Kershaw, Arthur Henry

5619 Private Arthur Henry Kershaw - 28th Battalion AIF

Arthur was born in 1886 in Brunswick Victoria to Arthur and Alfreda Kershaw, being one of ten siblings born into the family. The Family moved to WA in the late 1890's and went to live Yalgoo, then Murchison and Day Dawn.

In the 1900's Arthur came to Fremantle and was employed as a Lumper on Fremantle wharf. By 1914 he was living at 38 Suffolk Street Fremantle (later renumbered to 10 Suffolk Street). By 1916 Arthur had moved to 52 Ord St Fremantle. (later renumbered to 12 Ord Street).

On the 6th March 1916 in Fremantle, Arthur enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for enlistment, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 7 inches;

Wright - 125lbs;

Chest Measurement - 34-36 inches;

Complexion - Ruddy;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Dark.

After his successful enlistment, Arthur was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.61 Training Depot. He had a few weeks of basic infantry training here and on the 1st May 1916 was sent to the 15th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion AIF. He would train with this group in WA for the next few months.

On the 22nd September 1916, Arthur and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Surada. The ship then set sail for England, arriving at Plymouth on the 20th November 1916. After the men were disembarked they were sent to the 7th Training Battalion at Rollestone Camp on the Salisbury Plains.

Arthur was there for a month and was then sent to France on the 21st December 1916. He was sent to the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples and was sent to the segregation camp for a month as one of the soldiers in his draft was ill He spent a month in segregation and was taken on strength of the 28th Battalion on the 23rd January 1917.

When he joined them, the 28th battalion were situated on the Somme battlefield. In March 1917, the Germans began to withdraw to their pre-prepared defensive positions at the Hindenburg Line. They conducted a fighting withdrawal and hotly contested the advance of the Australians and British. The Australians fought bravely to capture the Hindenburg Line Outpost villages. 

On the 26^th March 1917 Arthur and the 28^th Battalion supported the 26^th Battalion to capture Lagnicourt. The 28th Battalion saw further action through April and May 1917 including at Bullecourt and Arthur came through this time safely.

The 28th battalion were then sent on a three month rest period out of the lines and much time was taken on resting up after a strenuous last twelve months and then on training and sporting activities. However on the 16th June 1917 Arthur fell ill and was evacuated to the Field Ambulance where he was diagnosed with trench fever. He returned to his unit on the 29th June 1917.

On the 6th August Arthur fell ill again which was initially labelled as Trench fever, but was then described as a 'PUO' or pyrexia of unknown origin. He was initially sent to the 58th Scottish General Hospital where he spent a month but was then transferred to the 59th General Hospital at St Omer. He spnet another four weeks here and was then transferred to the Convalescent Camp at Esault. After a few weeks here Arthur returned to the Base Depot Camp. He rejoined the 28th Battalion on the 20th November 1917.

The 28th Battalion were then in the front line in Belgium, between Hollebeke and Messines. He was with them for two months but on the 19th January 1918 was evacuated with bronchitis. He was sent to the 83rd General Hospital at Boulogne but only had a few days here before he was shipped to England. On arrival in England Arthur was sent to Whitecross Military Hospital at Warrington. He had nearly two months here before being sent to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield on the 16th March 1918.

Arthur was given further medical tests while in England and he was marked as medically unfit for further service due to suffering from bronchitis and emphysema. On the 8th April 1918 he boarded the hospital ship Dunluce Castle and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle in May 1918.

After further medical attention at No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle, Arthur was discharged from the AIF on the 9th October 1918.

Arthur spent a bit of time in Fremantle with his family and in 1921 he was married in Perth to Eva Harriette Cooper, but then they headed south and during the 1920's - 30's worked as a mill hand at Jarrahwood.

They had a daughter Evelyn in 1922, followed by Albert in 1927 and Peter in 1934.

Arthur died on the 18th August 1946 in Busselton aged 60. The South Western News published a small obituary of Arthur;