Push to have World War II soldier Herbert Aldridge recognised in Border cemetery

Herbert (Bert) Aldridge, 50, died in Albury district hospital on September 16, 1951, from pneumonia and pulmonary oedema.

The RSL took part in his funeral at St Matthew's Church, but his grave in Waugh Road has no stone or plaque stating his military record.

Albury RSL sub-branch president Graham Docksey said he had contacted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission about recognising the burial site.

He said if Aldridge was not marked elsewhere, as part of a family tribute, the commission may supply a bronze plaque to place at the grave.

Aldridge's astonishing contribution to broadcasting and cinema and his bravery in making and operating secret radios in Nazi prisoner-of-war camps in Poland and Germany has been long forgotten.

An Australian Signals Corps corporal captured in North Africa in the British Commonwealth forces' retreat from Benghazi, Aldridge endured four years in camps in Italy, Poland and Germany.

In early 1945, he survived a 965 kilometre "death march" from Poland to Germany in 1945 in which almost 4000 PoWs were marched for 10 weeks on starvation rations, many dying in the snow.

After the war, Aldridge, who never married, lived in the Riverina, joined the Wagga RSL sub-branch but moved to Albury and lived at Englehardt Street until his death.

After his death, The Border Morning Mail and several other newspapers reported Aldridge had installed Melbourne's first "talking pictures" apparatus in 1928-29.

He was born in Liverpool, England, in August 1901.

His father and grandfather were makers of clocks, watches and instruments.

Royal Air Force records in London show he was an apprentice electrician until he joined the Royal Flying Corps in July 1917 for "boy service" when he was 16.

He transferred to the new RAF in April 1918 while Britain was still at war. In August 1919 he joined the British Army, serving in Sudan and Egypt, where he went down with sandfly fever.

He left the Army as a corporal in 1923 and migrated to Melbourne, aged 22, living with his mother in Bendigo at first, and later at Williamstown and Ivanhoe.

Aldridge designed the first powerful transmitters for Melbourne stations 3AR and 3KZ in 1925 and 1930 respectively, and pioneered continuous broadcasting.

As well, he apparently designed Australia's first mobile radio transmitter in the 1930s, before police cars and planes had radios.

His expertise in radio was a boon to the Australian Army in wartime.

Aldridge enlisted in December 1939, lying that his age was 34 instead of 38 (until 1940, the upper age limit for AIF recruits was 35).

He served in Signals with the 6th Division Engineers in North Africa until captured between Benghazi and Tobruk and held first at Derna.

The Vatican told Australia in July 1941 he was among PoWs held in northern Italy.

He went from a camp at Prato all'Isarco to Camp 57, near Gruppignano, then to Stalag VIII-A, a huge camp in what is now Zgorgelec, Poland.

At its peak Stalag VIII-A held more than 47,000 prisoners from many countries.

Aldridge did, however, help his fellow PoWs ease their boredom.

In August 1947, he told a Wagga arts group of the prisoners' theatrical activities, debates, educational classes and hobby groups in the camps.

On April 20, 1945, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald published sensational accounts of interviews with freed Australian prisoners of war in Duderstadt, Germany, including Corporal Herbert Aldridge

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