Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Edwin Weidenbach and Minna nee BERGMANN

Husband of Martha nee Flecker

Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1

Arnold Edwin Weidenbach was born on December 22nd 1881 second son of Edwin Weidenbach and Minna, nee Beardmann. Their marriage, on 15th March 1879 at the Registry Office, Adelaide produced 8 children. His grandfather, Moritz, migrated to South Australia with his brothers in the 1840s. His parents were Australian born, his father Edwin, was born “in a valley at the back of Glen Osmond while his grandfather, Moritz, was away on the goldfields in Victoria.”  Moritz and his brothers were successful at Ballarat. The extended Weidenbach family of the 1840s had extensive experience in hotels, property and vineyards in Adelaide, Glen Osmond and Moonta.  Arnold was educated at Adelaide University graduating MB BS in 1907 He married Martha Flecker aged 25, on 7th June 1911 at St Saviour Church, Glen Osmond; they lived at Nairne. On enlistment in the AIF his name is Arnold Edwin Weidenbach; he changed his name to Edwin Arnold by Statutory Declaration on 30th August 1919 at Keswick Adelaide.

Arnold enlisted in the AIF on 23rd July 1915 at Adelaide, aged 33 years. He was 5ft 8ins, 10st 11lbs, and was commissioned in the AAMC. His wife was named as his next of kin. He embarked in Orontes on the 6th August 1915, allocated to the 1st AGH in Egypt. There he spent most of his time in considerable distress with sub-acute osteoarthritis until invalided to the 4th MD Adelaide, onboard RSS Borda on 16th September 1916. His appointment was terminated on 30th November 1916.  Edwin was issued with the

1914-15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Arnold had a house and surgery at Fullarton Rd, Glenunga, SA, beside what is now the Arkaba Hotel building, the same house in which Dr Norman Robertson Bennett had a practice from 1936-1970. He conducted his general practice there until moving to 11 Church Rd, Mitcham in 1926.  During the depression patients sometimes gave Arnold their bankbooks as payment. Money was so short two children were sent to Melbourne to live with an uncle, and Arnold did locum work around the SA country areas which included Port Pirie.  His interests outside medicine were ancient Egypt and gardening. He was brought up by his grandmother and uncle, Max Weidenbach, a famous German Egyptologist and artist who left him many precious items of antiquity now in the South Australian Museum. He was happy to go to Egypt in WW1, as he was able to see all the things he had learnt about as a child. “he had a boa constrictor skin going around the wall of the surgery, and according to my uncle John, a mummies head in a glass box which when you lifted the lid smelt” He had a large garden at Mitcham; only the original house on a normal sized block now exists. Edwin Arnold died in Mitcham on 11th July 1944; he was survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter.