S14295
KUPKE, Arnold Frederick George
| Service Number: | 2378 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Orroroo, Orroroo/Carrieton - South Australia, Australia, 1880 |
| Home Town: | Lockleys, City of West Torrens, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Carpenter/Builder |
| Died: | Natural causes, Lockleys city of west Torrens - South Australia, 22 December 1967 |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 2 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2378, 5th Pioneer Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Aug 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2378, 5th Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Itria embarkation_ship_number: A53 public_note: '' | |
| 10 Mar 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2378, 5th Pioneer Battalion |
Help us honour Arnold Frederick George Kupke's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Millie Rowe
Arnold Fredrick George (Gustav) Kupke was born in 1880, son of Mr. Johann Christian Kupke and Johanna Frederika Paulina Radloff. His father had migrated to Australia from Silesia, Prussia and his mother was born in South Australia. Arnold was the third born of six children.
He married May Eliza KUPKE (nee WILLIAMS) in 1909, at age twenty-nine. They had one child, Leonard Arnold Kupke, who followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the army in 1940.
During Arnold's early life he worked as a builder. On the 2nd of May, 1916 he enlisted in the army and began his war journey. He was ranked a Private for the whole of his time in the army. Arnold was allotted to the 5th Pioneer Battalion Pioneer Battalion, essentially infantry with light military combat engineer skills often located at the very forward edge of the battle area.
Arnold was admitted to hospital a number of times and was eventually diagnosed with pleurisy, inflammation of the pleurae, causing pain when breathing. This lead to him being returned to Australia. After 2 years 26 days in the army he was discharged for the reason of medically unfit due to pleurisy.
Arnold was thirty-seven years old when he returned home. Arnold received the British War Medal and Victory Medal in recognition of his service.
It took him some time to adjust back to his original life before war and it also had been a struggle to recover from pleurisy. He joined the RSL. Arnold lived until eighty-seven. His burial place is Pasadena, Mitcham City, South Australia, Centennial Park Cemetery.