Alfred Gaby VC
The bravery of the soldier from Nyabing
By Donna Dabala
ABC Great Southern
Lieutenant Alfred Gaby VC
Before war broke out, Alfred Edward Gaby and his brother Charles moved to Western Australia to join their newly married brother Ernie, who had settled in Nyabing. For a year, Alf laboured on farms around the Nyabing-Pingrup and Katanning areas, before enlisting to go to war in 1916.
He sailed for Europe on the Ulysses in April of that year, and joined his battalion in France by August. He was quickly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant by September 1917. By the time of the Great Allied Offensive of August 1918, Lieutenant Alf Gaby was acting as commander of his company. On two occasions during the offensive, Lieutenant Gaby showed “conspicuous bravery and dash” in leading his company when it was thwarted by barbed wire barricades.
Alyson Cooper from the Nyabing Historical Society says that Lieutenant Gaby’s actions were extremely commendable.
“He found a gap in the wire, and single-handed, approached the strong point… [under crossfire] he ran along the parapet, still alone, and at point-blank range, he emptied his revolver into the garrison, drove the crews from their guns and compelled the surrender of fifty of the enemy with four machine guns.”
Days later Lieutenant Gaby, again under heavy fire and demonstrating incredible composure, walked along the line of posts, and while encouraging his men to consolidate for the impending attack, was shot by an enemy sniper and killed. He was 26 years old.
In recognition for his incredible bravery Lieutenant Gaby was awarded the Victoria Cross three days after his death. Although the Victoria Cross was sent to his family in Tasmania, there is a replica on display in the Nyabing RSL.
Read his WW! stories here – Click a link below:
War Records of ALFRED EDWARD GABY VC [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
LEST WE FORGET
Listen here as Alyson Cooper from the Nyabing Historical Society talks about the life of Lieutenant Alf Gaby with the ABC’s Donna Dabala:
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