Albert Victor Kempson was 21 and 4 months old when he enlisted on 19 July 1915. He was the son of George Kempson and his wife, Amelia, nee Knowles. One of seven children, he had two brothers, Thomas Henry Kempson, b.1889, who would also go to war, and Reginald Knowles Kempson, b.1897, and a sister, Constance Amelia, b. 1886. Three sons had died at birth, William in 1891, Gerald in 1892 and Norman in 1894. Albert gave as his next of kin gave as his next of kin, his mother, living at 136 Clarendon St., East Melbourne. They must have been living there for some time, because Albert had been baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Eastern Hill on 26 May, 1895 and was confirmed there when he was 14. He was a draper by trade, 5' 9" tall and had had some experience with the Citizerns Forces.
He went for military training, probably at Broadmeadows, and was placed with the 7th Reinforcements, 23rd Battalion. They embarked from Melbourne on H.M.A.T. Commonwealth on 20 November, 1915, and on 3 February, 1916, he was allotted and proceeded to join the 58th Battalion at Zeitoun, Egypt. On 29 February, he was taken on strength with the 60th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.
His original allocation to the 23rd Battalion was no longer possible. The 23rd Battalion had been formed in March 1915, left Australia in March and arrived in Egypt in June. They landed in Anzac Cove in early September and fought as part of the 2nd Brigade at Lone Pine, where the fighting was so dangerous and debilitating that the battalions were relieved every day, the 23rd rotating with the 24th Battalion. They left Gallipoli in December, 1915, and by the time Alfred Kempson could join them, they were proceeding to the Western Front, where on 10 April, 1916, they were manning the trenches at Armentiers.
On 18 March, 1916, Albert Kempson was placed with the newly formed 60th Battalion, raised in Egypt on 24 February, 1916. It formed asa result of the expansion of the Australian military forces following Gallipoli. and formed part of the 15th Brigade, attached to the 5th Australian Division. The 6oth left Egypt for Marseilles, France, disembarking on 20 June. Arriving on 28 June to the Western Front, their first battle was at Fromelles in July, where the battalion suffered 757 casualties and was almost destroyed.
Albert Kempson left Alexandria on the H.T. Kinfauns Castle on 18 March, 1916, disembarking at Marseilles on 2o May. His record does not say when he marched to join his battalion, but on 19 July, 1916, probably at the Battle of the Somme (1 July- 19 November, 1916), he was wounded in the field, with a gunshot wound to his right hand, leg ands buttock. He was first admitted to the 3rd Canadian General Hospital at Dannes-Camiers, the first hospital to use chloroform, instead of ether, to anaesthetize patients. He then sent back to england on the hospital ship Cambrai and treated at the Military Hospital, Silver St. Edmonton. He was in hospital for over four months, before being discharged to the military camp at Perham Downs, then given two weeks furlough from 11-27 December, before reporting back to No. 1 Command Depot, Perham Downs on 27 December.
He must still have been somewhat unfit. He stayed at Perham Downs until March, 1917, and was then detached from the 60th Battalion an on 31 March 1917 and taken on strength at the Anzac Provost Centre (military police) at Tidsworth. On 4 Octover Albert Kimpson was sent back to France, marching in to the British Base Depot. He was still a provost, and was deployed to duty in Paris on 19/10/1918, and was probably policing the streets at the declaration of the armistice on 11 November, 1918. In the months following, he would have been part of the organisation of the returning Australian soldiers.
The war over and the troops returned to their homeland, Albert Kempson too returned to Australia, boarding the Ceramic on 13 September. On 5 January, 1920, he was discharged from further military service. On 27 October, 1920, he married Aileen May Kelly (1894-1968). They had their first child, Leo Albert Kempson in 1922. In 1924, they had another child, this time a daughter, Patricia, and were living at 'Leola', Glyndon Rd., Camberwell, and Albert gave his occupation as airman. In 1931, they were living at the RAAF base at Point Cook, where he was a storekeeper.
Their son, Leo, enlisted in the R.A.A.F in World War 2, as a pilot. He was shot down over Germany in 1944.
From 1949-1954, the family was living at 63 Dendy St., Brighton, where Alfred was working as a storekeeper, then manager. From there, they moved in 1968 to 1 Royle Avenue, Kallista, the year Aileen died. In 1972, Alfred was a 2/20 Mary St., Kew. He died on 18 May, 1975, aged 80 and was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery, Nth. Carlton.
Thanks to the Jago family for their Public Tree on Ancestry for Albert Victor Kempson