Albert Flint dies at 102

At Fleet Divisions in 2001 Albert Flint with the then Maritime Commander RADM Geoff Smith.

The oldest ex-member of the RAN, Albert Flint, has died aged 102.

The retired RN and RAN yeoman signaller ‘crossed the bar’ in the early hours of February 28.

A resident of Bexley North in Sydney, Albert celebrated his 100th birthday in HMAS Brisbane then alongside Fleet Base East in 2000.

In January 2001 he joined 100 other guests to view 1400 officers and sailors when they did Divisions at FBE.

Albert was a member of the ship’s company of HMAS Brisbane 1 in 1926 hence his birthday party in Brisbane in 2000.

He served in the Royal Navy ships Eagle, Seraph, Ajax, Ramillies, Senaton, Hood, Vivid, Monarch, Trinidad and Tedworth.

In August 1925 he transferred to the RAN serving in Cerberus, Canberra, Brisbane, Anzac and Penguin before discharging in 1931.

He went on to be a gatekeeper at Concord Hospital then the contract gardener at the nearby Red Cross hostel.
He continued his gardening role until the age of 85.

On the day of his 100th birthday, Albert told Navy News, “if I had my time over again I would not change...I would join the Navy.”

• By SBLT Simon Franklin & CMDR Vaughn Rixon

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