grave and is memorialised on the Jerusalem Memorial