Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur was the son of James LEE & Mary CLARKE and was born in 1871 in Adelaide, SA. (his birth was never recorded)

His parents were married on the 13th of March 1866 in Adelaide.

His father was the son of Patrick & Bridget LEE and was born in 1835 in Ireland.
He had arrived in South Australia on board the Mary Dugdale with his parents and 3 siblings on the 1st of October 1840.
His mother was the daughter of James CLARKE & Anne EARL and was born on the 8th of June 1849 in Norwood, SA.

Arthur was the third child born into the family of 5 children.

Arthur’s father was a railway porter employed by the South Australian Railways.

Arthur was 4 years old when his father died on the 3rd of September 1875. He was at work at 5.30pm and whilst standing on the platform he coughed and threw up blood. A cab was immediately procured and he was taken to Dr. Gosse, who ordered him at once to hospital, but he died on arrival.
He had not been well for sometime but was able to perform his duties with the railways.

They buried him in the West Terrace Cemetery on Sunday afternoon and more than 1,000people attended his funeral.

His mother then died on Christmas Day 1894 at their residence, Sturt Street.

At the age of 30 Arthur enlisted into the 5th South Australian Imperial Bushmen on the 28th of January 1901 in Adelaide and was allotted the Regimental Number 299 (Trooper) and posted to D Squadron, No.1 Troop.
He sailed from Pt Adelaide on Saturday the 9th of February 1901 on board SS Ormazon, disembarking at Port Elizabeth on the 23rd of March.
Arthur was invalided back to Australia, possibly with Lumbago due to a horse falling on him, on board SS. Manchester Merchant.

He disembarked in Melbourne on the 31st of January 1902 and then entrained for Adelaide.
It appears he went to live with his brother Percy in Carlisle Street, Glanville as he stated this to be his address when he was admitted into the Adelaide Hospital for two weeks on the 30th of April 1902, suffering from Lumbago.

By September he had moved to Gilles Street, Adelaide and was admitted again to the Adelaide Hospital with Rheumatism.

By 1904 he had moved to Broken Hill and gained employment as a miner.

At the age of 43, Arthur enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 24th of August 1914 in Morphettville and was allotted the service number 510 and posted to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, B Squadron at Morphettville Camp.
He may have told a little white lie on his Attestation Paper as he stated he was only 35 years old.
On the 1st of September an inquiry was held into Arthur’s fitness as he was suffering from Neuralgia in his leg caused by an old fracture to his leg.
Arthur was discharged medically unfit a few weeks later on the 14th of September.
The following year, at the age of 44, Arthur re enlisted into the 1st AIF in Broken Hill, 82nd Infantry.

He left for Adelaide on the 21st of August to go into Camp and on the 31st of August 1915 he enlisted in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 1757 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion at Exhibition Camp.
On the 1st of November he was transferred to the 32nd Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements.

Arthur embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Borda on the 11th of January 1916, disembarked in Suez on the 9th of February.
He began to suffer from pain in his left hip and knee and later in his neck and shoulders and was admitted to hospital on several occasions.

With his body failing Arthur was recommended for return to Australia on the 14th of August due to Rheumatism and Senility.

Arthur embarked from Suez three days later on the 17th of August 1916 on board HT Borda, disembarking in Melbourne on the 15th of September and entrained to Adelaide the following day.
He was then admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick on the 2nd of October and discharged from hospital two months later, on the 18th of December.

Arthur was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 14th of February 1917 and awarded the British War and Victory Medals.

The following day he was granted a pension of £1/10/ per fortnight, which increased to £2/5/ per fortnight on the 16th of August and then reverted back to £1/10/ per fortnight on the 14th of March 1918.

His brother Phillip was admitted into the Adelaide Hospital on the 15th of August 1920 suffering from Pulmonary Tuberculosis. He was discharged from hospital five days later and died on the 22nd of August 1920 at their sister’s residence; Mrs Johnson, Peel Street, Yatala.
They buried him in the West Terrace Cemetery; Section F, Drive A, Path 27, Plot 148S.

Arthur gained work as a labourer at Gadsens Bag Factory in Pt Adelaide and was living with his niece, Mrs Evelyn Mary Walker nee JOHNSON and her husband George Alfred Walker at 29 Grand Junction Road, Rosewater.
*Evelyn & George (AIF 3298) had married on 27.12.1920 and had a little girl named Peggy.

Arthur frequently complained of indigestion and at 1pm on the 27th of January 1923 he had come home for dinner and then returned to work at 2.30pm.

He returned home at 4pm and laid down on his bed, he said he had eaten too much dinner and complained of indigestion.
Evelyn left home at 4.50pm and Arthur was still lying on his bed and he appeared to be quire drowsy.

George came home from work at 6.20pm and found Arthur still lying on his bed groaning and complaining of pains in his stomach. George sent for Dr LeMessurier, who on arrival at 7.10pm ordered Arthur’s immediate removal to the Adelaide Hospital by Ambulance.
He believed that Arthur was suffering from a rupture of one of his organs in his abdomen, probably a gastric ulcer.

Arthur arrived at the hospital at 8.10pm in a dangerous condition and had been drinking heavily. He was taken to theatre for an operation and anaesthetic was commenced.
Unfortunately Arthur died during the period of induction at 10.10pm that evening.

His death was believed to have been from a ruptured gastric ulcer and haemorrhage.

Arthur was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery with his brother; Section F, Drive A, Path 27, Plot 148S, on the 29th of January.

Site expired; 08.04.2012.

Military

Boer War

At the age of 30 Arthur enlisted into the 5th South Australian Imperial Bushmen on the 28th of January 1901 in Adelaide and was allotted the Regimental Number 299 (Trooper) and posted to D Squadron, No.1 Troop
The contingent consisted of 24 officers, 300 other ranks and 323 horses.

They sailed from Pt Adelaide on Saturday the 9th of February 1901 on board SS Ormazon at 4pm and anchored at the Semaphore until 2 pm on Sunday, when they drew anchor and started for the Cape of Good Hope with all well on board.

The sea was rough through the Bight which made a good many of the men seasick and Corporal Hodson was kicked by a horse and broke his leg.
Three days into the voyage it was found out that there was not enough fresh water on board to last through the voyage, so they had to steer for Albany, arriving there on the 16th at 8 am.

Permission to go on shore in the afternoon was much appreciated by Arthur and his fellow troops and after loading enough fresh water to last the voyage, they prepared to continue their voyage, but not before 2 of their horses died whilst they were in Albany.

They drew anchor on Wednesday the 20th at 8 am and with a rough sea, saw the last of the Australian shore at 6 pm.
Good progress was mad for the next four days under splendid weather with S.E. winds.
Tempers began to fray and on the night of the 24th two of the ship's crew had a quarrel and one drew a knife and gave the other a terrible gash on the arm.

The following morning another horse died and then on the evening of the 26th the fine weather came to an end, when a change came up bringing a light rain and a heavy sea, which lasted for two days before it abated. During this time another horse had to be shot as it was too ill to stand the voyage.

Beautiful weather prevailed for the first two days of March before another sharp rain came on for a short time. The following day the weather was warm with N.W. winds and a rough sea and they ran into heavy rain that night.

They then ran into some very rough weather, with rain and slight thunderstorms and on the 7th of March they sighted a ship early in the morning, which turned out to be the Craigmore, 41 days from Port Pirie, loaded with wheat bound for Ireland.

The thirty days that they were paid in advance was up on the 9th and the occasion was celebrated by a straw horse being made, over which the burial service was held and the military salute fired by twelve of the sergeants who were dressed in all sorts of rig out and had their faces blacked and painted.
The effigy was dumped overboard amidst great cheering.

Two days later they ran into more heavy rain, but this time they had a nice cool breeze which blew all day. The following day they had a heavy sea and the ship rolled very much in the heavy swell.

Between the 13th and 15th they finally received fine weather and smooth sea before the heavy rain started again.
The coast of Africa was sighted early the following morning, much to the delight of all on board. One of the horses fell down a hold the same morning and was killed, but luckily three of the men had a very narrow escape, as they were working down the hold at the time.

On the night of the 16th a strong wind blew off the land and a fierce storm seemed to be raging on the land in the morning. Port Elizabeth was signalled this same morning and orders were received to proceed to Capetown and then on the 18th a strong wind blew last night accompanied with heavy rain and a heavy swell.

All through their voyage the ships company was very much appreciated in providing them with such good food and the troops thought if they fared as well in Boerland, they would go back to Australia as "fat as pigs."

Exercises were also held on a daily bases which included; manual, firing and saddle-packing.
Lectures were also given on scouting and outpost duty, discipline and army regulations. While Dr. Ramsay Smith gave short lectures on bleeding, fractured limbs and skull, bullet wounds, dislocation, sprains, unconsciousness, etc., and how to treat them until the arrival of the Doctor.
The following day they passed the Cape of Good Hope about 10 am and sighted the Table Mountain shortly afterwards. They steamed into Table Bay and cast anchor at 4 pm, about half a mile from the pier.
The chief Staff-officer came out in a punt and told the captain that they may have to go back to Durban as the plague was still raging in Capetown.

They turned back for Durban but instead they landed at Port Elizabeth on the 23rd of March and upon arrival they were taken to the Kroonstad district where they joined Colonel De Lisle.
On the 18th of May the 6th contingent joined the column at Vrede and afterwards they worked together as a Regiment and did outstanding work in the north-eastern quarter of the Orange River Colony.

On the 6th of June 1901 they gained great distinction by the capture of a large convoy and by retaining practically all their captures, although the small mounted body which had effected them was most fiercely attacked by a strong force of Boers under De Wet and Delarey.

The despatch on the 8th of August 1901 contains several references to the fine work of the Regiment.
Lord Kitchener mentions that on the 29th of July a night march on Bothaville resulted in driving a number of Boers into the arms of Lieutenant Colonel De Lisle's South Australians, who captured 18 prisoners and 12 wagons and then on the 2nd of August Major Shea, with 200 of Colonel De Lisle's South Australians, made a gallant attack on Smut's commando at Grootvallier Farm, near the Vet River.

Unfortunately wirefencing, unseen in the darkness, prevented the complete success of the plan and enabled the Boers to escape, despite the fact that the South Australians pressed forward on foot with fixed bayonets.

Five Boers were left dead upon the ground, and 11 were captured, including Field-Cornet Wolmarans, of Potchefstroom.
By the 7th Arthur and his Regiment were able to account for 40 prisoners, 147 wagons, 600 horses, and 2000 cattle.

The Regiment then took part in the driving operations in the north-east of the Orange River Colony and during this time Arthur was invalided back to Australia, possibly with Lumbago due to a horse falling on him, on board SS. Manchester Merchant.

He disembarked in Melbourne on the 31st of January 1902 and then entrained for Adelaide.

WW1

At the age of 43, Arthur enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 24th of August 1914 in Morphettville and was allotted the service number 510 and posted to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, B Squadron at Morphettville Camp.
He listed his brother, Philip John Sherdan, of Peel Street, Yatala, as his next of kin.
He may have told a little white lie on his Attestation Paper as he stated he was only 35 years old.
On the 1st of September an inquiry was held into Arthur’s fitness as he was suffering from Neuralgia in his leg caused by an old fracture to his leg.
Arthur was discharged medically unfit a few weeks later on the 14th of September.

The following year, at the age of 44, Arthur re enlisted into the 1st AIF in Broken Hill, 82nd Infantry.

He left for Adelaide on the 21st of August to go into Camp and on the 27th of August 1915 he enlisted in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 1757 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion at Exhibition Camp.
He listed his sister, Mrs Margaret JOHNSON, of Peel Street, Yatala, as his next of kin.

On the 1st of November he was transferred to the 32nd Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements at 1st Depot Battalion.

Arthur embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Borda on the 11th of January 1916, disembarked in Suez on the 9th of February and marched into the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment in Tel-el-Kebir Camp.

On the 9th of March Arthur was taken on strength with the newly raised 48th Battalion and just a week later he was transferred to the newly raised 4th Pioneer Battalion on the 16th.
On the 26th of March they began their 110 kilometre march to Serapeum and during this march Arthur first began to suffer from pain in his left hip and knee and later in his neck and shoulders.
On arrival at Serapeum he had become very lame and was admitted into the 4th Australian Field Ambulance and then into the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital in Ismalia with Synovitis (joint inflammation).

After seven days of rest in hospital he was discharged to duty on the 4th of April and joined his Battalion in the front line works.
Just four weeks later on the 4th of May Arthur was admitted back into the 4th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 54th Casualty Clearing Station in Serapeum, suffering from Rheumatism.
Two days later he was again admitted into the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital.

On the 23rd of May he was transferred to the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbassia and after a week here he was transferred to the Ras-el-Tin Convalescent Depot in Alexandria on the 1st of June.

Arthur was then readmitted into the 3rd Australian General Hospital on the 29th of June. With his body failing Arthur was recommended for return to Australia on the 14th of August due to Rheumatism and Senility.

Arthur embarked from Suez three days later on the 17th of August 1916 on board HT Borda, disembarking in Melbourne on the 15th of September and entrained to Adelaide the following day.
He was then admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick on the 2nd of October and discharged from hospital two months later, on the 18th of December.

Arthur was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 14th of February 1917 and awarded the British War and Victory Medals.

Pension of £1/10/ per fortnight 15.02.17
Pension of £2/5/ per fortnight 16.08.17
Pension of £1/10/ per fortnight 14.03.18