Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur George Fry was a medic for the 3rd Light Horse Regiment who served in World War 1 and survived. Fry was first ranked as a Private, but later became a Corporal, and a Sergeant in the years of his service. He was born in 1895 on the 5th of June in Wellington South Australia but was raised in Norwood. Prior to World War 1, Fry was a railway employee, who was single, and 19 years old at the time of embarkation. His Father, A.H Fry in Norwood was listed as his next of kin.
Fry embarked for the war on the 22nd of October 1914. He departed from Adelaide boarding the A17 Port Lincoln. On the 12th of September 1915, Fry joined the MEF (Mediterranean Expeditionary Force) at Gallipoli..
After serving in Gallipoli, and surviving a traumatizing battle, it is believed that Fry disembarked back to Egypt with his unit where he joined the WFF (Western Frontier Force).
While serving in the WFF as a medic, Fry was involved in a battle to protect the Suez-Canal in Egypt in late May 1916.

In the middle of 1916, it is known that the 2nd ASH travelled to certain places like Egypt and the Suez Canal to assist injured soldiers. So, while Fry was serving in Egypt and in the Suez Canal for the WFF, Fry transferred to the 2nd ASH on the 21st of October 1916 and was promoted to Lance Sergeant while there.

The WFF was located the in the ANZAC mounted division and after protecting the Suez Canal, they were launched to protect the Nile Valley from Pro Turkey Senussi-Arabs. The 2nd ASH (Fry’s unit) travelled to Egypt in this time and was most likely involved in that battle to assist any injured soldiers and to nurse them back to full health.

In late 1916, Fry soon joined back with his Light-Horse Regiment unit as a medic and collaborated with the allies to defeat Turkey and Palestine.

The 3rd Light Horse regiment unit advanced across the Sinai and were specifically involved in the fighting to secure the Turkish outposts and the Palestinian frontier as Turkey were operating from Palestine as well. In this battle, Fry served as a medic again.
On the 9th of January 1917, Fry, and his unit participated in the battle of Rafa.

The battle of Rafa involved the British Empire (including Fry’s unit) and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, both oppositions were fighting to attain the Sinai Peninsula. Fortunately, the British Empire attained the Sinai Peninsula which deeply impacted the World War 1 campaign for Palestine and Egypt. After just defeating Palestine and gaining the Sinai Peninsula, on the 20th of December 1917, Fry and his unit then fought in the battle of Jaffa. The battle of Jaffa was an engagement during the Southern Palestine Offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign between the British Empire and Egyptian Expeditionary Force verse the Yildirim army group of the Ottoman Empire. And once again, Fry served in this battle as a medic, nursing injured soldiers back to full health.
Late 1917, Fry was then stationed back to the 2nd ASH where he continued his nursing duties.

It is unknown whether Fry was involved in any other battles after the battle of Jaffa, as he was now stationed at the 2nd ASH. On the 24th of August 1918, Fry was sick to the hospital but discharged and welcomed back to his unit on the same day.

Sadly, this is where his war journey suddenly came to a finish. On the 30th of August 1918, Fry was set to embark back to Australia.

Fry married a women named Margaret Foster Wood several years after WW1. After 4 years and 107 days of service in WW1, Arthur George Fry passed away on the 24th of September 1961 in Adelaide at the age of 66.