OSBORNE, Arthur Charles
| Service Number: | 2855 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Mount Kilcoy, Somerset, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Illness, Brisbane, 15 April 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Toowong (Brisbane General) Cemetery, Queensland |
| Memorials: | Kilcoy Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2855, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2855, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ayrshire embarkation_ship_number: A33 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2855, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ayrshire, Sydney | |
| 16 Apr 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2855, 15th Infantry Battalion |
Narrative
Arthur Charles OSBORNE #2855 15th Battalion
Arthur Osborne was born in Melbourne and saw service in South Africa during the Boer War. By the time he presented himself for enlistment in Brisbane on 6th August 1915, he claimed to be 34 years old, a farmer of Mt Kilcoy.
Arthur was married to Margaret and they had an adopted daughter, Agnes. Arthur named Margaret as his next of kin. A little less than a month after enlisting, Arthur boarded the “Ayrshire” in Sydney as a reinforcement for the 15th Battalion. He allocated 4/- of his daily 5/- to his wife. On 12th October the reinforcements disembarked in Egypt. At that time, the 15th Battalion was on Gallipoli and Arthur joined his unit there on 13th November.
Three days after landing on the peninsula, Arthur reported sick to a field hospital and ten days later he was back in Egypt in the 3rd Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis. It was apparent that Arthur was not well, and had been so for some time. He complained of deafness and rheumatism as well as shortness of breath. The doctors at Heliopolis determined that Arthur had had these symptoms for some time, well before he enlisted. This begs the question, why if Arthur was so unwell did he enlist (the 4/- allocation to Margaret may be a clue) and how did he pass the medical back in Brisbane?
Since Arthur had spent considerable time in hospital in Egypt, it was decided to return him to Australia “for change.” This effectively meant that once he arrived back in Australia, he could be medically discharged. His illnesses were determined to be pre-existing.
Arthur arrived back in Brisbane and was discharged on 17th April 1916. He was granted a pension of 26 pounds a year and his wife and daughter received a combined 19 pounds and ten shillings. Arthur died in Brisbane on 15th April 1918. The records indicate that he was 37 years old at the time of his death but it is likely that he was much older. Arthur Osborne is not commemorated on the bronze plaques of the Australian War Memorial. His wife did however receive three service medals; 14/15 Star, Empire medal and Victory medal.
Submitted 6 March 2022 by Ian Lang