KNAPPETT, Arthur William
| Service Number: | 1737 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1888 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bank clerk |
| Died: | Heart failure, Carlton, New South Wales, Australia, 20 March 1966 |
| Cemetery: |
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, NSW |
| Memorials: | Albury St. Matthew's Anglican Church War Memorial, Melbourne Bank of Australasia Roll of Honour WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 1737, 2nd Pioneer Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Apr 1916: | Involvement Sapper, 1737, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Apr 1916: | Embarked Sapper, 1737, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Melbourne | |
| 18 Nov 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1737, 2nd Pioneer Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by William Archer-Blackwood
Arthur William Knappett was born in Sydney in 1888. His parents were Thomas James and Jane nee McGrath Knappett and his siblings were Ben, Edith, Syd and Francis.
In 1910 he moved to Melbourne, married Nellie Masterton Powell, had a son Ken and worked as a bank clerk before enlisting in the 2nd Pioneer Battalion on 26 June 1915. On 25 June 1917, he deserted at France and sailed to London, where he was arrested while wearing civilian clothes. He was found not guilty of desertion, but guilty of absent without leave and was sentenced to 10 months' detention.
He returned to Australia on 19 August 1919 and was discharged three months later, returning to work. The following year he had another son Robert, but his wife Nellie divorced him in 1922 and he moved back to Sydney, where in 1934 he married Elsie Goodsell and lived in Carlton. He died aged 76 on 20 March 1966 and his ashes were interred at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park.