Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur was the son of Frederick NEATE & Annie HEAGREN and was born in 1890 in Round Pool, Moojebing, on Boyerine Creek, Kataning, WA.

His parents were married on the 10th of October 1880 in St George, Bloomsbury, Middlesex, England.

His father was the son of Charles William NEATE & Mary Jane PIERCE and was born on the 9th of January 1859 in St Martin in the Fields, London, England.
His mother was the daughter of Edmund James HEAGREN & Ann ARTHUR and was born on the 25th of February 1858 in Strand, London.

Arthur was the fifth child born into this family of 6 children. He also had 4 half sisters, but out of these 9 siblings only 2 would live into their adult years.

His father was a knife machine maker and the family lived at 15 High Street, St Giles in the Fields, London, England.

Arthur’s eldest 3 siblings; Frederick, Sarah and Elizabeth, were born here before the family arrived in Fremantle, Perth on board the Chollerton on the 25th of May 1887.
Not long after their arrival the NEATE suffered their first death in the family with little Elizabeth dying later the same year.

The family then moved to Yoganup where little James was born in 1889, but sadly he died 5 months later.
The following year they moved 230 kilometres to Moojebing, Katanag, where Arthur was born.

Moojebing was one of a number of townsites established in the early 1890s, when the Western Australia Colonial Government opened up a lot of land in the Katanning area.
Round Pool was one of a series of permanent pools in the Boyerine Creek, which flowed north from the Moojebing/Marracoonda area into Norring Lake and was fed by a fresh water spring.

The pool provided fresh water for Aboriginal people prior to European settlement then for early pastoralists, shepherds and their flocks of sheep.
It was also a source of water for sandalwood cutters and carters in the early days of European settlement.

Two year later they had moved to Perth where Arthur gained another sister, Louisa, in September 1892, but sadly she died 5 months later.

Arthur was only 3 years old when his father died on the 24th of July 1893 in the Colonial Hospital in Perth from Small Pox.
They buried him the same day in the East Perth Cemetery.

Arthur’s mother Annie then married Robert HULME on the 7th of January 1894 in the Roman Catholic Church in Perth.
Annie was previously baptised Anglican in St Thomas the Apostle Church in London on the 25th of February 1862, but as Robert was Catholic she was then Baptised as a Catholic on the day of their marriage.

Over the next 7 years Arthur gained 4 half sisters, but sadly they all died as infants.
Then on the 14th of September 1904 Arthur’s stepfather Robert died and they buried him in the Karrakatta Cemetery.

His mother then moved the family to Boulder where Arthur’s sister; Sarah Ann, married Thomas SHANNAHAN in 1906 in Boulder, WA.
The following year Arthur’s mother married Patrick SHAHHAHAN in 1907. Patrick was the older brother of Thomas SHANNAHAN, Sarah’s husband.
Patrick was a miner and they lived at 118 Dwyer Street.

On completing his schooling Arthur gained employment as a labourer and then the family moved to Alfred Street, Birkenhead, South Australia in 1914.

At the age of 25, Arthur enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 28th of August 1915 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 2378 and posted to the C Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Exhibition Camp.

He was then transferred to B Group and then on the 1st of November he was posted to the 1st Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
On the 1st of December he was transferred to the 16th Battalion, 14th Reinforcements before being transferred to the 32nd Battalion, 4th Reinforcements on the 1st of January 1916.

Arthur embarked from Adelaide on board RMS Mongolia on the 9th of March 1916 and disembarked in Egypt in early April.

On the 3rd of April 1916 Arthur was transferred to the newly raised 48th Battalion at Serapeum.

He served in France before suffering multiple and severe wounds from a shell explosion and was evacuated to England and underwent operations to try and fix his shattered hands.

Arthur embarked from England on the 16th of July 1917 on board HS Kanowna and disembarked in Adelaide on the 6th of September.

Arthur was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 6th of March 1918 and was granted a War Pension of £3 per fortnight.

He returned home to his mother and stepfather and joined the Birkenhead RSL Sub-Branch.

Arthur married Gertrude May BROWN on the 29th of September 1920 in the Sacred Heart Church, Semaphore.
Gertrude was the daughter of Robert BROWN & Lilian May FRANCIS and was born on the 26th of June 1901 in Birkenhead, SA.

They made their home at Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington and welcomed their first child; John Patrick, on the 19th of August 1921.

Arthur died on the 4th of January 1923 and was buried 2 days later in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section F, Drive A, Path 33, Site Number 350S.

NEATE – The Friends of the late Mr ARTHUR JOHN NEATE (late of the 48th Battalion, A.I.F.) are respectfully informed that his funeral will leave his late residence, Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, on FRIDAY at 3:30pm, for the Catholic Cemetery, Cheltenham.
FRANK J. SIEBEBT, Undertaker.

Four weeks after Arthur’s death, Gertrude gave birth to their daughter; Evelyn Veronica, on the 7th of February 1923.
Sadly little Evelyn died 4 months later, on the 3rd of June 1923 and Gertrude buried her in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section F, Drive A, Path 33, Site Number 350S, with Arthur.

Gertrude died the following year on the 13th of January 1924 in Semaphore and was buried with Arthur and Evelyn in the Cheltenham Cemetery.

Military

At the age of 25, Arthur enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 28th of August 1915 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 2378 and posted to the C Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Exhibition Camp.
He listed his mother, Mrs A SHANAHAN of Alfred Street, Birkenhead, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of September he was transferred to B Group and then on the 1st of November he was posted to the 1st Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
On the 1st of December he was transferred to the 16th Battalion, 14th Reinforcements before being transferred to the 32nd Battalion, 4th Reinforcements on the 1st of January 1916.

Arthur embarked from Adelaide on board RMS Mongolia on the 9th of March 1916 and disembarked in Egypt in early April.

On the 3rd of April 1916 Arthur was transferred to the newly raised 48th Battalion at Serapeum.
The 48th Battalion was raised in Egypt on the 16th of March 1916 as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Roughly half of its new recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 16th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia.

The 48th Battalion became known as the "Joan of Arc" (the Maid of Orleans) Battalion because it was "made of all Leanes" - it was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ray Leane, his brother was the adjutant, and several other relatives were scattered throughout the battalion.

Three days later they marched 5 miles to the railhead where they underwent drill, musketry, artillery formation training and outpost duty.
Every day the monotonous routine of training went on, and every day Egypt's sun grew hotter. Whatever could be done to lessen the discomfort of that awful heat was done. Mess sheds were erected to which they could escape from the muggy, overpowering atmosphere of the bell tents.

On ANZAC Day they marched to the banks of the Suez where they celebrated their first ANZAC DAY when swimming sports were held. The ANZAC’s of the unit wore some red ribbon on the day to mark them out as veterans from the new lads.
On the 5th of May they marched from their camp at the railhead to Habieta, which was 12 miles from the Canal, where they took over the front line trenches in anticipation of a Turkish attack.

There was plenty of hard work, for in the constantly shifting sand the trenches had to be revetted with sandbags. Every sandstorm that blew across the desert, filled up the trenches again until one could scarcely trace the outline of them in its shining surface and then the monotonous work of clearing them recommenced.
Old wire entanglements long constructed had been covered and recovered and rendered useless for their purpose by the surging sand. These had to be made formidable once more and further reinforced.

On the 19th of May they moved back to their camp at the railhead and here preparations for France began in real earnest.
Five days later they moved to the Staging Camp in Serapeum and took part in night operations held by the 4th Division, before returning to their camp.
On the night of the 27th they marched to Serapeum and then on the 1st of June they entrained for Alexandria, arriving at 9:30am on the morning of the 2nd.

The following day, at 9am they sailed for Marseilles on board HMS Caledonia, disembarked on the 9th of June entrained immediately for the north of France.
The train journey lasted from 5pm on Friday till Monday morning.
They travelled in cattle trucks with 30 men assigned to each truck, and every man had with him his bulky pack and equipment.

They detrained at Bailleul and marched into billets at Merris.
The barns and outhouses in which they slept were very draughty, whilst for the remainder of the month of June the weather was cold and rain fell almost constantly. It was in marked contrast with the climate which they had left at the beginning of the month, and many of the men were soon suffering from colds.

Here training was resumed immediately and Officers and men went off to different schools of instruction in bayonet fighting, bombing and sniping. Here shrapnel helmets were issued for the first time and they received their first instruction in the precautions to be taken against gas and how to use the mask.

Finally on the 3rd of July they marched towards the sound of the guns until they arrived at Doulieu where they billeted for the night. Next day the march was resumed and the river Lys was crossed at Sailly. That night they had their first experience of German shrapnel bursting high and ineffectively over their heads as they entered the village of Fleurbaix.
Here they were engaged as a support Battalion for the next 8 days until they were relieved by the 54th Battalion and moved back to Doulieu and then to Merris.
On the 14th they entrained to Doullens and then marched 15 miles to Berteaucourt where they remained until the 28th when they marched 15 miles to Toutoncourt.
The following day they moved to Harpoville and then moved to Brickfields, near Albert.
Three days later they moved to Tara Hill where they bivouacked.
From this high ground they watched an intense bombardment by their artillery. The whole valley beneath them was lit up by blinding flashes of fire and the big guns thundered all around them.
The monster howitzer at Albert every now and then fired its massive shell, which travelled slowly over their heads with the noise of a passing train.
Near to the ridge the field batteries constantly barked and great volumes of smoke swept along the valley, whilst the air was filled with acrid –smelling fumes.

On the 5th of August the operation order was issued which told them that their next task would be on the ridge, which they had seen burn like Mt Vesuvius on the preceding night.
They moved by single file though Sausage Valley and onto Pioneer Trench, Chalk Pit, Corps Avenue and Tramway Trench.
That night the Battalion was finally in position and in the front trenches were men digging for their lives. Shrapnel was bursting over their heads and high explosive shells stove in their wretched parapets.
Here they were tasked with defending ground captured in earlier attacks by the 2nd Division.

At 5am on the following morning the expected counter attack by the Germans was made.
The position for a time was a dangerous one and it looked as if the Germans would not only regain the ground but also make easy capture of a few prisoners.
But luckily with the unit on the left flank was a soldier who had a good head for an emergency, Jacka V.C. of the 14th Battalion.
With a small body of men he cleverly attacked the enemy from the rear even as two platoons of the support company of the 48th rushed forward.

During these 2 days of intense fighting Arthur and the 48th Battalion endured what was said to be the heaviest artillery barrage ever experienced by Australian troops and they suffered 598 casualties.

When they were relieved it was not a Battalion that marched out of the trenches but more like a jaded, tired, worn out working party making their way to the rear before dawn after a night spent in digging a jumping off trench for some fresh advance, but presenting such a picture of war worn weariness as no working party has ever shown
One by one they filed down Pioneer Trench along the sunken road and back again through Sausage Gully.

After 5 days of rest, before they had recovered from the trials of Pozieres, they were required to defend ground captured during a battle near la Ferme-du-Mouquet (Mouquet Farm).
This they completed from the 12th-15th of August and the following morning they were relieved and stole away from the trenches in the dense fog of the early morning.

Near to the Windmill, in Sausage Valley, lay the dead of the 48th Battalion.
They were buried with what brief ceremony the circumstances allowed. Some were buried where they had fallen, for the living had the first claim and the transport of the wounded was in itself all too difficult.
Others were buried near the Chalk Pit, where something of the uniformity of peace time was given to their last resting place.

Later on, when conditions allowed it, more permanent organization was introduced into the great irregular burying ground that contained the dead of so many Australian units.
On the slope of Pozieres Ridge was erected a monument to the many known and unknown Australians who slept there.
When nearly two years afterwards the tide of battle, which had receded far from the Ridge, again swept over the land enveloping Pozières and the country around, the enemy, so unaccustomed to respect anything sacred or profane, nevertheless respected that monument to the memory of the men who so withstood him.

On the 15th of August they moved the old brickfields again, where they bivouacked for the night and then march the following morning through a downpour of rain to Warloy.
Three days later they moved to Hérissart and the next day they marched through the rain, in sodden clothes and boots oozing with mud, to Berteaucourt.
Here they remained until the 23rd of August when they marched to Talmas, Rubempre and onto Vadincourt, where they were visited by General Birdwood.
Albert was their next destination and they took up a position in reserve at La Boiselle.

On the 30th of August at 8pm they moved forward to the thigh deep mud trenches at Mouquet Farm. They had received no reinforcements to make up the great losses they had suffered and now only numbered about 300 rifles. Luckily the counter attack from the Germans never eventuated and Arthur and the 48th mad their way back to Albert after a few days.
By the 8th of September they had moved to Proven and marched into Connaught Camp, near Popperinghe and then they moved to a camp near Renninghelst and then to La Clytte on the 21st. After a week they relieved the 26th Battalion in the front line for a fortnight.

They then entrained for the Somme on the 26th of October and detrained at Longpre and marched to Vaux. Dernancourt was their next destination where they encountered snow and frost that lasted 3 weeks.
Here Arthur became ill and was admitted into the 12th Australian Field Ambulance on the 12th of November for 13 days before rejoining his Battalion in training.

On the 17th of December they entrained for Flesselles, continued training, and spent Christmas 1916 here before moving to Dernancourt, Fridourt, Brazentin and then to Flers on the 7th of January 1917 and into the front line near Miraumont.

It was here on the 13th of January 1917 that Arthur was wounded in a shell explosion and suffered multiple wounds to his face, the right side of his jaw, both his hands and his right leg and was admitted into the 38th Casualty Clearing Station in Heilly.
Here he underwent surgery and had a smashed bone removed from his left wrist before he was transferred by Ambulance Train 2 days later and admitted into the 6th General Hospital in Rouen on the 16th.

On the 11th of February he was evacuated to England on board HS Aberdonian and admitted into the 3rd London General Hospital in Wandsworth on the 13th.
Here he underwent X-rays as his left hand was flexed inwards and he was diagnosed with Ankylosis (stiffness or immobility of a joint due to the abnormal fusion of bones).
His fingers on both hands had been fractured and his right hand fingers were all distorted.

Arthur spent the next 5 weeks here recovering, before he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 23rd of March.
Here the medical board found him to be permanently unfit for service and recommended his return to Australia.

Arthur embarked from England on the 16th of July 1917 on board HS Kanowna and disembarked in Adelaide on the 6th of September.

Arthur was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 6th of March 1918.

He was granted a War Pension of £3 per fortnight and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.