AUSTIN, Arthur Henry
| Service Number: | 2031 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 36th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Pyrmont, Sydney, NSW, 1898 |
| Home Town: | Redfern, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Glebe Superior Public School |
| Occupation: | Blacksmith |
| Died: | Killed in Action, London Road, Houplines, near Armentieres, France, 17 March 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres V A 19, Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres, Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France, Bapaume Communal Cemetery, Bapaume, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Leichhardt All Souls Church AUSTIN Memorial Window |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2031, 36th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2031, 36th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 2031, 36th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Arthur Henry AUSTIN, (Service Number 2031) was born on 20 March 1898 in Pyrmont and became an apprentice blacksmith at Eveleigh when he had just turned 15. Before he had finished his apprenticeship in March 1916 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces. He would have turned 18 only days before so perhaps he was waiting for that event which made him eligible to enlist, with his parents’ consent.
He had been a senior cadet for a number of years, and on his enlistment papers he wrote that he had been discharged from those obligations, at his own request, to join the AIF. Despite his youth he attended No. 10 Depot School for NCOs and qualified as a Sergeant and his papers state that on 16 August 1916 he was appointed to that rank, though all other records refer to him as a Private.
He left Australia on HMAT ‘Anchises’ in August 1916, reached Devonport UK in October and a month later was in France fighting. Four months later he was killed in action three days before his 19th birthday. He is buried in the Cité Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentières.
Among his personal effects, such as cigarette cases, cards, photos, and a blue handkerchief, which were eventually returned to his family, were Sergeant’s Stripes.
(NAA B2455-3041543)
Submitted 9 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Arthur Edward and Lily Mary AUSTIN, 17 Macauley Street, Leichhardt, New South Wales
Click images to start slideshow.