Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Marsden Samuel Armfield was born on the 10th of February 1896, in Goolwa, Alexandrina, South Australia[1]. He grew up with his siblings and parents, Samuel Armfield and Jane Burns. Marsden lived in a large household with a boisterous atmosphere, being one of eleven children. He had four older siblings and six younger siblings  making Marsden the fifth child[2].

When Marsden enlisted at 19 and 11 months old, he was 5 foot 5 ½ inches, weighing in at 132 pounds (60 kg) with brown hair, blue eyes, and a fresh complexion. Marsden also had a history of dental problems, but nothing severe enough to prevent him from joining the army. He also had slightly impaired vision, with his right eye having 6/9  vision, and his left eye having 6/12 vision[3]. Despite this, Marsden was still considered fit for service.

Marsden was a man of faith, as he and his family were all Methodists, attending the Methodist church services as frequently as was required. Marsden worked as a carpenter before he joined the military, apprenticing for two years[4].

Marsden enlisted on the 10th of January 1916 for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) as a Private for the 10th Infantry Battalion (See source 3[5]), with the service number 5339. He enlisted in his hometown Goolwa, on Currie Street at 8 p.m. Over the next months before he departed, he celebrated his birthday on the 10th of February and attended an Exhibition camp. A few months later on the 11th of April his ship, the A60 HMAT (His Majesty’s Australian Transport) Aeneas, departed from the Outer Harbor, Adelaide to travel to Egypt. There were 2000 troops on his ship, along with over 139,000 horses and even a few kangaroos[6].

On their trip they crossed the Australian Bight, on rough water, with countless people getting seasickness and nothing but water surrounding them. They had to spend their Easter on the ship, attending church parades on Good Friday (21st) and Easter Sunday (23rd). Unfortunately, Marsden attended the doctor on Good Friday and found he had influenza. He was sick until the 25th but still attended sports events they had organized like boxing and tug of war competitions. They experienced many deaths, as people died of diseases such as measles, or fell overboard. The soldiers performed burials for all their comrades who died. This would have been a rough start to the war for all the young soldiers.

The trip was extremely hot the entire time, even more so when they arrived in Egypt for their training, travelling through the Red Sea. They camped out at places like Maadi on the Nile and Mena, near the pyramids of Giza. They had to do drills in the day, making it uncomfortable for them because of the intense heat. They had to train marching through the sweltering heat on the sand and digging and attacking trenches for eight hours a day, six days a week[7]. Marsden also frequently conferred with his siblings through letters, sending them things like army magazines and ways to communicate. He also acquired a tattoo – ‘Hope’ – on his right arm[8].

3000 troops left Egypt for England, traveling over the Mediterranean and Atlantic. They trained in England at camps on the Sailsbury Plains, Plymouth, Lungdershell, and Tedworth[9].

Marsden departed for France on the 5th of September 1916, being ‘taken on strength from refts’[10] on the 8th. The battalion spent some time in Belgium during the cold winter, to then return to Somme, France[11]. During his fighting in April 1917, Marsden was severely injured in Rouen, France. He received a wound whilst fighting in the trenches, from a fragment bomb to his left hand and arm. The shards from the bomb cut into his hand, causing an injury worthy of a hospital stay. He was admitted to the General Hospital on the 22nd of April. He got his ticket of leave on the 23rd of May, and on the 10th of June he rejoined his battalion[12].

In late September, Marsden and his battalion played their part in what is now known as the ‘Third Ypres’ in Belgium. In October, the battalion took part in supporting in the battle at Broodseinde Ridge, relieving the 1st division on the 5th. However, the battalion suffered extreme casualties on the 9th, when the majority of a large fighting patrol near Celtic Wood died. This became one of the mysteries of World War 1 as they just seemingly disappeared. Luckily, Marsden was not one of the unfortunate soldiers[13].

During the spring of 1918, the 10th battalion was deployed to bravely defend their allocated sector from the Germans, who had just launched “Operation Micheal” . The aim of this was to cut off the connection between Paris and the English Channel. The German’s attempt was unsuccessful thanks to the ANZACs[14].

While most of the Australian Divisions moved back to Somme in late May, the First Division stayed on the French/Belgian border through June. They engaged in continuous intense battles, eventually capturing the town of Merris in July and finally redeploying to Somme[15].

Marsden then transferred to the 1st Australian Division Headquarters on the 27th of July. After the War ended, he went on leave on the 23rd of November, and on the 5th of April 1919 he finally proceeded to Australia for his detachment aboard the ‘Nestor’[16].

In 1923 Marsden acquired a Victory medal, star medal and a British war medal (see source 9) for his courageous service in the harsh war[17]. Also in 1923, on the 17th of November, Marsden married his beautiful wife, Annie Stafford Millerd Armfield in his new hometown of Ardrossan[18]. Two years after they married, Marsden and Annie had their first child – a boy whom they named Royden James. The next year, they had a girl called Betty Jane, after Marsden’s mother. Five years after Betty was born, Annie gave birth to a third child, another girl. They named her Barbara Judith[19].

When World War 2 came around, Marsden was ready to risk his life once again for his beloved country. Marsden was 46 years old when he enlisted for the second time. He had a steady job of a lineman paymaster general at the time, so he did not get forced back into the army, he was willing to serve for his country[20]. Marsden was put in the 7th Battalion Volunteer Corps (see source 10) on the 25th of April 1942, with his new service number S73665[21]. He started as a Private, but was promoted to Captain early, on the 12th of October that same year[22].

Being the survivor he is, Marsden once again made it home after proudly fighting for his country. He came home to his beloved wife and children. Marsden lived the rest of a fulfilled life until he sadly died of natural causes at age 70[24]. He was buried in the Ardrossan Cemetery in South Australia.[25]

Bibliography

‌ Annie Stafford Millerd, b.1894 d.1984 - Ancestry® 2021, Ancestry.com, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/annie-stafford-millerd-24-24lr35r>.

Barbara Judith Armfield, b.1931 d.2008 - Ancestry® 2021, Ancestry.com, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/barbara-judith-armfield-24-1259zy2>.

‌Betty Jane Armfield, b.1926 d.2009 - Ancestry® 2021, Ancestry.com, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/betty-jane-armfield-24-1fxh9rs>.

‌Details 2024, Adfa.edu.au, viewed 13 May 2024, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=7028>.

‌Genge 2014, DVA’s Nominal Rolls, Dva.gov.au, viewed 13 May 2024, <https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=725012&c=WW2#R>.

Geni - Samuel Marsden Armfield (1896-1966) 2022, Geni.com, viewed 11 May 2024, <https://www.geni.com/people/Samuel-Armfield/6000000186664634272?through=6000000186664634324>.

Jane (Burns) Armfield (1867-1958) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree 2023, Wikitree.com, viewed 11 May 2024, <https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Burns-14071>.

Marsden Samuel ARMFIELD 2024, Vwma.org.au, viewed 11 May 2024, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/168826>.

Memories 2018, Memories.net, Memories, viewed 22 May 2024, <https://app.memories.net/memorials/marsdensamuel-armfield-90977>.

‌Methodist Church, Goolwa 2024, State Library of South Australia, viewed 31 August 2024, <https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B%2012879>.

‌ Military Abbreviations & Acronyms, Australia & NZ 2024, Diggerhistory.info, viewed 1 June 2024, <http://diggerhistory.info/pages-asstd/abbreviations.htm>.

‌Private Marsden Samuel Armfield 2024, Awm.gov.au, viewed 13 May 2024, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10499225>.

Royden James Armfield, b.1924 d.1975 - Ancestry® 2021, Ancestry.com, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/royden-james-armfield-24-1fpfx7n>.

Samuel Armfield (abt.1861-1933) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree 2020, Wikitree.com, viewed 11 May 2024, <https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Armfield-143>.

‌‌ Samuel Marsden Armfield, b.1896 d.1966 - Ancestry® 2021, Ancestry.com, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/samuel-marsden-armfield-24-2np6m4r>.

‌ Terrace, V 2024, Digital Item Page Gallery, Naa.gov.au, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=6332842&S=2&N=13&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=6332842&T=P&S=1>.

 Terrace, V 2024, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, viewed 11 May 2024, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3035165>.

‌Terrace, V 2024, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, viewed 13 May 2024, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6332842>.

‌‌ 1st Division Headquarters 2024, Vwma.org.au, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/419>.

 10th Infantry Battalion 2024, Vwma.org.au, viewed 1 June 2024, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/1>.

‌

I could not bid him go

I could not bid him stay

So deep into the sunset glow

His ship sailed away.

I longed to keep him here

Safe on his mother’s heart

But Duty’s course was clear

And Honor bade us part.

Unto the great unknown

Source 17 – Poem written by Marsden Samuel Armfield. -  source reference

 
 
Resigned I let him go

And if my heart made moan

I never let him know.

I could not teach my son

To choose the coward’s way

With shield and spurs unwon

How could I bid him stay?

                                                                                                                                     M. S. Armfield

[1] (Marsden Samuel ARMFIELD 2024)
[2] Geni - Samuel Marsden Armfield (1896-1966) 2022)
[3] 6/9 vision is when you can clearly see at 6 meters what a normal-visioned person would see at 9 meters. 6/12 vision is the same but you can see what a normal person would be able to see at 12 meters instead of 9
[4] (Terrace 2024)
[5] The rectangular shape represents the First Division, the light blue represents the third brigade, and the purple represents that it is the second battalion in that brigade. (10th Infantry Battalion 2024)
[6] (Memories 2018)
[7] (Memories 2018)
[8]source reference
[9] (Memories 2018)
[10] This means that he is now counted as one of the battalion.
[11] (10th Infantry Battalion 2024)
[12] (Terrace 2024)
[13] (Virtual War Memorial 2024)
[14] (10th Infantry Battalion 2024)
[15] (10th Infantry Battalion 2024)
[16] (Terrace 2024)
[17] (Terrace 2024)
[18] (FamilySearch.org 2015)
[19] (Samuel Marsden Armfield, b.1896 d.1966 - Ancestry® 2021)
[20] (Terrace 2024)
[21] (Marsden Samuel ARMFIELD 2024)
[22] (Terrace 2024)
[23] (Terrace 2024)
[24] (Marsden Samuel ARMFIELD 2024)
[25] (Marsden Samuel ARMFIELD 2024)