Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Stanley Holdaway was born on 12th November 1893 at Brisbane QLD, the second eldest of 5 children born to his parents Edwin and Mary Holdaway.  He had an older sister Evelyn and 3 younger brothers…Edwin, Herbert and Frederick.  Arthur’s education took place South Kolan State School where his father was the head teacher.  After completing his education he commenced a 3 year apprenticeship as a fitter at the railway workshops at Ipswich.  Arthur played the violin and was a member of the Methodist Church tennis and cricket teams. 

Arthur and his brother Edwin enlisted for WW1 together on 17th May 1915 and were both assigned to 1st Australian General Hospital Special Reinforcements.  Arthur is described as being 5ft 9ins tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair.  His rank was Private and his service number was 1598 with Edwin’s service number being 1597.  He and Edwin proceeded to Enoggera Camp in Brisbane for their basic training then embarked together from Brisbane on HMAT Karoola on 12th June 1915.  They disembarked at Suez on 18th July 1915 and proceeded to 1st Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis.  On 18th October 1915 Arthur embarked from Alexandria on HMAT Borda and disembarked at Lemnos Island 3 days later.  On 27th October 1915 he was transferred to the 4th Field Ambulance at Mudros on Lemnos Island.  No specific date is given in his service record for this but Arthur states in his own hand on a statutory declaration included in his file, that he proceeded to Gallipoli.  I have taken that date to be the date that he transferred to the 4th Field Ambulance.  He remained at Gallipoli until mid-December 1915 when he embarked for Lemnos Island.  He embarked from there on HMT Oriana on 18th December 1915, disembarked at Alexandria then proceeded to Tel-el-Kebir Camp 70 miles east of Cairo. 

In late April 1916 Arthur transferred to the 14th Field Ambulance and proceeded to join them at Ferry Post Camp at Ismailia and from there he proceeded to Serapeum Camp further south.  He embarked with the 14th FA from Alexandria on HMT Royal George on 19th June 1916 and disembarked at Marseilles France.  He remained with this unit until March 1917 when he transferred to K Supply Column and was reclassified as an Artificer.  In late September 1917 he transferred to the 4th Division Supply Column at Steenvorde then in early March 1918 he transferred to the 4th Motor Transport Company.  On 20th December 1918 he was detached for duty to Division Headquarters at Dinant Belgium. 

In early April 1919 Arthur marched out for demobilization embarking from France with Quota 30 and disembarking at Southampton England on 16th April 1919.  He embarked for Australia from Devonport on HMAT Beltana on 2nd June 1919 and disembarked at Sydney NSW on 25th July 1919.  He then proceeded by train to Brisbane QLD.  He was discharged from the service on 19th September 1919. 

Arthur continued to work as a fitter for Queensland Railways after the war and on 23rd January 1924 he married Lillian Byron at her parents home at Ashgrove in Brisbane QLD.  The Methodist minister who performed the ceremony was my grandfather, Cyril Morsley, who knew Arthur before the war while studying at King’s College in Brisbane.  Cyril served in the 3rd Field Ambulance in WW1 and met up with Arthur in March 1916 while they were both at Tel-el-Kebir Camp in Egypt. 

In 1926 Arthur and Lillian welcomed a son, Arthur Stanley, but sadly he died in 1932.  They had no more children. 

In 1930 Arthur received a commendation from the Railway Inventions and Suggestions Board for improved lubrication of the machine GA7 at the sawmill of the Ipswich workshops. 

Arthur passed away on 7th October 1982 at Brisbane QLD aged 88.  He is commemorated on the Bingera and South Kolan WW1 Honour Board 1, the Ipswich Soldiers Memorial Hall Roll of Honour and the Ipswich Railway Workshops War Memorial.              

Arthur Stanley Holdaway was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.  

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 14th April 2023.