Martin Abolin

Martin Abolin

Personal Information
Date of Birth	Not known
Place of Birth	Ippesgriw, Par Talsen, Courland, Russia
Death	8 Jun 1917
Place of Death	Messines, Belgium
Age at Enlistment	24
Description	5'8" (1.73m) tall ; 150 lbs 68.039 kg ; fair complexion ; grey blue eyes ; light hair
Occupation	Timber worker
Religion	Protestant
Address	Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr Christopher Abolin
Military Information
Reg Number	1619
Date of Enlistment	22 Jan 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	44th Battalion, 1st Reinforcement, to C Company / 11th Brigade, 3rd Division
Date of Embarkation	6 Jun 1916 ‒ 21 Jul 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A29 Suevic
Fate	Killed in Action 8 Jun 1917, Messines
Monument	Jarrahdale War Memorial Jarrahdale Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Australian War Memorial
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Although he signed the enlistment papers on 22 Jan 1916 he didn't enter Blackboy Hill camp until 14 Feb 1916. On 1 Mar 1916 he was allocated to the 1st reinforcement draft for the 44th Battalion, and he shifted to the Claremont camp. Basic training completed he boarded teh HMAT A29 Suevic in Fremantle on 6 Jun 1916 for England.

On arrival in England he was sent to the 11th Training Battalion at Lark Hill for further training before being taken on strength of the 44th Battalion in England from the reinforcement draft on 18 Nov 1916.

Along with his unit, he arrived in France from Southampton on 25 Nov 1916. His records reveal nothing between his arrival in France and his death. We may therefore assume that he was with the battalion all of this time, as absences from the unit are always noted.

The entry for 8 Jun 1917 in the battalion's War Diary reads

"Ploegsteert 1am, Battalion moved out to take over portion of the Green Line between the La Douve River and Huns Walk on Messines Ridge. The frontage of the attack was about 1100 yards (1 km) and the battalion attacked in the following order, D Coy on the right, then A Coy, then C Coy , and B Coy on the left. The attack was very successful and we captured the green line about 4am, with slight casualties. The hanging on afterwards was, however, very severe and before the battalion was relieved we suffered about 300 casualties.

Martin was killed by artillery fire in the struggle to hold onto the ground gained. Neville Browning in his book "The Westralian Battalion" tells that

the bombardment continued well into the night without abatement. Private A. Lingwood, a 'B' Company stretcher-bearer, was struck in the head by shrapnel and killed, whilst sitting in a shell hole. Sergeant D.W. Stewart and Privates M. Abolin, A. Green, J.V. Moore, G.W.M. Scott, A.C. Welshman and E.B. Wilkins were also killed and several men were wounded before the day was through

• 

  Bethleen Farm East Cemetery
• 

  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Notes

Buried Bethleem Farm Cemetery Plot A, Grave #6, SE of Messines, France.

Next of Kin's address was care of his brother John at 1 Sophia street, Cardiff, Wales. In April 1929 the Army receied a letter on behalf of the Russian Red Cross Society in America who forwarded a claim that his sister living in the U.S.S.R. was claiming to be a (the) beneficiary of his will. This is contray to the will he made on 1 Jun 1917 which named his brother as sole beneficiary. However by 1929 his brother had apparently disappeared.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Memorial