KNOWLES, Arthur Lyndon
| Other Name: | Knowles, Arthur Lynden |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 2717 |
| Enlisted: | 20 May 1915, 78th Infantry |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Maylands, South Australia, November 1896 |
| Home Town: | Maylands (SA), Norwood Payneham St Peters, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Eaton Private Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 14 May 1959, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 9, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 20 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2717, 3rd Infantry Battalion, 78th Infantry | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 2717, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 2717, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 29 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Arthur Lyndon Knowles's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Second Lieutenant Arthur Lyndon Knowles, an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now honoured with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
On 29 September 2025, his plaque was unveiled in Lutwyche Cemetery, along with a further 161 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Arthur Lyndon Knowles was born in 1896 at Maylands, South Australia, to Frank Knowles and Annie Maria Knowles (née Baldock). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Liverpool, New South Wales, giving his age as 18 years 7 months, naming his mother as next-of-kin, and stating his occupation as clerk.
He embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Runic (A54) 9 August 1915 with the 3rd Infantry Battalion. He was taken on strength in Egypt on 2 November 1915 and later served on the Western Front.
He was appointed Lance Corporal in February 1917 and was later selected for officer training in England. On 9 November 1917 he reported to the No. 4 Officers’ Cadet Battalion at Oxford, qualifying for a commission in the infantry on 30 April 1918. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant in the AIF on 1 June 1918 and attached to the 1st Training Battalion at Sutton Veny and Tidworth, where he also completed musketry instruction.
His file records hospital treatment for illness but no serious wounds before his return to Australia in 1919 aboard HMT Kildonan Castle.
After the war, Knowles settled in New South Wales and later in Queensland. In January 1930 he married Emma Eliza Getting (née Forsyth), the former wife of Lieutenant-Commander Frank Edmund Getting, Royal Australian Navy. Earlier newspaper reports had mentioned their association in connection with a divorce case in 1929, which drew some public attention at the time. Although Arthur and Emma later married, their relationship was short-lived, and by 1936 a decree of divorce was granted. He never remarried and had no known children.
Arthur Lyndon Knowles died on 14 September 1959, aged 63, at the Eaton Private Hotel in Brisbane. With no immediate family to attend to his affairs, the Public Curator of Queensland took responsibility for his estate, noting that he had served as a Lieutenant in the AIF during the First World War. He was interred in Anzac Portion 9, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity has now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
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