ROGERS, Arthur Albert
| Service Number: | 53128 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st to 8th (QLD) Reinforcements |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Nanango War Memorial, Wooroolin Great War Pictorial Honour Roll, Wooroolin WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 8 May 1918: | Involvement Private, 53128, 1st to 8th (QLD) Reinforcements, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Osterley embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1918: | Embarked Private, 53128, 1st to 8th (QLD) Reinforcements, RMS Osterley, Sydney |
Rogers Arthur Albert – 53128 – Qld Reinforcements - Wooroolin WW1 Honour Board
Arthur Albert Rogers was born in 1899 at Deptford, Kent the 3rd of 7 children for John and Florence Rogers. He has been a tad difficult to research as his birth and death registered as Arthur Alfred but marriage, army and electoral rolls as Arthur Albert!
His mother died in 1909 and in 1910 his father sailed to Australia on the OTWAY on 18 Feb 1910, arriving on 23 Mar 1910. In 1911 Arthur travelled to Brisbane on board the Ship Themistocles with his 5 brothers, Carl Rudolph, Roydon John, Frederick George, Brent Guinness and Edmund and also sister Florence arriving 18 Jan 1912 to join his father. That same year his father married Miriam Miller in the Lismore district.
By 1913 the family was living at Yarraman where his father was a labourer. In 1915 he gave permission for 18 year old Carl to enlist in the Australian Army. In Jan 1916 brother Roydon Rogers enlisted in the Australian Army followed by Arthur who joined in Jan 1918 at Maryborough. All 3 brothers just 18/19 years old when they enlisted.
Arthur gave his occupation as Baker when he enlisted at Maryborough on 17 Apr 1918 and I am wondering if he was working for the Weller family at the time to have been named on the Wooroolin WW1 Honour Board.
Arthur Rogers was 19 years old when he enlisted. He stood 5 feet 6 inches in his socks and had a fair complexion with light hair and blue eyes. His distinguishing features was none.
Arthur trained in Brisbane and embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board RMS Osterley on 8 May 1918 with the 2nd General Service Reinforcements. Arriving Liverpool in July. The nominal roll shows he was transferred to France on 21 Oct 1918 and the war ended on 11 Nov 1918. Arthur was transferred to the Australian Corps Camp whilst serving in France where he went to a specialist training school.
Arthur returned to Australia on 23 July 1919 and was living in Yarraman and working as a Baker in 1922. In 1924 he married local girl Alice Himstedt at Nanango on the same day as his sister Florence married Arthur Cliffe.
Arthur and Alice lived in Toogoolawah for some years where he was a hairdresser and owned a Newsagency. He also had a licence for a Billiard Table.
About 1930 Arthur and Alice moved to Southport where they had a Grocery and Newsagency business near the Railway Station in Scarborough Street. Arthur was Secretary of the Southport RSL at the time of his death after an operation for appendix in 1935. His obituary in the South Coast Bulletin 22 Feb 1935 also lists all his family. There are no children listed.
Arthur was buried at Toowong Cemetery with members of the Southport RSL as pall bearers.
It was interesting to find that Arthur’s father had moved to Tingoora about 1925 and was the local Baker until about 1935 when he moved to Maryborough. My Grandmothers stepbrother, Jack Jessen, had the Tingoora butcher shop at the same time and the 2 buildings were next door to each other per article in the “Then & Now booklet published by SB Times in 2015.
Lest We Forget
Submitted 11 September 2023 by Carol Berry