Farmery, Arthur
No.5095 – Private Arthur Farmery – 11th Battalion AIF
Arthur Farmery was born in Hessle Yorkshire England in 1883 to Joel and Mary Farmery. He was educated in Yorkshire and took up work on the Railways; and he also showed an interest in the military, being a member of the East Yorkshire Volunteers. The 1901 and 1911 census shows him still living in Hessle Yorkshire. The 1911 census lists his occupation as Railway Signalman. In June 1912 Arthur, his wife Lily and their child, arrived at Fremantle Western Australia aboard the Belgic. In Western Australia he continued his railway work, starting work with the WA Government Railways in July 1912. He seems to have spent his initial employment at Geraldton as a Porter but then moved to Picton near Bunbury to work as a Station Master, but also seemed to be in Fremantle as his wife Lily and their daughter were residing in Stoke and later Taylor Street in Beaconsfield. On the 10th January 1916 Arthur enlisted into the AIF.
Arthur was passed as fit with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 10 inches tall; weight of 154 lbs; chest measurement of 34-37 inches; medium complexion; brown eyes and dark brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. After a month in the training depot, Arthur was assigned to the 16th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. He trained with them in WA until they embarked from Fremantle aboard the H.M.A.T. “Shropshire” on the 31st March 1916. After arriving in England; Arthur was sent to the 3rd Training Battalion at Perham Downs Camp. He stayed here until the end of July 1916 when he proceeded overseas to France. On the 2nd August 1916 he was sent to the 1st Australian Base Depot at Etaples and remained here for just over a week. On the 13th August 1916 he was taken on strength of the 11th Battalion AIF.
The 11th Battalion had just come out of the Pozieres battle but were about to go into the line again to advance towards Mouquet Farm. Arthur survived through this and subsequent battles through 1916 and the early part of 1917. In April 1917 the Germans launched an attack on the Australian outpost line at Lagnicourt. This line was held by the 11th, 12th & 17th Battalion and several of the 11th Battalion outposts were surrounded. For the most part the men fired until they were out of ammunition and were subsequently captured by the Germans. The Australians counter attacked and pushed the Germans back to their original line. As many men were taken prisoner Arthur was initially listed as ‘Missing in Action’ and most reports from eye witnesses further back told the same story that the men of Arthur’s outpost were taken prisoner. However in June 1917 Arthur was officially listed as ‘Killed in Action’. Sergeant Reg Camden DCM of the 11th Battalion who was taken prisoner on the 15th April 1917 wrote about Arthur that;
“I saw him killed about ten feet on my left on that date – a rifle bullet in I think the heart. We were surrounded in the trench and he was out behind the parados to get better shooting. He was killed instantly. One of the boys went out and examined his body, but we could not bring it in and being captured about 12 hours after we know nothing of his burial.”
Another member of the outpost, a Corporal Hallahan stated that Arthur had been hit through the brain and was killed instantly.
Unfortunately even though that ground was recaptured there exists no information regarding Arthur’s burial and he is therefore commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Arthur’s Brother-in-Law No.979 Alfred Senior served in the 12th Battalion AIF and died in June 1918, having served with his unit since its formation. He is buried in Wimereux Cemetery near Boulogne. Lily not only lost her husband, but her brother also.