Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur DENNIS was born 27th April 1888 in WILMINGTON the son of Alfred and Louisa DENNIS.  He had a brother and sisters. Arthur worked as a Labourer before enlisting. He attested (formally enlisting in the AIF) on 30th July 1915 at Adelaide.

He left for the Mitcham training camp immediately. He was described as a single man, 5’2 “tall, weighed 130 pounds and had a 36” chest. He had brown hair, a fair complexion and brown eyes.

Arthur completed camp training and embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A24 Benalla on 27 October 1915.  Arthur joined his battalion, the 16th, in the Middle East on 5th February 1916. After further training, Arthur was one of a large number transferred from the 16th Battalion to the 48th Battalion on 10th March 1916. Arthur joined the 48th on the Western Front in France, on 9th June 1916. The 48th's first major battle on the Western Front was Pozieres. Here, it was tasked with defending ground captured in earlier attacks by the 2nd Division and entered the firing line on the 5th and stayed until the 7th August. During this period the battalion endured what was said to be heaviest artillery barrage ever experienced by Australian troops and suffered 598 casualties. A diorama at the Australian War Memorial depicts the battalion's experience at Pozieres.

Private Arthur DENNIS was one of the casualties killed by shellfire on the 7th August, 1916. The DENNIS family were notified that Arthur had been killed. At this same time many telegrams were being delivered around the country advising the next of kin of our brave fallen from this brief but so costly battle.

In a way, Arthur DENNIS was one of the fortunate ones of the fallen, as his battlefield burial could be located after the war. In 1929 (13 years later!) when the Imperial War Graves Commission were working to concentrate the graves of the fallen, they recovered his remains and he was reinterred with full military honours. Arthur was laid to rest at the SERRE Road Cemetery Number 2.  The large volume of soldiers being located and laid to rest from these battles near HAMEL, FRANCE meant another cemetery had to be consecrated to take them.

Dennis' brother: 5086 Pte. Ernest DENNIS (/explore/people/272296), who served with the 1st Pioneer Battalion, returned to Australia after the war on 12 June 1919 and was discharged from the AIF.

Alfred later received Arthur’s 1914-1915 Star Medal, British War Medal, Victory Medal, Memorial Scroll and Plaque along with a copy of the ‘Kings Message’.  

Arthur is also commemorated on the Australian War Memorial on the Roll of Honour and on the Honour Roll at The WILMINGTON Soldiers Memorial Hall.

"THE LATE PRIVATE A. DENNIS.

Mrs. L. Dennis of Wilmington has recieved official notification that her son, Private A. Dennis, has been killed in action in France. Private Dennis enlisted from Port Augusta in July, 1915, and sailed for Egypt on October 27. He remained in Egypt with his battalion until May, when he was transferred to France. He was 28 years of age. For a number of years he was in the employ of Mr. Litchfield, of Wilmington, but just prior to enlisting was employed by the Commonwealth Railways Department at Port Augusta, as an ambulance man. He was of a quiet and unassuming disposition, and was respected by all who knew him. Two other brothers are also on active service." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 28 Oct 1916 (nla.gov.au)