Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Lyle Bartlett was born in June in the year of 1889 in Norwood, South Australia. He lived at 148 Williams Street, Norwood, South Australia and was involved in the religion Church of Christ. Arthur Lyle Bartlett was married and worked as a clerk and labourer throughout his life. He was aged 25 years and 3 months when he enlisted for World War One from Morphettville, South Australia on the 5th of September 1914, before embarking from Melbourne, Victoria on the 22nd of December 1914 at age 25 years and 5 months on board the A35 Berrima.

After enlisting, Arthur Lyle Bartlett was appointed a role within the unit of the 4th Field Ambulance which he began serving on the 5th of September 1914 as a private. Although he started serving the 4th Field Ambulance from this time they were training for the first 2 months before embarking. Within this training they were given as best a medical education as possible learning skills such as how to clear airways, staunch bleeding and splint fractures. The 4th Field Ambulance was formed in Victoria, Australia and were part of the ANZAC Division. They were responsible for the Second Line casualty evacuation from First Line of the RAP (Regimental Aid Posts). Daily, Arthur Lyle Bartlett would go out with other members of his unit and have to risk his life to collect injured soldiers to bring them back for treatment. He would usually have to hand carry soldiers as the rough terrain meant hand carts usually weren’t able to be used.

At the time of the unit’s arrival, as if entering a war wasn’t enough, they arrived during extremely cold, wet conditions to make the situation seem worse. After serving the 4th Field Ambulance for almost a year Arthur Lyle Bartlett was admitted to hospital whilst in Gallipoli on the 13th of August 1915. He was then transferred to three more hospitals after that trying to get the help necessary. Once he could finally stay at one hospital he was treated and remained there for a short period of time before being released but then having to be admitted to another different hospital less than a month later with enteric fever. Enteric fever is spread through contaminated food and water which was extremely common in World War 1, increasing the risks of the disease significantly. Arthur Lyle Bartlett suffered symptoms such as high fevers, bad headaches, severe stomach pains along with constipation and diarrhea.

Whilst still not at the condition to be released from hospital, he had to embark for Egypt where he was put into another hospital. Arthur Lyle Bartlett was then put in an Enteric Convalescent Camp in Port Said, North East Egypt. Due to his severe sickness, Arthur Bartlett Lyle was ordered to be invalided back to Australia, although he must have made a miraculous recovery to change the plan. Instead of returning back to Australia, Arthur Lyle Bartlett was transferred to a new unit being the 11th Field Ambulance. He embarked for France in February 1916. He then served his unit as a private for six days before being promoted to corporal.

The 11th Field Ambulance’s role was to support the 11th Brigade of the Third Division. Whilst in the 11th Field Ambulance, Arthur Lyle Bartlett and the rest of his unit were under the command of Division HQ. For the next two years, Arthur Lyle Bartlett continued to serve in the 11th Field Ambulance with a corporal rank. It consisted of similar duties that he had faced whilst in the 4th Field Ambulance. He and his unit always had to be on edge making sure to be watching for who needed to be helped and taken to hospital. Through the extremely tough conditions, especially in the winter time, it was difficult to not only get to soldiers and help bring them back to hospitals but to remain safe and healthy themselves.

Almost at the end of the four year war, there was much better health care, although by that time the trenches and its surroundings were an extreme health hazard with many diseases spreading and trench foot from the poor conditions of the trenches from the wet, cold weather and there being continuous gun fire. This is what Arthur Lyle Bartlett and his unit had to try their best to prevent so as many people as possible remained healthy and lived. After these two long years, Arthur Bartlett Lyle remained healthy enough to not need any more treatment and time in hospital, and on the 30th of March 1919, he returned back home to Australia. 

Arthur Lyle Bartlett returned back to his home in Norwood, South Australia. At this time he was 29 years and 8 months old. He spent the rest of his life with his wife before he died aged 77 in the year 1967. He was then buried in Dudley Park Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia.