Lieutenant Alfred Gaby V.C. Print Page 
The bronze tablet, in the form of a Victoria Cross, commemorates Lieutenant Alfred Edward Gaby who was awarded the Victoria Cross (V.C.) during World War One.
Alfred Edward Gaby (1892-1918), soldier and labourer, was born on 25 January 1892 at Springfield, near Ringarooma, Tasmania. Before the outbreak of World War One , Gaby followed one of his brothers to Western Australia where he worked as a labourer at Katanning.
Gaby was acting as commander of 'D' Company when, as part of the 2nd Division, his battalion was engaged in the great allied offensive of 8 August 1918. The 28th Battalion attacked German positions east of Villers-Bretonneux and in the course of this action Gaby showed conspicuous bravery and dash in leading and reorganizing his company when it was held up by barbed wire entanglements. He found a gap in the wire, and single-handed, approached an enemy strong point in the face of machine-gun and rifle fire. 'Running along the parapet, still alone, and at point-blank range, he emptied his revolver into the garrison', driving the crews from their guns and capturing fifty men and four machine-guns. He then reorganized his men and captured his objective. On 11 August 1918 in another attack near Lihons, during which he again showed bravery and coolness in engaging an enemy machine-gun position, he was killed by sniper fire.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously.
On Sunday an impressive service was held in the Katanning Town Hall, the occasion being the unveiling of a memorial tablet to Lieutenant A. E. Gaby, V.C., of the 28th Battalion A.I.F. The unveiling ceremony was performed by Lieut.-Colonel H. B. Collett, C.M.G., D.S.O., V.D., late CO. of the 28th Battalion, and there were present a large number of returned soldiers, the majority of whom were in uniform, as well as of the general public. The form the memorial has been given as a bronze Victoria Cross, an exact replica of the original, two feet long. mounted on a white marble slab bearing an appropriate inscription and stating that the Katanning branch of the R.S.L. had erected it to the memory of a fallen comrade.
The West Australian (Perth), 20th November 1920.
Note: A plaque related to the unveiling is located on the Katanning War Memorial.
Location
| Address: | 22-24 Austral Terrace, Katanning Town Hall, Katanning, 6317 |
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| State: | WA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.690278 Long: 117.554444 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Military |
| Designer: | A. W. Dobbie & Co Ltd (Perth, WA) |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 14th November, 1920 |
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Lieutenant A. E. Gaby V.C., 28th Battalion, A.I.F., late of Nyabing ( in the Katanning district ), killed in action August 11, 1918, at Herleville Ridge, France.
This tablet was erected by the Katanning Sub-Branch of the Returned Soldiers' League and unveiled by Colonel H. B. Collett, C.M.G., D.S.O., V.D, 28th Battalion on November 14, 1920.
