Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur James Marrett was born on the 7th of January in 1897. His parents were Grace Marrett (nee Tregloan-1873-1941) and James Marrett (1865-1937). He was born in Salisbury, South Australia but he lived and grew up living on High Street, Burnside, Adelaide with his parents and his seven other siblings: Winifred (15th June 1899-1966), Kenneth (1901-1958), Lorna (11th August 1903-1990), Marjory (1906-1915), Dennis (1908-1911), Norman (1911-1971), and Margret (1916-1980).

Marrett went to school at Northfield Public School in South Australia and his occupation before he joined the war was a farmhand, on a farm working with cattle. The only previous military service Marrett had been a part of before the war was nine months in the cadets.

Marrett was 5’8 (approx. 176cm) and weighed 128 pounds (approx. 58 kgs). He enlisted on the 3rd of January 1916, to fight in World War I – at an age of 18 years and 11 months (only a mere four days before he turned nineteen). Marrett had dark brown hair, grey eyes, and a chest measurement of 33.34 ½ inches (approx. 84cm). When Marrett enlisted, he was single and his religion was Methodist. The service number he received when he enlisted was 2132 and Marrett’s next of kin when he enlisted was his mother, Mrs Grace Marrett who lived on High Street, Burnside, South Australia.

Marrett embarked on the 16th of March 1916 where he boarded HMAT A68 Anchises which had set sail from Port Melbourne two days prior. It is assumed that the Anchises left Port Melbourne and sailed down and around to Adelaide, before heading up and around the western side of Australia, heading its way up to Egypt.

Marrett joined the 9th Australian Lighthorse Regiment, originally formed in Adelaide and trained in Melbourne between October 1914 and February 1915. Around three-quarters of the 9th was from South Australia and the other quarter was from Victoria.

On the 15th of April 1916, Marrett reported for duty at Tel El Kebir – a place approx. 80km North-East of Cairo in Egypt.

The first battle that Marrett took part in was the Battle of Romani (4th–5th August 1916). The Battle of Romani finally put an end to the Turkish threat to the Suez Canal and it also marked the beginning of the British forces’ drive out of Egypt and into Palestine.

On the 4th of December 1916, he was admitted sick to a hospital in Cairo, Egypt – because he had Diphtheria – a serious infection of the nose and throat where a sheet of thick, grey matter covers the back of the throat, making it hard to breathe. While Marrett was in the hospital sick with Diphtheria, a letter was mailed home to his next of kin (his mother) to inform her of his situation. He later re-joined the unit on the 19th of January 1917. Because he was in the hospital during this time, he missed taking part in the Battle of Magdhaba – in which the rest of his unit took part – which took place on the 23rd of December 1916. The Battle of Magdhaba was taken place because of Turkish forces blocking the route to Palestine.

On 2nd November 1916 he was taken on strength to the 4th Australian Camel Regiment in Abbassia. He had another period in hospital with an infection from 5th January 1917 until 19th January when he was transferred to the 18th Company Imperial Camel Corp.

Something big that Marrett would’ve taken part in was the Battles of Gaza. The Battles of Gaza consisted of three major battles that occurred on the 26th of March, the 17th of April and the final one was the Attack on Beersheba on the 31st of October 1917. Beersheba was a heavily guarded/fortified town approx. 43km away from the Turkish bastion – Gaza. Beersheba was the anchor of the right end of the defensive line that stretched all the way from Gaza on the Mediterranean coast. The first Battle of Gaza was launched and the troops originally made slow progress but the concern that they wouldn’t achieve a good position by nightfall, the British officer, Lieutenant General Dobell, ordered a withdrawal at dusk. The second Battle of Gaza took place three weeks after the first. During those three weeks, the Turkish had extended and advanced their defences. The attack launched by Dobell was supported by six tanks and gas shells but after three days of fighting with having not gained any significant ground, the attack was called off.

Marrett was then again admitted to the hospital on the 10th July 1917 as he had diarrhoea. He later returned to the unit on the 5th of August 1917.

The Attack on Beersheba on the 31st of October was the third and final attempt to attack Gaza – as the first two were failed attempts. After lots of fighting, the Turkish forces finally abandoned Gaza on the 6th of November 1917 and began their withdrawal back into Palestine.

The Battle of Megiddo was yet another battle that Marrett fought in. This battle took place from the 19th to the 25th of September 1918. The Battle of Megiddo resulted in a rapid Turkish collapse as within 24 hours, the Australian and British troops had advanced over 50km into the Turkish areas, claiming and guarding that land.

In May of 1919, Marrett moved around a bit – moving from Kantara to Moascar – a military camp near the town of Ismalia, and then finally back to Kantara ready to finally head back to Australia after three years. Marrett embarked on the HT. “Essex” from Kantara, Egypt back to Australia where he finally arrived home on the 15th of June 1919.

On 23rd February 1924, Marrett married a woman called Jean Marsh when he was 27 and she was 23 years old. At first, they lived near Concordia, near Gawler, where the two of them ran Para Vale Jersey Stud. In October 1929, they came to Saddleworth and continued to run their Jersey Stud. Marrett took part in many local organisations such as being a commissioner for Association Football, he was in a Cricket Club, and he and his wife belonged to a Methodist church of which Mrs (Jean) Marrett was an organist and a choir member at the church.

Mr and Mrs Marrett had four children: Peter (1924-1982) – who served some time in WWII and played football for Port Adelaide. Peter married a woman named Sheila Hodgens. Another one of Arthur’s children was James nicknamed Jim (1926-1997) – who worked as a shearer. He married a nurse – who worked at Riverton Hospital – called Wendy Hall. Jim (James) and Wendy had three children: Robyn, Ken and Michael. The third child was Jean, who married a man called Hartley Ashton. And the fourth child was Robert, who left Saddleworth with his parents during his high school years and then later lived in Adelaide with his wife Lois. Robert played football for Port Adelaide for a few years, following his other brother – Peter.

In 1946, Marrett (Arthur James) and his wife left Saddleworth when they sold their farm to Gordon Heaslip. The two of them farmed briefly in Koonunga before finally settling in Kapunda, where they lived for the remainder of their lives, with Marrett working as a Farm Management Advisor. Marrett eventually died on the 25th of February 1964 and is buried in the Kapunda Cemetery.