Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur’s English born parents, Herbert Arthur and Leslie Jean’s first son, John Bentley was born in London in February 1912. The family then moved to Australia where Arthur was born in Surrey Hills, Victoria on the 20th March the following year. A third brother, James Storrs was born in May ’20.
Two years after Arthur’s birth, his 31-year-old father, an orchardist, enlisted in Victoria in April, 1915 to serve in the Great War as number 590, in the 13th Light Horse in Victoria. He served with the 1st Anzac Army Corps where he received his sergeant's strips. He then fought in France, being injured at Ypres in the chest and right arm. In June 1917Cable advice was received that Sgt. Herbert Arthur Brocksopp has received a commission as lieutenant. He has been at the front in France for some time, before being sent to New College, Oxford, to pass the examination for a commission.

It was therefore inevitable that his three sons would also later heed the call to serve in WWII. They had attended St Peter’s College in Adelaide. Of the three, Arthur was the artistic one attending the School of Arts and Crafts where he gained qualifications in Antique Drawing in ’34. This then contributed to his career as a Commercial Artist, but he continued to return to Renmark for several months at a time. His older brother, John had by this time taken up a fruit growing property, having first worked on an outback sheep station in Western Australia.

Arthur served in the 13th Field Brigade until the outbreak of WWII. As a 26-year-old, he was one of the early enlistees at Keswick on the 20th October ’39. He was given the number SX175 and was first allocated to the 2/10th then to the 2/43rd Battalion where he was promoted to Acting Sergeant at the start of July ’40. A month later, he was transferred to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. (His younger brother, 20-year-old James also enlisted in June ’40 as SX6374 in the 2/3rd Battalion. He served in the Middle East and was discharged in January ’46.)

Following leave, Arthur and the new enlistees boarded the Stratheden, arriving in the Middle East on the 17th December ’40. With minimal time to hone skills and adapt to the heat, flies, dust and constant bombardment, Arthur’s group were soon part of the fierce fighting in the Battle of Tobruk. This defining battle contributed to the legend of the 2/48th Battalion and the reputation of the Rats of Tobruk, as the soldiers came to be known. In his book, Tobruk to Tarakan, John Glenn described how; “At 3:50 on 1st May the men of the 2/48th stood-to to await the outcome of the battle which had raged all through the night. In thick mist, darkness and bitter cold they snatched a quick breakfast of bully beef and hard biscuits. The battalion had to be prepared to meet either a breakthrough by the 2/24th Battalion or a thrust from the south. An anxious wait followed as the morning dragged on; then around nine o’clock the noise of battle increased, and the continuous drumming of the artillery was joined by the anti-tank guns and small arms fire from the direction of Forbes Mound, indicating a tank attack. Wave after wave of German dive bombers attacked the perimeter during the morning, and at midday they swept over our battalion area where their bombing was joined with a heavy concentration of enemy artillery fire. The men went quickly to cover. One shell made a direct hit on a dugout of D Company, killing two and wounding two others.’
An Advertiser report soon after described the conditions in Tobruk: ‘Dust storms are raging, enveloping the attackers and defenders in clouds of sand and reducing visibility to less than 10 yards. The Italian and German forces still hold a small sector in the western corner of the outer defences, but their tanks have not attempted a fresh attack since they were driven back on Saturday by heavy artillery fire. A Reuter correspondent with the advance forces in the Western Desert has reported that 3,000 prisoners have been taken by our troops at Tobruk. This report follows the earlier news that, during the five-day assault on the garrison, 50 enemy tanks were destroyed or put out of action. The report added that German losses in killed and wounded were heavy. Our artillery, which smashed the attacks from close range, at present hold the upper hand.’ This was a defining battle for the men of the 2/48th Battalion.
Arthur was hit in his left wrist and was evacuated to a Scottish Hospital before then recuperating in an Officer’s Hostel to convalesce. The May ’41 edition of the News announced that ‘Three South Australian officers who were well known in militia circles before the war, are in today's official casualty list. News has since been received that one has died. The other two wounded officers are: Capt. W. A. Brocksopp, a son of Mr. W. E. Brocksopp, of Medindie and Lieut. A. E. Brocksopp, a son of Mr. H. A. Brocksopp, of Glenelg. They are cousins. Capt. Brocksopp went away with the first South Australian battalion more than a year ago.’ Lieut. A. E. Brocksopp, who was also wounded, is a brother of John Brocksopp (RAAF).
Others from the 2/48th who were listed included Died of Wounds.—SX7316 Pte. Walter C. Mitchell, Gilberton; SX4935 Pte. William J. T. Parker, South Plympton; and Wounded in Action.— Lieut. Arthur E. Brocksopp. Burnside.

Fortuitously, an official photo was taken in October ’41 at Tobruk of officers of the 2/48th Battalion. It included Arthur and SX7138 Ivor Paech, who had become good friends. The two travelled into Tel Aviv together with three others for a convivial evening dinner, which Ivor recorded in his diary. (‘Adelaide to Alamein’ by Darren Paech.)
Ill health continued to affect Arthur, including jaundice and infective hepatitis, again with time spent at the Middle East Officer’s Hostel to convalesce before he returned to the 2/48th Battalion in May ’42 and was soon involved in the fierce fighting at Tel el Eisa on the 21st July. John Glenn in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ described how ‘B company had lost all but one of their officers except for Lieutenant Brocksopp, who was isolated on the flank.’ It was a tense time with all troops forced to ground within two hundred yards of the enemy posts. The slightest movement brought down heavy machine gun fire on them’
Sergeant Wally Prior (Bill) assumed command of B Company with Lieutenant Brocksopp and the platoon he commanded being out of contact.’ Darren Paech in ‘Adelaide to Alamein’ added further perspective. ‘Bill and the members of 12 platoon under Lieut Brocksopp were on the far left of the assault and found themselves in a small depression, thus faring slightly better as the machine-gun fire was going over their heads. The attack quickly began to bog down under the weight of fire being directed from the German machine gunners on the crest of the hill.’
‘The sheer weight and ferocity of the enemy automatic fire was overwhelming. With Lieutenant Don Kimber, the B Company commander, wounded by shelling near the start line, and Lieutenant Brocksopp of 12 platoon quivering with shell shock and unable to move, the entire command structure of B Company was destroyed’ He added that ‘the German machine gunners were professional; they would single out any man who appeared to be in charge and pick off the junior leaders of both attacking companies.’
Eventually, almost surrounded, the2/48th withdrew, carrying their wounded with them and effectively being reduced to only fifteen unwounded men.
In August ’42 Arthur was again promoted, this time to Captain. He successfully undertook a course at the Weapon Training School, specialising in grenades. A further promotion to Company Commander followed in October before the 2/48th Battalion were able to head home, via Melbourne for well-earned leave. Training then resumed in Queensland as the Battalion prepared to face a different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea.
June ’43 brought much sadness to the family as they learned of the death of Arthur’s older brother, 31-year-old Flight Sergeant John Bentley who was a wireless operator and air gunner with 454 Squadron. He had enlisted in October ’40 as 407489 in Number 454 Squadron. Unfortunately, he was one of four crew on board when their plane flew into the ground just moments after taking off from Gambut in the Middle East in preparation for an Anti-Shipping sweep. Speculation was that the crash was caused by the inflation of the Pilot’s dingy. He now rests in the Tobruk War Cemetery, Plot 2 Row A Grave 1.
Arthur served for six months in New Guinea then in March ’44 was appointed as Major but at the end of the month he had contracted malaria and was placed in Kapara Convalescent Home at Glenelg to recuperate. However, the malaria persisted and Arthur was then placed in a military hospital before then attending a School of Mechanics, Senior Officers Course. A month at Tactical School followed, but his ill health meant that by September ’45 he again returned to hospital for treatment of an inflammation of a vein in his right foot, called phlebitis. Within a week his left foot was also similarly affected. Arthur was eventually discharged as being medically unfit, with Buergers Disease (which affects arteries and veins in both arms and legs), an old gunshot wound to his wrists and with partial Ulver nerve disability on the 14th February ’46.
Post war, Arthur moved to Sydney to continue his pre-war work as an artist. In June ’47 the Advertiser announced ‘From Sydney comes news of the engagement of Arthur Brocksopp, of Gilberton, South Australia, to Judith Crase of Beaumont, South Australia. Arthur is an artist in Sydney, and Judith, who has been studying music at the Sydney Conservatorium, is now with the ABC and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. They plan to make their home in Sydney.’ Judith was an exceptional musician, an oboeist, playing with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra prior to her marriage.
Six years later, Arthur and Judith had two children, Susan and Robert and Judith’s exceptional skills were again the focus of media attention (with too much of an emphasis on her role as a housewife). The Sydney Morning Herald reported on her remarkable creative and artistic skills in July ’54.
‘A Clavichord and a housewife who taught herself to play it (in moments snatched from housework and caring for her two young children) will make a joint debut next month at Sydney University's International Festival of Drama and Music, which will be held from July 13 to August 6. The housewife, Mrs. Arthur Brocksopp, of Turramurra, saw the clavichord, made by a neighbour, C.S.I.R.O. scientist, Dr. Otto Adderley, soon after it was finished three months ago.
And as she had never seen one before (there are only three clavichords in Australia) Mrs. Brocksopp tried a few notes. “It was like a musical box," she said, "but with a much wider range of notes and expression. “I was fascinated and decided to teach myself to play it properly." So every day, while five-year old Susan is at school, and Robert, who is three, is out of the way, Mrs. Brocksopp manages some practice.’

Aged 67, Arthur died on the 17th October 1980 and was interred at Centennial Park Cemetery. His young brother similarly rests at Centennial Park, having lived to be 74. (James died in ’94.)
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.