BRIGHTON, Arthur Percy
| Service Number: | 4133 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 August 1915, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Paddington, London, England, 1889 |
| Home Town: | Bridgewater (Victoria, AUS), Loddon, Victoria |
| Schooling: | St Marks School, Chelsea, England |
| Occupation: | Mechanic/carpenter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 17 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bridgewater Memorial Hall & Honour Roll, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4133, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4133, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne | |
| 17 Apr 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 4133, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4133 awm_unit: 7 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-04-17 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Heathfield High School
Arthur Percy Brighton was born in 1889. He grew up in Paddington, London, England but eventually moved to Bridgewater, Victoria, Australia. He was described as short around 5’6”, medium build and a smart appearance with auburn hair. Arthur worked 2 jobs, being a mechanic as well as a carpenter (NAA: B2455).
On the 11/8/1915 aged 25 years and 1 month old Arthur enlisted and joined the army.
On the 29/12/1915 Arthur embarked from Melbourne, Australia on the ship Demosthenes. On the 18/3/16 Arthur was taken on strength to the 7th Battalion from 13th Rifles.
He was wounded in action in France at some time between the 22-26/7/1916 and was hospitalised in France and then was sent to England for further treatment and rest. He returned to his unit in November 1916 rejoining his Battalion. Soon after he was promoted from Private to Lance Corporal. Then on 10/1/1917 he was promoted to Acting Corporal.
He was hospitalised again in 8th May 1917 admitted with Ulceration to his legs and returned to duty on 20th July 1917. He was granted leave in the UK in February 1918 for a couple of weeks.
He returned to his unit and unfortunately, on the 17/4/1918 Arthur’s life was ended in France when he was killed during action at only 28 years old.
The saddest part of Arthurs death was reading about it in the Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau file for Arthur. Many of his friends described him and his death. He was killed at around 10 am of the 17 of April, many soldiers watched Arthur die but did not know exactly what happened. All we know for sure of is that on the day of Arthur's death the front lines of men were getting shelled heavily by the enemy so when the enemy lobbed one into the trench it killed about 3-5 men who were in there. Arthur to this day is still confused with another man. The two stories of Arthur's death are one man who was right alongside Arthur saw him and 3 other men die. He saw him lying on the ground but since he could see no marks on him, he assumed that Arthur had died from the concussion of hitting his head on the side of the trench after getting thrown from the force of the hit. The other story which many men have recalled on Arthur’s death was that he was holding the line when he got shot with a hit so hard, he was practically split in two with his head coming right off his shoulders. He was buried later that night a few yards away with a cross being put on his grave.
Bibliography
Arthur Percy BRIGHTON 2024, Vwma.org.au, viewed 7 June 2024, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/361146>.
Arthur Percy Brighton 2024, Awm.gov.au, viewed 7 June 2024, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2164531>.
Collections | HathiTrust Digital Library 2024, Hathitrust.org, viewed 7 June 2024, <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/mb>.
An Introduction to 20th-Century England (1901–2000) 2022, English Heritage, viewed 7 June 2024, <https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/20th-century/#:~:text=The%2020th%20century%20saw%20two,a%20third%20of%20the%20planet.>.
Australia Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing. (n.d.). Australia Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing. Retrieved June 7, 2024, from https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1063811/document/5651410.PDF