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FORSYTH, Archibald Peter Theodore George
| Service Number: | 69 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 January 1916, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Omeo, Victoria , February 1894 |
| Home Town: | Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | 1963, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Kingscote Kangaroo Island WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 69, 43rd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 69, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 69, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| 4 Jun 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 69, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines, GSW left arm |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Archibald Peter Theodore George Forsyth
Archibald Peter Theodore George Forsyth was born in Omeo, Victoria in 1895 but was raised in Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. His job before enlisting in the war was a labourer and he was the son of Isabel Forsyth. He was a single man before going to war and his nickname was Archie. Archibald stood at 5 foot and 9 inches, weighed 140 pounds (63 kilograms) and had blue eyes, and auburn hair.
On the 13th of January 1916, Forsyth first enlisted in the war at the age of 21. His regimental number was 69 and was ranked as private. He joined the 43rd Battalion which was mostly made up of South Australians, and this infantry battalion arrived at a camp in Morphetville on the 27th of January. The Battalion then embarked on the 9th of June 1916 leaving from South Australia on board HMAT A19. They briefly came to the first stop in Egypt before going to Europe and arriving in Salisbury Plain, England. This is where they undertook extensive training and trained from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm on weekdays. After leaving England they arrived at the Western Front, France in late 1916, which is where they took part in trenches and battle, fighting for the next 2 years.
Whilst serving on the field in 1916, Forsyth was admitted for sickness on the 5th of June 1916 and had to be away from war for 10 days because of this. One of the hospitals he was transferred to throughout his sicknesses was the 51st General Hospital in Etaples. Unfortunately, he was in and out of hospital because of this sickness and was admitted 3 different times for it, during the years of 1916 and 1917.
In early June of 1917, Forsyth took part in fighting the Battle of Messines, which was an attack from the British Second Army. The aim of this battle was to drive the German enemy away from the main battlefront of Messines. This battle was the first major battle that the 43rd Battalion fought in and stands as one of the most historically important battles for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Though the AIF was successful during this battle, there were a lot of casualties.
On the 4th of June 1917, Forsyth suffered a severe gunshot wound as well as a fracture in his left arm. He was transferred to 2 different hospitals for this injury. He was firstly transferred to the 2nd Australian General Hospital in England, and then to the Auxillary Military Hospital. The second hospital he was transferred to specialised in amputees. This one injury unfortunately was the end of Forsyth’s journey in the war.
Forsyth’s time at war ended when he was sent back to Australia from England on the 26th of September because of his injury. Following his service at war, he was awarded 2 medals: the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These medals were awarded to many soldiers for their time serving overseas at war in the Australia Imperial Force. In the year of 1963 Archibald Peter Theodore George Forsyth then passed away.