Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Harold BROWNBILL was born in Kingston, Victoria in 1898

His parents were William Henry BROWNBILL & Elizabeth Catherine RUDDOCK who married in Victoria in 1877

He enlisted in Melbourne on 15th May, 1916 & embarked with the 6th Infantry Battalion, 20th Reinforcements from Melbourne on HMAT Euripides on 11th September, 1916

Arthur was Killed in Action in Albert,  France on 5th February, 1917 & is buried in the Bazentin le Petit Military Cemetery

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His brother Henry Albert BROWNBILL (SN 657) also served during WW1 and returned to Australia in 1919

From François Berthout

Pte 6224 Arthur Harold Brownbill
6th Australian Infantry Battalion, D Company,
2nd (Victorian) Brigade, 1st Australian Division
 
On the old battlefields of the Somme, through the poppies that grow through the white and silent cities, the serene cemeteries, rest in peace, united in eternal camaraderie, thousands of young men, a whole generation of heroes who, more than a hundred years ago, under the ringing of bells, in villages and towns overseas, left their homes, the love of their families and their loved ones to bravely answer the call of duty and together, without fear and without hesitation, united in fraternity joined the muddy fields and trenches of the north of France in which they served side by side with pride and where alongside their friends and their brothers in arms they gave their today, their lives for peace and freedom.Young they were and young they will forever be behind the countless rows of their final resting places over which I will always watch with respect and the utmost care so that the courage and sacrifices of these young boys will never be forgotten, so that their names and their stories live forever beyond the horizon, beyond their white graves so that their memory, in our hearts and our thoughts remains strong and alive.

Today, it is with the deepest gratitude and utmost respect that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who, for his country and for France, for the peace in which we live today, gave his life. I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 6224 Arthur Harold Brownbill who fought in the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, D Company, 2nd (Victorian) Brigade, 1st Australian Division, and who was killed in action 106 years ago, on February 5, 1917 at the age of 18 on the Somme front.

Arthur Harold Brownbill was born in 1898 in Kingston, Victoria, Australia, and was the son of William Henry Brownbill (1856-1937) and Elizabeth Catherine Brownbill (née Ruddock, 1857-1946), of Nolan Street, Maryborough, Victoria and who married in 1877. Arthur was educated at Maryborough High School, Victoria, and after graduation served four years in the Senior Cadets and before the outbreak of the war worked as a draper.

Arthur enlisted on May 4, 1916 in Melbourne, Victoria, in the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, 20th Reinforcement, battalion whose motto was "Semper Paratus" (Always Ready). Promoted to the rank of Corporal on May 16, 1916, Arthur followed a period of three months of training at Broadmeadow Camp, north of Melbourne, and embarked with his unit from Melbourne, on board HMAT A14 Euripides on September 11, 1916 and sailed for England.

After a short voyage at sea, Arthur arrived in England and was disembarked at Plymouth, Devon, on October 26, 1916 and was sent to the 2nd Training Battalion with which he followed intensive training and less than two months later, on December 13, 1916 , Arthur joined the 6th Battalion and embarked from Folkestone, on board "SS Arundel" and proceeded overseas for France.

On December 14, 1916, Arthur arrived in France and was disembarked at Etaples where he joined the 1st Australian Divisional Base Depot and was reverted to the rank of Private then on December 17, he joined his unit in the Somme and was taken on strength at Mametz Camp where he remained until the end of the month.

On January 1, 1917, Arthur and the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion left Mametz Camp and marched to Buire where they bivouacked until January 15 then joined Warloy-Baillon where they followed a short training period consisting of trench assaults then, on January 25, they arrived at Bazentin-Le-Petit via Millencourt and Albert and relieved the 9th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry in reserve trenches.

A few days later, on February 1, 1917, Arthur and the 6th Battalion were sent to High Wood East Camp and the next day entered the front line trenches at Flers in support of the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion, their positions were constantly shelled by German mortar fire and it was at Flers, in a position known as "Factory Corner" that unfortunately, three days later, on February 5, 1917, Arthur, who only arrived in the trenches eleven days earlier, met his fate and was killed in action by a trench mortar bomb whilst on post duty, he was 18.

Private number 6258 Gustav Herman Fischer, 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, reported Arthur's death as follows:
"I did not see the actual casualty,as it happened at night time and I was about 50 yards away at the time.I saw him dead soon after. He was killed by a bomb at a place called Factory Corner, near Bapaume. He was in the front line and it was considered the Germans must have crawled up and bombed the trench,and then sneaked away again.He was very badly knocked about and death was instantaneous.I knew him very well,he came away from Australia with me by the SS "Euripides" which left there on the 11.9.16.He was buried in a small cemetery at Bazentine (Bazentin-Le-Petit),about 4 miles from Bapaume. I saw his grave which was marked with a cross bearing his number,name,and unit.The cemetery was only a small one, but was very well kept."

Private number 6275 William Frederick Hall, 6th Australian Infantry Battalion declared:
"I saw him killed at "Factory Corner", Fleurs (Flers). He was caught by a fragment of shell that exploded in trench beside him, death was almost instantaneous. Casualty happened in the front line,at night.There were two other men named Duncan and Duchars killed by the same shell.I knew him very well,he was the only man of this name in the Company.I was wounded by the same shell and did not see his grave,but I heard that he was buried at Factory Corner,near the Sugar Factory,Fleurs (Flers)."
Today, Arthur Harold Brownbill rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Bazentin-Le-Petit Military Cemetery, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "Behind all shadow standeth God mother, Victoria."

After his death, Arthur's obituary was published in The Mildura Telegraph on Friday March 2, 1917 as follows:

"Corporal Harold Brownbill
The Maryborough "Advertiser"of Tuesday last writes as follows:
"Word was received by Mr. George Brownbill, of Maryborough, on Monday that his youngest brother, Corpl. Harold Brownbill, had been killed in only 18 years of age when he died for King and country,was very keen on getting to the front, and literally waited with impatience until the only qualification he needed, that of age, was acquired. He was a popular lad in the town, and the true physical type of the Australian soldier that has made this country famous during the awful days of war. He was educated at Maryborough High School, and the writer remembers him well as a player of the part of "Little John" in "Sherwood's Queen" when that operetta was performed by the High Schol students. He was a member of the Inkerman-street Methodist choir,and gave promise of making a very acceptable singer. He has fulfilled the highest duty of man in these days, and sympathy for the bereaved relatives is intermingled with pride that this mere boy should know a man's call to duty, and "follow the gleam" of that duty regardless of all consequences to himself. Corporal Brownbill was a brother of Mr. J. W. Brownbill, of Mildura. Salvage Sale at "The Red Shop." Bicycles, cycle tyres, cycle sundries, boy's trikes, also a good Variety of baby carriages, including the latest in Gondolas, Push-Carts, Collapsible Go Carts, etc. All to be Sold at Salvage Prices. A good chance to secure a cheap pram."

Arthur Harold Brownbill had a brother who served with courage during the war who was Private number 657 Henry Albert Brownbill who fought in the 4th Machine Gun Company and survived the war. Henry returned to Australia on January 23, 1919.

Arthur, you who were so young, it is full of will and your heart filled with immense pride that for Australia you did your duty with courage on the battlefields of the Somme alongside your comrades and your brothers in arms in the trenches, in the mud and the blood of the immense quagmires of the great war on which was spilled the blood of so many young men like you who, without fear and with loyalty, fought the good fight under rains of bullets and hurricanes of steel on the sacred lands of northern France where they did more than their bit.Together, knees deep in the mud, they resisted and faced the fury, brutality and inhumanity of a world at war and in the face of death, showed the finest spirit of camaraderie and brotherhood that kept them united and determined in the fight for peace and freedom which they waged with conviction in the heart of the turmoil which tried to steal their hopes in despair and together, watching over each other like brothers, they shared hopes and the sufferings but never gave up, they never backed down and at the gates of hell, they all always volunteered to face the fire of shells and machine guns without regard for their own lives but to protect the lives of the men who stood by their side, they showed the bravery of an entire generation who gave so much for us.In the prime of their lives, they lived each day as if it were the last and had for only youth, the endless nightmare of war with in the pits of their stomachs, deep in their hearts, the fear of being killed and to be forgotten but in spite of their apprehensions, at the whistle they went over the top following their officers who fell while guiding them but maintained the line and moved forward under the shrapnel and the hail of lead that machine guns spat on them at a dreadful rhythm which, without pity, ceaselessly, swept away waves of men who collapsed one after the other, their uniforms stained with blood in the barbed wire and the shell holes and who, their eyes towards the sky, thinking one last time to their loved ones, gave their lives in the shroud of the poppy fields on which they still stand today proudly and silently behind the shadows of their white graves and which remind us of the sacrifices that so many men paid so that we could live in the peace for which they gave their today. They were young and came from so far for us, for our country where they rest today in peace. Deeply loved and admired by the French people, these young men will always be considered and loved as our sons, our dear ones on whom I I will always watch with gratitude and love to express my gratitude and admiration to them so that they will never be forgotten and to put a face, a story on their names to bring them back to life, to keep their memory strong and alive, a memory I would always perpetuate with dignity so that these men, my boys of the Somme, never cease to live and for them, for their families, I would always carry high and proud the flame of remembrance for May the courage, the sacrifices of these heroes always be put in the eternal light and in the love of our hearts where we will always cherish them as they were by those who loved them more than a hundred years ago.Thank you so much Arthur,for everything. At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them. 

From François Berthout

Pte 6224 Arthur Harold Brownbill
6th Australian Infantry Battalion, D Company,
2nd (Victorian) Brigade, 1st Australian Division
 
On the old battlefields of the Somme, through the poppies that grow through the white and silent cities, the serene cemeteries, rest in peace, united in eternal camaraderie, thousands of young men, a whole generation of heroes who, more than a hundred years ago, under the ringing of bells, in villages and towns overseas, left their homes, the love of their families and their loved ones to bravely answer the call of duty and together, without fear and without hesitation, united in fraternity joined the muddy fields and trenches of the north of France in which they served side by side with pride and where alongside their friends and their brothers in arms they gave their today, their lives for peace and freedom.Young they were and young they will forever be behind the countless rows of their final resting places over which I will always watch with respect and the utmost care so that the courage and sacrifices of these young boys will never be forgotten, so that their names and their stories live forever beyond the horizon, beyond their white graves so that their memory, in our hearts and our thoughts remains strong and alive.

Today, it is with the deepest gratitude and utmost respect that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who, for his country and for France, for the peace in which we live today, gave his life. I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 6224 Arthur Harold Brownbill who fought in the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, D Company, 2nd (Victorian) Brigade, 1st Australian Division, and who was killed in action 106 years ago, on February 5, 1917 at the age of 18 on the Somme front.

Arthur Harold Brownbill was born in 1898 in Kingston, Victoria, Australia, and was the son of William Henry Brownbill (1856-1937) and Elizabeth Catherine Brownbill (née Ruddock, 1857-1946), of Nolan Street, Maryborough, Victoria and who married in 1877. Arthur was educated at Maryborough High School, Victoria, and after graduation served four years in the Senior Cadets and before the outbreak of the war worked as a draper.

Arthur enlisted on May 4, 1916 in Melbourne, Victoria, in the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, 20th Reinforcement, battalion whose motto was "Semper Paratus" (Always Ready). Promoted to the rank of Corporal on May 16, 1916, Arthur followed a period of three months of training at Broadmeadow Camp, north of Melbourne, and embarked with his unit from Melbourne, on board HMAT A14 Euripides on September 11, 1916 and sailed for England.

After a short voyage at sea, Arthur arrived in England and was disembarked at Plymouth, Devon, on October 26, 1916 and was sent to the 2nd Training Battalion with which he followed intensive training and less than two months later, on December 13, 1916 , Arthur joined the 6th Battalion and embarked from Folkestone, on board "SS Arundel" and proceeded overseas for France.

On December 14, 1916, Arthur arrived in France and was disembarked at Etaples where he joined the 1st Australian Divisional Base Depot and was reverted to the rank of Private then on December 17, he joined his unit in the Somme and was taken on strength at Mametz Camp where he remained until the end of the month.

On January 1, 1917, Arthur and the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion left Mametz Camp and marched to Buire where they bivouacked until January 15 then joined Warloy-Baillon where they followed a short training period consisting of trench assaults then, on January 25, they arrived at Bazentin-Le-Petit via Millencourt and Albert and relieved the 9th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry in reserve trenches.

A few days later, on February 1, 1917, Arthur and the 6th Battalion were sent to High Wood East Camp and the next day entered the front line trenches at Flers in support of the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion, their positions were constantly shelled by German mortar fire and it was at Flers, in a position known as "Factory Corner" that unfortunately, three days later, on February 5, 1917, Arthur, who only arrived in the trenches eleven days earlier, met his fate and was killed in action by a trench mortar bomb whilst on post duty, he was 18.

Private number 6258 Gustav Herman Fischer, 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, reported Arthur's death as follows:
"I did not see the actual casualty,as it happened at night time and I was about 50 yards away at the time.I saw him dead soon after. He was killed by a bomb at a place called Factory Corner, near Bapaume. He was in the front line and it was considered the Germans must have crawled up and bombed the trench,and then sneaked away again.He was very badly knocked about and death was instantaneous.I knew him very well,he came away from Australia with me by the SS "Euripides" which left there on the 11.9.16.He was buried in a small cemetery at Bazentine (Bazentin-Le-Petit),about 4 miles from Bapaume. I saw his grave which was marked with a cross bearing his number,name,and unit.The cemetery was only a small one, but was very well kept."

Private number 6275 William Frederick Hall, 6th Australian Infantry Battalion declared:
"I saw him killed at "Factory Corner", Fleurs (Flers). He was caught by a fragment of shell that exploded in trench beside him, death was almost instantaneous. Casualty happened in the front line,at night.There were two other men named Duncan and Duchars killed by the same shell.I knew him very well,he was the only man of this name in the Company.I was wounded by the same shell and did not see his grave,but I heard that he was buried at Factory Corner,near the Sugar Factory,Fleurs (Flers)."
Today, Arthur Harold Brownbill rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Bazentin-Le-Petit Military Cemetery, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "Behind all shadow standeth God mother, Victoria."

After his death, Arthur's obituary was published in The Mildura Telegraph on Friday March 2, 1917 as follows:

"Corporal Harold Brownbill
The Maryborough "Advertiser"of Tuesday last writes as follows:
"Word was received by Mr. George Brownbill, of Maryborough, on Monday that his youngest brother, Corpl. Harold Brownbill, had been killed in only 18 years of age when he died for King and country,was very keen on getting to the front, and literally waited with impatience until the only qualification he needed, that of age, was acquired. He was a popular lad in the town, and the true physical type of the Australian soldier that has made this country famous during the awful days of war. He was educated at Maryborough High School, and the writer remembers him well as a player of the part of "Little John" in "Sherwood's Queen" when that operetta was performed by the High Schol students. He was a member of the Inkerman-street Methodist choir,and gave promise of making a very acceptable singer. He has fulfilled the highest duty of man in these days, and sympathy for the bereaved relatives is intermingled with pride that this mere boy should know a man's call to duty, and "follow the gleam" of that duty regardless of all consequences to himself. Corporal Brownbill was a brother of Mr. J. W. Brownbill, of Mildura. Salvage Sale at "The Red Shop." Bicycles, cycle tyres, cycle sundries, boy's trikes, also a good Variety of baby carriages, including the latest in Gondolas, Push-Carts, Collapsible Go Carts, etc. All to be Sold at Salvage Prices. A good chance to secure a cheap pram."

Arthur Harold Brownbill had a brother who served with courage during the war who was Private number 657 Henry Albert Brownbill who fought in the 4th Machine Gun Company and survived the war. Henry returned to Australia on January 23, 1919.

Arthur, you who were so young, it is full of will and your heart filled with immense pride that for Australia you did your duty with courage on the battlefields of the Somme alongside your comrades and your brothers in arms in the trenches, in the mud and the blood of the immense quagmires of the great war on which was spilled the blood of so many young men like you who, without fear and with loyalty, fought the good fight under rains of bullets and hurricanes of steel on the sacred lands of northern France where they did more than their bit.Together, knees deep in the mud, they resisted and faced the fury, brutality and inhumanity of a world at war and in the face of death, showed the finest spirit of camaraderie and brotherhood that kept them united and determined in the fight for peace and freedom which they waged with conviction in the heart of the turmoil which tried to steal their hopes in despair and together, watching over each other like brothers, they shared hopes and the sufferings but never gave up, they never backed down and at the gates of hell, they all always volunteered to face the fire of shells and machine guns without regard for their own lives but to protect the lives of the men who stood by their side, they showed the bravery of an entire generation who gave so much for us.In the prime of their lives, they lived each day as if it were the last and had for only youth, the endless nightmare of war with in the pits of their stomachs, deep in their hearts, the fear of being killed and to be forgotten but in spite of their apprehensions, at the whistle they went over the top following their officers who fell while guiding them but maintained the line and moved forward under the shrapnel and the hail of lead that machine guns spat on them at a dreadful rhythm which, without pity, ceaselessly, swept away waves of men who collapsed one after the other, their uniforms stained with blood in the barbed wire and the shell holes and who, their eyes towards the sky, thinking one last time to their loved ones, gave their lives in the shroud of the poppy fields on which they still stand today proudly and silently behind the shadows of their white graves and which remind us of the sacrifices that so many men paid so that we could live in the peace for which they gave their today. They were young and came from so far for us, for our country where they rest today in peace. Deeply loved and admired by the French people, these young men will always be considered and loved as our sons, our dear ones on whom I I will always watch with gratitude and love to express my gratitude and admiration to them so that they will never be forgotten and to put a face, a story on their names to bring them back to life, to keep their memory strong and alive, a memory I would always perpetuate with dignity so that these men, my boys of the Somme, never cease to live and for them, for their families, I would always carry high and proud the flame of remembrance for May the courage, the sacrifices of these heroes always be put in the eternal light and in the love of our hearts where we will always cherish them as they were by those who loved them more than a hundred years ago.Thank you so much Arthur,for everything. At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.