On his first job as a farm boy, his employer subjected Facey to virtual slavery and violent beatings with a horse whip.

After sustaining months of such abuse, Albert escaped by walking over 20 kilometres (12 mi) through the bush, luckily finding the camp of some new settlers.

The scars on his back and neck from the injuries Facey had sustained remained evident for the rest of his life.

In 1908, Facey's mother remarried and, at her request, he moved to Subiaco, a suburb of Perth, to live with her and her second husband, a plumber named Arthur "Bill" Downie.

He travelled to Egypt as an infantryman with the 11th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement, aboard the troopship HMAT Itonus[3] and fought during the Gallipoli Campaign, including the battle of Leane's Trench.

Much of his autobiography relates to the horror he endured during his wartime service and his vivid recollections of the plight of the ANZAC diggers at Gallipoli.

On 19 August 1915 – although Facey "was uncertain about dates"[6] – that culminated in a shell exploding near him, from which he received severe internal injuries and wounds to his leg.

Facey was invalided back to Australia on the ship HMAT Aeneas, which left Port Suez on 31 October 1915.

[7][9][10] After being returned to Australia, Facey met Evelyn Mary Gibson (1897–1976), whom he married at Bunbury on 24 August 1916.

He spent the rest of his working life as a successful, self-employed poultry and pig farmer and businessman (1947–1958) in areas such as Tuart Hill, Wanneroo, Gosnells and Mount Helena near Mundaring.

Two other sons, Joseph and George, also served in the Australian Army in World War II, both seeing action in New Guinea.

Although Facey was delighted that his life story was appreciated on such a grand scale, his health was rapidly declining and he was losing his eyesight.

The manuscripts of A Fortunate Life are housed in the Special Collections of the University of Western Australia Library.