98085
DUNCAN, Arthur James
| Service Number: | 3734 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Wentworth, New South Wales, Australia, 16 May 1959 |
| Cemetery: |
Wentworth Cemetery, New South Wales |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3734, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3734, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3734, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 8 Apr 1917: | Honoured Military Medal, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line, Valuable services and courage on patrol work. (Near Louveral 8-13 April 1917). | |
| 8 Oct 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 3734, 10th Infantry Battalion, Raid on Celtic Wood, Survivor | |
| 22 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1 |
Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
'For conspicuous skill and courage during a daylight operation, when he advanced with his platoon and captured an enemy post. To cover consolidation he pushed his Lewis gun forward under heavy fire. In spite of losing the whole crew, he kept his gun in action, silencing one enemy machine gun and keeping down the fire of two others, thus enabling his platoon to consolidate in time to resist a heavy counter attack.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 31
Date: 4 March 1919
Submitted 8 January 2018 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed by Robert Kearney
Raid on Celtic Wood
3734 Corporal Arthur James Duncan MM a bricklayer from Lake Victoria Station, New South Wales joined the battalion in France in May 1916 and became one of the most decorated soldiers in the battalion. He was awarded a MM in 1917, was gassed at Meteren and awarded a bar to his MM in 1918, was recommended for a second bar to his MM in 1918, was wounded at Lihons and awarded the DCM in 1918.
After five month as an instructor at 3rd Training Battalion, Duncan rejoined D Company on 5 October 1917 and would have come up with the reinforcements during the night on 8 October.
In John Albert Lanchester’s Red Cross File is a statement in which Corporal Duncan said ‘…we made a raid on Celtic Wood on the Ypres Sector; Lanchester was with us. 80 went out on the raid and only fourteen came back unwounded.’
Arthur Duncan was one of the 19 unwounded men of the 88 who went on the raid.
Returned to Australia in May 1919
After the War he, like many of his colleagues, joined the RSL.
He was a member of Salisbury SB as recently as 1952. He died in Wentworth NSW in 1959 aged 67 years (1).
(1) RSL SA WW1 era Membership cards
Click images to start slideshow.