Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Ernest Nelson was one of the thousands of Australians to fight in World War 1. Before he joined the war, he was a Horse Driver, born in South Hammock, South Australia, on the 13th of October 1879. Nelson was part of the Anglican Church and lived in Undalya, South Australia. Undalya is a small rural town on the southern edge of the Clare Valley, in the mid-north of the state of South Australia. His father, John Nelson was 38 and his mother, Agnes Nelson was 35 when she gave birth to him. Arthur had 10 siblings, Emily Amelia, Alfred, Agnes, Helena, Alice, Eleanor, Helen, Olive Ann, Sylvia Myrtle, and Walter John Clinton. Arthur had 18 known nieces and nephews descended from his multiple siblings, but he has no known grandchildren. Nelson’s appearance on his enlistment form was described as ‘fresh’ which meant the person had a lighter complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. He was 5 feet and 1 inch tall.

Walter, Arthur’s brother, served in the war from years 1914 to 1918. He served in France but unfortunately died on the battlefield in 1918. He was most likely involved in the battle in Pozieres, France that commenced in 1916. Walter is buried in Meteren, Departement du Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. As the only other son in the family apart from Arthur, Alfred is not known to have joined the war.

Nelson enlisted for the army at age 36 and 2 months on the 21st of December 1915. On his enlistment form, he named his mother Agnes as his next of kin, at the time his marital status was single. He embarked on the 11th of April 1916 onboard the ship HMAT A60 Aeneas. Nelson was part of the 10th Battalion, 17th Reinforcement. This battalion was recruited from South Australia in August 1914. His service number was 5163 and his rank was private.

On the 15th of July 1916, Nelson marched out to a command depot which was a place for soldiers to be discharged to after leaving a general or stationary hospital. It seems as though Nelson worked at the command depot during the war rather than fighting in battle or because it was earlier on in his service, he might’ve been there for training purposes. On the 21st of September 1916, Nelson marched out to Larkhill where a World War 1 military camp was placed. Larkhill was home to one of the first World War 1 military camps and Britain’s first military aerodromes. It is not recorded when he marched out of Larkhill. Nelson was most likely involved with the 3rd battle of Ypres, but he returned to Australia on the 31st of October 1917, during the battle.

Nelson received an honourable discharge after serving in the war for a total of 2 years and 25 days. He was discharged because he was medically unfit which indicates he either injured himself or became very ill. He disembarked on the 27th of December 1917. He was discharged 14th January 1918. The ship that Nelson returned on was The Patella, created by the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. but was wrecked on the 17th of August 1921.

After Nelson returned from the war, he married Ina Gertrude Hunnerup on the 15th of May 1918 in Gawler South Australia. They had 3 children together, Norma Nelson, Gertrude Ina Nelson, and Evelyn Emily Nelson. Norma, unfortunately, passed the same year she was born in 1910. Gertrude was born in 1918 and passed away in 1983. His last daughter, Evelyn was born in 1920 and passed away in 2006.

35 years after his last daughter was born, Nelson passed away at age 75 in South Australia. He is currently resting at AIF Cemetery, Row 14, Grave 59, West Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia.