16 YEARS OLD AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER ALEC CAMPBELL AT GALLIPOLI IN 1915 AND LATER IN LIFE

 

16-year-old Australian soldier Alec Campbell at Gallipoli in 1915 and later in life.

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Today 22 years ago, on May 16, 2002, Alec Campbell passed away at the age of 103 - the last surviving Australian participant of the Battle of Gallipoli.

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Alexander William Campbell, shortened to Alec Campbell, was born on February 26, 1899 in Tasmania, Australia. By 1915 the First World War had begun and Australian men were volunteering for service, being deployed in the Battle of Gallipoli in April 1915.

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Campbell, aged only 16, left his job as a clerk at a fire insurance company to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. He lied about being 18 years and 4 months old, and successfully enlisted in the 15th Battalion, AIF on July 2, 1915.

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Some reports claim he had the consent of his parents' while others claim he did not. His parents were nevertheless terrified of Campbell going off to war, as one of his cousins had already been killed at Gallipoli. 

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Campbell embarked for Gallipoli with HMAT Kyarra on August 21, 1915 and arrived on the peninsula in late October or early November 1915. Campbell was fortunate enough to survive, as he remained at Gallipoli for the rest of the campaign until the evacuation in January 1916.

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During the battle he never went over-the-top, though he assisted with carrying ammunitions and water to troops in the frontline trenches. However, while at Gallipoli, Campbell did sustain a lifelong injury during the battle which destroyed a facial nerve in his cheek:

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"The fellow in front of me got shot and fell backwards into the trench, knocking me over, which could have saved my life. He did not hit me, but he fell back and the rifle clouted me in the head."

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In the following months, Campbell fell severely ill with several illnesses; jaundice, mumps, palsy and paralysis to the right side of his face due to his injury. Due to these health issues, Campbell was discharged on August 22, 1916.

Campbell went on to live a busy life with many different occupations ranging from carpenter to historian. He married twice, fathering nine children, his last-born at the age of 69.

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Living a spectacularly vigorous life, only in his last few months did he need to use a wheelchair. Eventually a chest infection led to him passing on May 16, 2002, aged 103, being the last Australian participant of the Battle of Gallipoli.

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"I joined for adventure. There was not a great feeling of defending the Empire. I lived through it, somehow. I enjoyed some of it. I am not a philosopher. Gallipoli was Gallipoli." ~ Alec Campbell.

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