Historical Photo'sAlbany is proud of the role it played during the two world wars. The convoy of vessels which carried the first Australian and New Zealand contingents to WW1, assembled in King George Sound and were coaled at the Deep Water Jetty before departing for action overseas.
There were always committees making up parcels to distribute amongst troops who came ashore or who were being repatriated. The Rocks, one of Albany's prominent homes was converted to a convalescent home for the wounded. It operated from October 1915 until October 1917. |
During World War I Albany was a popular place for the rehabilitation of injured soldiers, who on this particular day were taken for an outing.
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The Grace Darling at the wharf at Albany. She was a very popular vessel after having been involved in the rescue of 196 passengers of the SS Redondo in 1894. The iron screw steamer struck the Pollock Reef on her journey from Adelaide to W.A. and it was due to the speedy actions of Capt. Fred Douglas and one of his crew, (a lad by the name of Andrews), that only 4 passengers were drowned. She was owned and sailed by Capt Douglas from 1892 until 1910, plying the southern coastal trade - Fremantle /Albany / Esperance / Eucla and Port Adelaide until she was sold in 1910. She then worked the Fremantle / Geraldton coast and was wrecked in 1914.
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The Silver Star sailing up the Kalgan River. She was used as a ferry only in summer and went on Moonlight Cruises to Middleton Beach with the sounds of a jazz band and dancing ringing out across the water. She was popular for picnic excursions to Frenchman's Bay and Little Grove; Sunday Schools used her for fishing trips to Bremer Bay, and she often did round trips to Rabbit Island. Her useful life in Albany spanned 25 years, from 1910 until 1935.
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Photo's courtesy of the Albany History Collection.