PHILLIPS, Arthur Frederick
| Service Number: | 2385 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 December 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 30th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Port Lincoln, South Australia , 24 August 1892 |
| Home Town: | Bramfield, Elliston, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 24 March 1918, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Wallonie, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Elliston War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2385, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 2385, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Outer Harbor embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 9 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 2385, 32nd Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Outer Harbor | |
| 24 Mar 1918: | Involvement Private, 2385, 30th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2385 awm_unit: 30th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-03-24 |
Help us honour Arthur Frederick Phillips's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Colleen Peters
Arthur Frederick Phillips was a labourer who worked around Bramfield and Elliston, SA. His father was Frederick H Phillips and his mother, Frances J Phillips. He was one of eleven children, the others being: Ada, Alice, Ethel, Myrtle, Hughie, Lilly, Mavis, James (Jim), Claud and Jean.
Arthur enlisted on 11/12/1915 aged 23 years. He began serving in the 32nd Battalion then transferred to the 30th Battalion and fought on the Western Front. After suffering severe gunshot wounds to the head and ear and then with trench foot, Arthur Phillips was killed in action near Messines - Belgium on 24 March 1918.
His sister, Ethel corresponded regularly with the Red Cross seeking information about the whereabouts and health of Arthur. She generously donated a small sum of money to the Red Cross Information Bureau after they provided information including eye witness accounts of Arthur's death.
Private Jackson (eye witness) described Phillips as about 5 feet 4 inches high, of nuggety build and of rather fair complexion. Private Ellis (eye witness) stated that Phillips was 'a well liked chap'.
Private Arthur Phillips' personal effects were forwarded to his mother per the SS 'Barunga', however; the ship with 800 sick and wounded on board was hit by a torpedo from a German submarine off the south west coast of England. All hands were saved before she sunk, but Arthur's personal effects were lost at sea and never made it home to Bramfield.
Arthur Phillips was buried at La Plus Douve Farm - plot 3, row 2, Near Wulverghem 1 1/2 miles west of Messines. It is a Commonwealth Cemetery and he is alongside three other men from his Battalion who were killed on the same day. The headstone reads 'While you lie in peaceful sleep your memory we will always keep'.
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