Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Arthur L Wyborn was approaching his nineteenth year when he enlisted at Newcastle in August 1915. He was at the time in charge of the boot department at R.H. Harris' general store at Gloucester.

He was a lieuenant in the senior cadets, and after he enlisted was acting sergeant in the Expeditionary Forces at Holdsworthy and Newcastle, where he proved himself capable and efficient in the discharge of the duties of a non commissioned officer. He left Sydney with reinforcements for the 18th Battalion, but in Egypt was transferred to the 3rd Battalion. He was a tent-mate of the late Sergeant Frank Fry.

The Maitland Daily Mercury, Thursday 2 November 1916 reported that Mr. F. Wyborn, of Lorn, whose eldest son, Private Arthur Wyborn, was recently roported missing, is in receipt of a letter from Private J. D. Morrison, of D. Coy., 3rd Battalion, in which he refers to the loss of the gallant soldier.

"I cannot," he writes, "express to you how sorry I am, especially as I owe my life to his bravery As you no doubt know now, he was reported missing on July 25, and I am sorry. I can not hold, out any hope for him, as I am afraid he met the same fate as hundreds of others, and was buried by a shell, from which it was impossible to extricate them. I would have written to you before this, only I have just recovered from my wounds. I, too, was wounded and buried the night before Arthur, and if it had not been for his bravery, and untiring efforts under awful shell-fire I too would, have been reported missing, but he did not stop until he had dug me out, although he had been working and fightlng without sleep for four days and nights. "I was more dead than alive when he got me out but if It had not been for him I would certalnly have died, so you can appreciate how keenly I feel his death."