PRESGRAVE, Arthur George
| Service Number: | 3124 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Petersham, New South Wales, Australia, 26 May 1890 |
| Home Town: | Goulburn, Goulburn Mulwaree, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Locomotive Fireman |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 5 July 1916, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Boulogne Eastern Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3124, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3124, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3124, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 28 Jun 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3124, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , Transferred from 1st Australian Clearing Station via Ambulance Train to No. 13 General Hospital in Boulogne where he died of wounds on 4th July 1916. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Arthur George PRESGRAVE was born on 26th May 1890 at Petersham in Sydney, NSW. From 25th October 1910 to 10th August 1911 he was employed by the NSWGR&T as a casual cleaner in the Locomotive Branch based at Penrith. On 11 August 1911 he joined the ranks of permanent employees of the NSW Government Railways and Tramways as a cleaner, at Penrith, in the Locomotive Branch. On 25th April 1912 he transferred to Harden as a fireman, and he continued to be based there until 27th October 1913 when he transferred to Goulburn at the same grade.
On 11th August 1914, he enlisted in the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force using the name George Arthur Presgrave, as a Private (Service Number 547) and was allocated to E Company. He nominated his brother, Francis Morton Presgrave of Lawson, NSW, as his next of kin. At the time he enlisted he was living in Goulburn.
Recruiting for the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) began on 10th August 1914 in response to a request from the British Government to seize German wireless stations in the south-west Pacific, particularly German New Guinea. Less than ten days later a force comprising a 1,000-strong infantry battalion (which included Arthur) and 500 naval reservists and ex-seamen had been recruited, equipped, and embarked.
After a period spent training on Palm Island near Townsville, the AN&MEF arrived off Rabaul at dawn on 11th September 1914. Naval reservists succeeded in capturing two nearby wireless stations on the same day. At nightfall on 12th September 1914 the infantry battalion was landed at Rabaul to capture the town and the surrounding settlements. On 17th September 1914 terms had been reached and all military resistance ended. With German New Guinea under Australian control the German threat in the region had ceased. The AN&MEF then began a Military Occupation role which continued until it was relieved on 8th January 1915 and it began returning to Australia where it was disbanded. Arthur was formally discharged on 18th January 1915 and he returned to his job at the NSWGR&T. On 24th June 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces.
He joined the AIF on 24th June 1915, again using the name George Arthur Presgrave but his name was later amended to Arthur George Presgrave and this name is used in documents in his military record which apply to his AIF service. Notwithstanding his previous experience he was ranked as a Private (Service Number 3124) and was posted to the 10th Reinforcements to the 2nd Infantry Battalion. He nominated his mother, Mrs Elizabeth Gertrude May (Bess) Facey of Lawson, NSW, as his next of kin.
He left Australia sometime after 22nd September 1915. His military record shows that he joined the 2nd Infantry Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir in Egypt on 21st January 1916. He embarked at Alexandria for France on 22ndMarch 1916, arriving at Marseilles on 28th March 1916.
On 28th June 1916 he was wounded in action at Pozières. His injuries were variously described as being shell wounds to the back and leg, shell wounds to the buttock and pelvis, gunshot wounds to the pelvis and thigh, and gunshot wounds to the thigh and bladder, as he was transferred from one treatment facility to another. His final transfer was from the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station via Ambulance Train to No. 13 General Hospital in Boulogne on 30th June 1916, where he died of his wounds on 4 July 1916.
Arthur’s grave is in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne, Nord Pas de Calais, France. His place of association is Goulburn, NSW.
After his death his mother was granted a pension of £2 per fortnight with effect from 20th September 1916.
However, when the time came to issue war mmedals to next of kin after the end of the war, the Army found itself embroiled in a dispute between Arthur’s parents as they made conflicting claims about each other’s eligibility to receive his medals.
After considering the evidence it had obtained, the Army decided to send Arthur’s war medals to his mother.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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