3987
ARTHUR , Robert Roy
| Service Number: | 3469 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Booleroo Centre, South Australia , 1994 |
| Home Town: | Booleroo Centre, Mount Remarkable, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Booleroo Centre West Primary |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Heart attack , Booleroo Centre, 10 August 1943 |
| Cemetery: |
Booleroo Centre Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Booleroo Centre WW1 Roll of Honour, Booleroo Centre War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Nov 1917: | Involvement Private, 3469, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Commonwealth embarkation_ship_number: A73 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1917: | Embarked Private, 3469, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Commonwealth, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 3469 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Jazz Vandenbrand
Robert Roy Arthur
Service Number: 3469
Robert Roy Arthur was born on the 3rd March, 1893, the sixth son of John and Paulina Arthur. He lived in Booleroo Centre. He did his schooling at Booleroo West Primary. During this time it was very common to only do primary school and then go to help on the farm. Before enlisting he worked as a farmer. He didn’t have any prior military service.
He enlisted on the 12th, March 1917, three years after World War One had started. He embarked on the HMAT Commonwealth A73, when he was 24 years’ old. He was in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, 30th reinforcement as a private but during his time in the war he was temporarily promoted to sergeant multiple times. His regiment was stationed in Egypt most of the time as they were patrolling pipe lines and the area near their bases. He learnt gas and helmet drills. When they were stationed there they encountered enemies with machine guns.
Robert Roy Arthur was awarded the British War medal (December 4th 1921) and Victory medal (December 9th, 1922).
After the war he married Lucy Lewis, on October 15th, 1919, who was a teacher at the time. They had five children, Keith, Marjorie, Eric, Iris and Rhonda. Roy was struggling with work on the farm after the war to support his wife and children, as the farming industry wasn’t a very profitable career. On Christmas Day 1942, his eldest son died after an operation for appendicitis serving in the RAAF during World War II. Roy died nine months later as a result of a sudden, massive heart attack. He was only 50 years of age. Just under six years after Roy’s passing Lucy died of cancer, aged 56.
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