Military History

Arthur died of wounds on 5 Dec 1917 in the No1 Australian General Hospital at Rouen. We do not know when or where he was wounded but during November and December 1917 his unit, The 16th Lancers, were around 200km away in the area of Cambrai which means he would have been evacuated there from a Casualty Clearing Station near the front lines.

Our thanks now go to Robert Osborn, Assistant Curator at The Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum who supplied us with the information that Arthur was admitted to the 17th Field Ambulance with a gun shot wound to the left shoulder on 28 Nov 1917. 17th Field Ambulance was part of 6th Division which took part in the Battle of Cambrai.

The 16th Lancers war diary for the period 25th to 28th Nov 1917 is transcribed below.

25th November 1918: Marched via Metz-Tresbault to positions of readiness just N of Ribecourt. 4th Cav Bde leading to make gap mounted or dismtd. 3rd Cav Bde to follow, 4th Hussars, leading Regiment, 16th Lancers, 5th Lancers. Remained in position till 5pm. Capt C.E.H. Tempest Hicks, Lts Hayes, Carlisle, Collier, Noakes, Johnson and 200 other ranks remained as dismounted party (16th Lancers Company) 3rd Cav Bde, Btn being under command of Lt Col Darley of 4th Hussars. Remainder of Regt marched back to previous bivouacs at Fins. Casualties 5 OR wounded (shell), 3 horses killed, 11 evacuated (w : shell).

26th November 1918: Remained at Fins, except dismounted party [see above], which went into trenches in Boorlon Wood on 27th inst.

27th November 1918: Remained at Fins, except dismounted party. 11 signallers, 1 Tptr? joined Regt

28th November 1918: Remained in Bivouacs.

The 4th Hussars, whose Lt. Col was the commanding officer to the 16th's dismounted party, war diary states that on the 28th November Bourlon Wood, where the dismounted party was in trenches, was severely shelled until 8pm and were then subjected to enemy gas shelling all night.