WERNDLY, Arthur
| Service Number: | 3229 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 46th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Glen Osmond, South Australia, February 1884 |
| Home Town: | Dowerin, Dowerin, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmhand |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 18 September 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Jeancourt Communal Cemetery Extension Plot VI.A.1 |
| Memorials: | Armadale Roll of Honor, Armadale War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 3229, 46th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 3229, 46th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Persic, Fremantle |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoff Tilley
Arthur Werndly was born in Glen Osmond, South Australia in February 1884 to parents Henry and Martha Werndly. Arthur was one of ten siblings to Henry and Martha.
It is unknown exactly when the Werndly family arrived in West Australia, but it is believed to be around 1897 moving to the Armadale area taking up farming. The farm was situated on Fremantle Road which today is now called Forrest Road. Arthur’s father, Henry died in 1906 aged 54 years leaving Martha in Armadale.
Arthur moved to Dowerin in the central wheatbelt of West Australia to take up farming. It is believed that Frederick farmed in Dowerin with his brother Arthur, who also enlisted into the A.I.F. in 1916
Arthur enlisted into the A.I.F. at the age of 32 years in October 1916 where he was allocated to the 46thInfantry Battalion. He embarked from Fremantle in December 1916 arriving England in March 1917. Whilst in England he was transferred to a training battalion where he conducted a further training, before proceeding “overseas” to France to join his battalion in June 1917.
By the time Arthur arrived in France he had missed the battle for Bullecourt where his battalion was now resting behind the lines due to the heavy casualties it had sustained from Bullecourt. The rest was not for long with the battalion now moving to Belgium in June.
Arthur was now involved in the battles of Messines and Passchendaele been rotated in and out of the front line for this period until early 1918 until he moved back to France in the March billeting near Albert.
Arthur with his battalion was involved in defeating the great German offensive around Dernancourt in early April of 1918, where he remained rotating in and out of the front-line conducting patrols where he encountered German patrols.
In August 1918 the allied offensive had commenced with Arthur’s battalion playing an active part of the fighting in the battle of Amiens.
It was on the 18th September 1918 that Arthur was involved in the battle to secure a part of an outpost of the Hindenburg Line near the French village of Le Verguier.
Its record that Arthur went out under shell fire at a trench line called “Bob Trench” to bring in a wounded comrade when he was killed instantly by shell fire. Arthur was buried with the comrade he was trying to save on the battlefield near Bob Trench.
Arthur was later buried in the Jeancourt Communal Cemetery Extension, France. He was 35 years of age.
The inscription on Arthur’s headstone reads.
“GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN”
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