Clemens, Arthur Mitchell

17071 Private Arthur Mitchell Clemens - 4th Division Signal Company

Arthur Mitchell Clemens was born in Fremantle WA 1893 to Henry and Selina Clemens. Sadly the first two children of Henry and Selina did not survive birth, with Harry being their first child to survive, being born in 1890. He was followed by three siblings, Arthur in 1893, Victor in 1896 and Norman in 1898.

Henry Clemens was a contractor and builder in the Fremantle district and the family lived at 17 Ada Street South Fremantle. The family lived in Fremantle till the 1906 and Arthur received his initial education in Fremantle. When Arthur was thirteen, his father then took the family to Dangin, which is a small wheatbelt town just south of Quairading.

Arthur helped on the family farm but also learnt a trade and became a mechanic.

On the 15th April 1916 Arthur enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording Arthur's physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 9 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 139lbs; 

Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Light Blue;

Hair - Dark Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment Arthur was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was initially assigned to no.69 Training Depot. He was taken through the basics of infantry work at this camp.

On the 21st June 1916 Arthur was assigned to the 22nd Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion and he remained with this group until the 5th September 1916. He was then transferred to the 6th Reinforcements to the 48th Battalion. He spent a further month with this group but as Arthur had shown some talent with signal communications, he was sent to the training school for further study and training. From the 4th October 1916 to the 23rd January 1917 Arthur was being trained as a signaller in WA.

He was then assigned to the 10th Reinforcements to the 4th Australian Division Signal Company. This group embarked from Fremantle Harbour on the 24th January 1917 aboard the troopship Omrah. The ship then set sail for England, reaching Plymouth on the 27th March 1917.

After being disembarked Arthur and his group were sent to the Australian Engineers Signal Camp at Perham Downs Camp. Arthur remained in England for the next few months undergoing further training.

He finally embarked for France on the 29th September 1917 and on arriving was then sent to the Royal Engineers Depot at Abbeville. He only spent two days there and was then sent to join his unit. Arthur was taken on strength of the 4th Australian Division Signal Company on the 6th October 1917. The 4th Australian Division were then in the midst of the Third Battle of Ypres in Belgium so Arthur was in action straight away.

His tasks were to jeep communication with the front lines units so would have been repairing signal wire under shell fire and also working the communication systems.

In December 1917 the 4th Australian Division were sent to the Peronne region in France but returned to Belgium in January 1918. They would be holding the front line sector south east of Ypres near Hollebeke until March 1918.

As a result of the German Offensive of March 21st 1918 which broke through the British front line in France, the Australian Divisions were sent south to the Somme region to help stop this advance. One Brigade of the 4th Australian Division was sent to Hebuterne and the other two Brigades to Dernancourt. Arthur would have been kept extremely busy during this time in keeping up the communication between 4th Division HQ and the front line units on different sections of the battlefield.

By May 1918 the 4th Australian Division were back together and were in the line near Hamel and Villers-Bretonneux. Arthur would have assisted with the communications during the recapture of Villers-Bretonneux on April 25th 1918 as well as Hamel on July 4th 1918.

Harry then served with his unit from August 8th 1918 when the great advance from Amiens commenced through to October 1918.

On the 13th October 1918 Arthur was granted a fortnight's leave to the UK, returning to his unit on the 28th October 1918.

The 4th Australian Division were preparing to return to the front line when the Armistice was announced on the 11th November 1918.

Once the Germans had withdrawn to behind their own borders, the Australians were sent into what had been German occupied parts of France and Belgium. Arthur served with his unit through to April 1919.

On the 15th April 1919 he returned to England and was then sent to an AIF Camp to wait to be assigned a berth on a troopship home.

On the 1st June 1919 Arthur boarded the troopship Somali and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 8th July 1919.

Arthur was discharged from the AIF on the 15th August 1919.

Arthur then returned to farming at Dangin.

His father Henry died in Quairading in 1927.

In 1928 in Perth Arthur married Ivy Elea Renwick and a son Eric was born in 1929.

In the 1950's Arthur retired from farming and returned to Perth, setting up residence at 9 Hill Terrace Mosman Park.

Arthur died in Fremantle on the 28th September 1970 aged 77. He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery plot Wesleyan IC 0755.