Albert Chalmers Borella, VC, MM (7 August 1881 – 7 February 1968) was an Australian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

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forces. Born in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Borella was one of 64 Australians to receive the Victoria Cross for their actions during the First World War, doing so while serving with the 26th Battalion around

Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway. Villers-Bretonneux borde ...

in July 1918. After the war, Borella returned to Australia, initially farming a property in Victoria before rejoining the Army during the Second World War and serving in a number of garrison units in Australia. He was demobilised in 1945 and worked as a public servant until he retired in 1956. He died in 1968 at the age of 86.

Early life

Albert Chalmers Borella was born at

Borung Borung is a locality in north central Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the Shire of Loddon, north west of the state capital, Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, ...

. His parents were Louis Borella and Annie Borella née Chalmers. After attending state schools at Borung and Wychitella, Borella became a farmer, working around Borung and

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative cen ...

. He also enlisted as a part-time soldier in the Victorian Rangers, serving for a period of 18 months. He travelled to Melbourne in early 1910 and became a firefighter in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, remaining in the city until early 1913 when he travelled to the

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to take up a

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to Pastoral farming, graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Austral ...

, working a property on the Daly River until early 1915 when his financial situation forced him to leave the land.

First World War

Borella enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in

Townsville, Queensland The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, on 15 March 1915. He had to go to some effort to do so because at the outbreak of the First World War the military authorities were not accepting volunteers from the Northern Territory. Borella accepted a job as a cook for a survey party in

Tennant Creek Tennant Creek () is a town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the Northern Territory#Cities and towns, seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with ...

and in January 1915 he set out for Darwin to volunteer for active service. With Charlie, an Aboriginal man, he walked and swam across flooded rivers. After borrowing a horse at Powell Creek, just north of

Renner Springs Renner Springs is a location in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is in the heart of the Barkly Tablelands cattle country, and the town promotes itself as "The Heart of the Beef Country". The tiny settlement is on the Stuart Highway, no ...

, he rode to Katherine where he caught the mail coach to the railhead at Pine Creek. He sailed from Darwin to Townsville on 8 March 1915 with four other men who were among the first 15 volunteers for active service from the Northern Territory. Initially serving in the ranks as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

, Borella served with the 26th Battalion at

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from 12 September 1915 until being evacuated with jaundice on 19 November. He did not rejoin his unit until 5 February 1916, and then served on the Western Front in France, being wounded in the Battle of Pozières Heights on 29 July. He achieved promotion from

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sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

and was commissioned as an officer – second lieutenant – on 7 April 1917, and to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 28 August 1917. He attended officer training in the United Kingdom. Borella received a

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

for conspicuous bravery on 11 May 1917, was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

on 1 June 1917, awarded the

on 16 September 1918 for actions in July 1918 during a

peaceful penetration Peaceful penetration was an infantry tactic used toward the end of the First World War by Australian troops, a cross between trench raiding and patrolling. The aim was similar to trench raiding (namely, to gather prisoners, conduct reconnaissan ...

operation prior to the start of the Allied

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

. His citation for the Victoria Cross, gained in 1918 in

, France, at the age of 37, reads in part: He received his VC at Sandringham from

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

. Three of Borella's brothers also served during the war: Charles and James in the 7th Battalion, and Rex in the 8th Light Horse. All survived and returned to Australia.

Later life

At the end of the war Borella was invalided back to Australia, arriving in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

on New Year's Day 1919. From 1920, Borella began farming on a soldier settlement block at Hensley Park, near

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in Victoria. In 1924, he stood for the seat of Dundas in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

as the

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candidate, but was defeated. On 16 August 1928, he married Elsie Jane Love, with whom he would later have four sons. In late 1939, Borella changed his surname by deed poll to "Chalmers-Borella" in honour of his late mother, who had died when he was four years old. Borella enlisted in the Second World War, and served in Australia from October 1939 to May 1945, obtaining the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He initially served in the 12th Australian Garrison Battalion until July 1941 when he was posted to the Prisoner of War Group, based at

Rushworth, Victoria Rushworth is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located north of Melbourne and, at the 2021 Census, had a population of 1,411. History Rushworth was established during the Victorian gold rush in 1853. It was named by poet and later local G ...

, before being posted to the 51st Garrison Company, based at

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After being demobilised, Borella moved to

Albury, New South Wales Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...

, working there as a public servant in the Commonwealth Department of Supply and Shipping, serving in the role of inspector of dangerous cargoes until he retired in 1956. Borella died on 7 February 1968 and was buried at the

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Cemetery, North Albury, New South Wales. His wife and two of their children survived him. A plaque was unveiled in

Jingili, Northern Territory Jingili is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the traditional country and waterways of the Larrakia people. History Jingili was constructed in the early 1970s. While Larrakia land, Jingili is named af ...

, in 1968, commemorating Borella. A street in Albury was renamed Borella Road and a plaque placed on a nearby memorial in 1977. His Victoria Cross is privately held.

Borella Ride

In August 2014, the Northern Territory Government announced it would commemorate Albert Borella's service with "The Borella Ride", a re-enactment of aspects of his ride from the Tennant Creek area of the Northern Territory to Darwin. The ride will be made in February–March 2015. A television advertisement raising awareness of Borella and the forthcoming re-enactment began on 4 August. On 3 February 2015, Borella's Victoria Cross was escorted to the Parliament House of the Northern Territory in an armed convoy. The VC and its accompanying medal group, and a Luger pistol brought home by Borella from the Western Front, remained on public display in the Parliament House for two months. The Borella family, including Rowan Borella – the surviving son of Borella – accompanied the Borella Ride from its departure on 20 February until its arrival on 3 March in Darwin.

Documentary

On 10–11 November 2016, the documentary ''Albert Borella VC – an Incredible Journey'', aired on Channel 9 in the Northern Territory and nationally on 9Now. The film was made by Military Myths Defeated, a Territory-based company.