73421
VERRALL, Arthur John Leonard
| Service Number: | 2777 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 September 1916, Enlisted at Adelaide, SA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Houghton, South Australia, 25 June 1889 |
| Home Town: | Houghton, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Died: | Grange, South Australia, 28 August 1931, aged 42 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Houghton Cemetery, S.A. Interred on 1 September 1931 |
| Memorials: | Houghton War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2777, 50th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Adelaide, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2777, 50th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Melbourne, Adelaide | |
| 23 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2777, 50th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2777, 50th Infantry Battalion, Wound to the right thigh. Embarked for England aboard HS Princess Elizabeth on 31 December 1917 | |
| 27 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2777, 50th Infantry Battalion, Second occasion. Severe wound to the right thigh. Invalided to England on 5 May 1918 | |
| 2 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2777, 50th Infantry Battalion, Discharged at the 4th Military District as medically unfit due to wounding | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 2777, 50th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Arthur John Leonard Verrall's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Charles Verrall and Amelia Sarah Verrall nee Hoad of Hermitage, Houghton, SA.
Commenced return to Australia on 23 July 1919 aboard HT Wiltshire disembarking on 3 October 1919 at Melbourne for onward travel to Adelaide.
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
During 1925c Arthur married Susan Alice Lucas in Tasmania.
Biography contributed by Jan Verrall
Son of Charles and Amelia (Millie) Sarah Verrall (nee Hoad), Arthur John Leonard Verrall was born on 25/06/1889 at Hermitage, South Australia. He attended Hermitage School in the Hermitage Church building, which was also the local School, Sunday School and meeting place. After he left school, Arthur worked for his father in the orchard for a while then went to work on the hydro-electric power station on the River Shannon in western Tasmania. At the completion of that job, Arthur went to Glenorchy to work.
He returned to Hermitage, South Australia, and at age 27 years, enlisted with the Armed Forces on 01/09/1916, Service Number 2777. Arthur, a Gardener, listed his Next-of-Kin as his mother, Mrs Amelia Sarah Verrall of Hermitage, Houghton PO, South Australia, and religion was Methodist.
Arthur John Leonard Verrall, 2777 joined 50th Infantry Battalion, 6th Reinforcements, embarked on the HMAT Port Melbourne (A16) in Adelaide on 23/10/1916. They landed in Egypt on 02/12/1916.
The 50th Battalion was part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) which served on the Western Front in France and Belgium, as well as in Egypt during World War I. The battalion saw action at places like Mouquet Farm and Noreuil in 1916 and early 1917, and later in Belgium at Messines and Polygon Wood. In 1918, they returned to France, notably at Dernancourt and Villers-Bretonneux.
Arthur sustained gunshot wounds to the thigh; he was admitted to the Whipps Cross Hospital, Leytonstone in the East End of London, England on 31/12/1917. He then transferred to the Dartford Hospital on 25/01/1918. He was discharged to furlough (leave of absence) and to report to Hurdcott Camp, Wiltshire on 28/01/1918.
Arthur began his return to Australia on 23/07/1919 aboard HT Wiltshire, disembarked on 03/10/1919 at Melbourne, for onward travel to Adelaide, South Australia. He went to Tasmania as a “Soldier Settler” where he purchased an apple orchard.
In 1926 the entire crop from Arthur’s orchard was on board a ship at the dock in Liverpool, England, when the “General Strike” was on and the fruit just rotted where it was packed on the ship. Consequently, Arthur just had to walk off his orchard and find work.
On 28/02/1929 Arthur married Susan Alice Lucas, (Susie) of Birches Bay at Bellerive, Tasmania. He returned with Susie to Hermitage, South Australia to live with his parents, Charles and Millie.
On 17/08/1931, Mildred Mary Verrall was born to Arthur and Susie. Unfortunately, a few days later, Arthur died suddenly on 28/08/1931 aged 41 years. He was buried in the Houghton Cemetery, South Australia.
Arthur John Leonard Verrall, 2777, was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
His name is on the Houghton Congregational Church Honour Roll; the Hermitage Sunday School Honour Roll; Houghton War Memorial; Australian War Memorial.
This information has been researched by Carol Foster and Jan Verrall and submitted by Jan Verrall, 27th June 2025.
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