Brown, Arthur Edward

5662 Private Arthur Edward Brown - 11th Battalion AIF

Arthur Edward Brown was born in Beaconsfield Fremantle on the 1895 to Robert and Alice Brown. He had seven siblings, Amy (1884), George (1886), Alice (1889), Florence (1892), Albert (1898), Sidney (1899) and Leslie (1901). 

The family lived in Carrington Street Palmyra (later renumber 54) and Arthur was educated at Beaconsfield Primary School. During this time Arthur also served in the 86A Cadets of the Citizen Military Forces.

After leaving school Arthur took up work in the local area as a labourer.

On the 25th February 1916 in Fremantle Arthur enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 6 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 136lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-36 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Light Brown.

After his successful enlistment, Arthur was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.53 Training Depot. He spent a few weeks there undergoing basic infantry training and on the 4th April 1916 was then assigned to the 18th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF.

On the 6th June 1916 Arthur and his group boarded the transport ship HMAT Suevic in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for England, reaching Plymouth on the 21st July 1916. Arthur and his group were then disembarked and sent to the 3rd Training Battalion at Perham Downs Camp on the Salisbury Plains.

On the 6th September 1916 Arthur was sent across to France and went into the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples. He was there for around six weeks and then joined the 11th Battalion on the 20th October 1916.

The 11th Battalion would be spending the next few months from November 1916 to February 1917 on the Somme Battlefield near places such as Flers and Delville Wood. Through the French winter it was horrendously muddy and cold and as well as the German fire the men had to contend with the horrible conditions.

Arthur seems to have gotten through this period unscathed. In March 1917 the Germans withdrew to their pre-prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line and the Australians and British units pressed them all the way. The 11th battalion seeing action around Morchies and Boursies.

On the 15th April 1917 the 11th Battalion were holding the line in front of Lagnicourt. At this stage the front line was just a series of unconnected posts. The Germans took advantage of this and launched a large attack on the Australian positions. They managed to break through before a counter attack pushed them back. The 11th Battalion were holding a series of posts, some were able to fight off the Germans but others were surrounded and ran out of ammunition, and the men either killed, wounded or captured. Arthur was able to get through this action safely. He also survived the action at Bullecourt in May 1917.

It appears that during the recent actions a bomb or shell had gone off close to Arthur as he suffered a ruptured ear drum.

Fortunately the 11th Battalion were then given a three month spell out of the front from June to August 1917. In August 1917 Arthur faced a medical board and was found to be medically unfit for further frontline duties.

However it appears he remained with the 11th Battalion and served in the Third Battle of Ypres, on September 20th 1917 at the Battle of Menin Road and then in October at Celtic Wood and Broodseinde Ridge as it wasn't until the 19th October 1917 that Arthur was sent to a Field Ambulance unit due to his ear drum.

He was then sent to the 2nd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and was then admitted to the 16th General Hospital at Le Treport.

On the 27th October 1917 Arthur was shipped across to England and was then admitted to the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol. He remained a patient there until the 30th November 1917 and was then transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford.

On the 6th December 1917 Arthur was sent to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth. He had been before a medical board and due to his ruptured ear drum he was classified as medically unfit for further service.

While in England he worked a few months for the Australian Employment Company, but his embarkation orders soon came through and on the 15th February 1918 Arthur boarded the transport ship Llanstephen Castle and set sail for home, disembarking in Fremantle on the 8th April 1918.

Arthur was discharged from the AIF on the 26th April 1918. He was then granted a military pension of 20/- per fortnight.

In 1923 in Palmyra Arthur married Edith Elizabeth Galvin and a son Reginald was born in 1934. The family were living at 39 Aurelian Street East Fremantle/Palmyra and Arthur was working as a labourer in the local district.

Arthur Edward Brown died on the 20th March 1971 aged 76. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.