RUSSELL, Arthur
| Service Number: | 4299 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 54th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ilford, New South Wales, Australia, 14 October 1895 |
| Home Town: | Kellyville, The Hills Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Kellyville Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Grave E.12. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Kellyville Public School Roll of Honour, Kellyville WW1 Roll of Honour, Kellyville WW1 Roll of Honour, Norwest Mitchell Remembers Roll of Honour, Rouse Hill Russell Reserve Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4299 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4299, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 15 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 54th Infantry Battalion, Tel el Kebir Egypt "Doubing of the AIF" | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4299, 54th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4299 awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
Red Cross Records
Originally listed as 'No Known Grave' and commemorated at V.C. Corner (Panel No 11), Australian Cemetery, Fromelles; subsequently (2011) identified, and interred in the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, France.
Note on Form B103: 'Identification Disc received from Germany. No particulars were afforded except that the soldier is dead. to be reported KILLED IN ACTION FRANCE 19-20th July 16.'
Note on file: 'austr. Sold. Russell, A. 54. A.K. Nr. 4299. am 19.7.16. in Gegend Fromelles gefallen.'
Note on Red Cross File 2380411: 'Identity disc recd. From Germany and despatched to Next of Kin ... 1.9.1919.'
Statement, 3123 Sergeant F. POLDING, 54th Bn (patient, 9th General Hospital, Rouen), 9 November 1916: 'During the attack on Fleurbaix on the 19th July, we had very heavy losses. Many dead bodies were collected after the action and buried. I was informed by several men of the burying party that Russell's body was recovered and buried. I do not, however, remember the name of any particular man of the burying party who told me this.'
'The above name appeared on German death list dated 4-11-16.'
Second statement, 4375 Pte E. SCOBLE, 54th Bn (patient, 2nd Birmingham War Hospital, Hollymoor, England), 18 February 1917: 'Arthur Russell's brother William Russell, 2300 54. A.I.F. told him Arthur Russell was killed and buried by Sgt. Allen.'
Submitted 27 September 2018 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed by Steve Larkins
4299 Private Arthur Russell was born on 14th October 1895 at Ilford near Mudgee in NSW. His parents were William and Gertrude Russell.
Arthur was living at Kellyville NSW when he enlisted on 28th AUgust 1915 with his older brother WIlliam.
He embarked with his reinformecement draft for the 1st Battalion, on HMAT A60 AENAES on 20th December 1915, arriving in Egypt in early February. Arthur was allocated the the newly raised 54th Battalion, in the 14th (NSW) Brigade of the 5th Division, created as part of the 'doubling of the AIF'.
In June 1916 the 5th Division arrived in northern France near the town of Fleurbaix.
The 5th Division suffered very high casulaties in the attack at Fromelles on 19/20 July 1916 and Arthur was one of those killed. His remains were not recovered until 2009 when the Pheasant Wood mass grave was discovered and opened. Arthur Russells remains were identified by DNA analysis and his reqmins were re-interred in the new Pheasant Wood cemetery in July 2018.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Arthur Russell, (Service Number 4299) was born about August 1896 at Ilford, near Mudgee. He worked in the Permanent Way Branchof the NSW Railways. He enlisted at Warwick Farm on 19th September 1915 and gave his father, William Russell, who was living at Kellyville via Parramatta, as his next of kin. He was initially allotted to the 13th Reinforcements to the 1st Australian Infantry Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Aeneas’ at Sydney on 20th December 1915, reaching Egypt on 16th February 1916, where he was immediately transferred to the 54th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.
After further training he embarked HT ‘Caledonian’ at Alexandria on 20th June 1916 for passage to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France through Marseilles, where he passed on 29th June 1916.
He was reported missing about three weeks later on the night of the 19-20 July – the Battle of Fromelles. His body was not located until 2009.; sohe had no known grave until then. He had been buried by the German military, behind their lines in a mass grave with about 250 other British and Australian men. The Germans had collected the identity discs and eventually passed them to the British authorities. The discs came with a card, in German, which was translated at the time.
‘Intelligence Officer A.H.Q. 2/8/18
At Chief Army Command 6,
To the Royal Prussian War Office Mod, Section,
Central Office for Left Property
Berlin
The Austr. Private Russell A 54th A.K. No 4299, fell on 19/7/16 in the neighbourhood of Fromelles.
Captain and Intelligence Officer,
Undersigned
Attested, Berlin 13/10/19
Stamp of Royal Prussian War Office, (signed) JACOBI,
Mod. Section. Lt. of Res.’
The mass grave was not located until 2009. Then all the bodies were exhumed and re-interred in a new cemetery at Pheasant Wood. Many of the remains were individually identified by modern DNA techniques.
A pension of £2 per fortnight was awarded to Arthur Russell’s father from 15th June 1917.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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