About this record
Albert Edmund Leane, a labourer, was one of more than 1,000 Indigenous servicemen who served during the First World War. In July 1918, Albert suffered gunshot wounds to his right thigh and chest. His pension claim form from July 1920 assesses his incapacity to work as ‘One quarter – six months’ and records that he undertook a course of vocational training. Leane took up work as a carpenter and home builder but – as he was unable to work consistently due to his war injuries – he also received a part-pension. When construction work became too heavy for him, he continued with light work.
Throughout his life, Albert Leane received medical and financial support from the Repatriation Department. However, this was not always the experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander war veterans.
