Alec William Campbell (26 February 1899 – 16 May 2002) was the final surviving Australian participant in the Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War. His death broke the last living link of Australians with the Gallipoli story.
Alec Campbell was born in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. At the age of 16, claiming to be two years older and enlisting without his father's permission, he left his job as a clerk with the Colonial Mutual Fire Ins...
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Alec William Campbell (26 February 1899 – 16 May 2002) was the final surviving Australian participant in the Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War. His death broke the last living link of Australians with the Gallipoli story.
Alec Campbell was born in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. At the age of 16, claiming to be two years older and enlisting without his father's permission, he left his job as a clerk with the Colonial Mutual Fire Insurance Company and lied about his age in order to enlist in the army. He joined the 15th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force in 1915. Not even being old enough to shave, Campbell gained the nickname "The Kid"' during his training in Hobart. One of his cousins had died already at Gallipoli and the idea of Campbell's deployment terrified his parents. He landed at ANZAC Cove in early November 1915 and assisted in carrying ammunition, stores and water to the trenches. He received a minor wound in the fighting at Gallipoli. When he was...
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