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Arthur Edward Brown – Biography

Arthur Edward Brown was born March 1894, in Sydney Australia, and is a natural born British subject. His father, or next of kin’s name, was Alfred Brown, who lived on Wheeny Creek via Richmond, New South Wales. His religion was Church of England. [5]

When WW1 started, Arthur decided that he wanted to take part and so went to Clarendon, NSW on May 12th, 1917, to be examined and to determine whether or not he was actually fit enough for war. He was measured a rather average height of 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall and weighed an average weight of 66.7 kg. The expansion and contraction of his chest was also measured and recorded as 35 inches normal, verses 37 ½ inches expanded. Arthur had blue eyes and brown hair with a medium complexion. He had a scar on his left calf, behind left knee and on both shins. He had a good pulse of 86bpm and had great dental health, eyesight and had no diseases or disabilities of any sort. From the results of his examination it was concluded that Arthur was fit for war and so was accepted. [5]        

Before enlisting for WW1, Arthur was a single young man who worked as a labourer. When he enlisted on the 9th June 1917 at Clarendon NSW, he became a trooper and was assigned to serve with the 13th reinforcements Imperial Camel Corps 1st Battalion, [4] in Palestine and Jordan. He was given the service number 3543. [5]

After enlisting, Arthur and the rest of the new members of the unit began training in Menangle Park, NSW. [9] Training consisted of soldiers being taught discipline and obedience and were trained to build up their confidence and physical strength and fitness, as well as being taught the necessary military skills needed to function in the army. [8] Soldiers were also taught how to handle and ride camels, and the camels themselves were also trained for army work. [9]

He left his home in North Richmond, near Kurrajong Heights, NSW [5] and bordered the SS Canberra along with the rest of his unit on 16 November 1917, [3] at only 23 years and 8 months of age. [5] The trip took approximately a month before they disembarked in Suez, Egypt on 21st December 1917. [5][1]

On the first day of his arrival on December 21st, 1917, Arthur Edward Brown and 63 others in his unit marched into Suez, Egypt and began their quest. [1]

In early 1918, the Imperial Camel Corps moved to Jordan Valley and Arthur took part in his first battle, called the First Battle of the Jordan. This battle began on the 21st March and took place near the Jordan River, extending to Es Salt and Amman. The battle concluded on the 2nd April 1918 and resulted in victory for the Ottoman Empire. [10]

Coinciding with the First Battle of the Jordan, there was another battle called the First Battle of Amman, which took place from the 27th to the 31st March, 1918. This battle was fought in Amman, Syria Vilayet and the Ottoman Empire and again resulted in victory for the Ottoman Empire. [10]

Every other day that wasn’t spent in battle was otherwise spent training and preparing for battles to come. [1] Soldiers were payed 10 shillings for every day they were at war, regardless of whether they were in a battle or training. [5]

Then on April 3rd, 1918, Arthur Edward Brown, along with the rest of the Imperial Camel Corps and the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, embarked on a battle which would be his last. The units were commanded to defend the Wadi el Auja Bridgehead from the North, including Mussallabeh Hill. [2][7] However, on April 11th a series of Ottoman attacks were made on El Mussallabeh Hill [6] and on the Auja position, [2] and Arthur Edward Brown was unfortunately killed in action. [5]

He was buried at Jerusalem War Cemetery (Row H, Grave No. 91), in Palestine, [3] in a mass grave along with Lieutenant Arthur Restarick Neild, Corporal Joseph Peter Streefkerk, Trooper Joseph Lionel Alex Osborne, Trooper Andrew Anderson Louden, Private William Thomas Medley and Private A Murfett. [6]

All of Arthur’s military and deferred pay, along with belongings found were given to his friend Mrs W. Smith in North Richmond, NSW, as part of his will. She was posted all of Arthur’s items on the 28th October 1918, that were found after his death. These items included a cardigan jacket, sea shells, 1 pocket wallet containing photos, notes and a collection of coins. [5]

Later, Arthur posthumously received a British War Medal for his service in WW1 and a Victory Medal to commemorate the victory of the Allied Forces over the Central Powers. [3]

How did his service reflect the ANZAC spirit?

Arthur Edward Brown showed much ANZAC spirit throughout all his time at war. He showed much courage, endurance, mateship and pride for his country, and even just by enlisting he showed that he was willing to sacrifice his life in order to honour his country. He displayed courage by having no fear in enlisting for the army and leaving his home and his actions on the battlefield. Every day he showed endurance whether that was in battle or just training, he kept on going and never stopped. Arthur and his unit relied on a strong sense of mateship, as they all needed to work together and help each other through everything. Although he died, he didn’t just die an ordinary soldier, he died an ANZAC hero. 

Bibliography

1.      AWM4 Subclass 11/1 - Headquarters and Administrative Centre, Imperial Camel Corps | The Australian War Memorial. 2018. AWM4 Subclass 11/1 - Headquarters and Administrative Centre, Imperial Camel Corps | The Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338859. [Accessed 17 March 2018].

2.      Index, I., 1987. Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1788-1939 Index. Melbourne University Press. [Accessed 17 March 2018].

3.      Details. 2018. Details. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=34170. [Accessed 06 March 2018].

4.      Casualty. 2018. Casualty. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/646361/brown,-arthur-edward/. [Accessed 06 March 2018].

5.      Digital Item Page Gallery . 2018. Digital Item Page Gallery . [ONLINE] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=1794235&S=1&N=52&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=1794235&T=P&S=13. [Accessed 06 March 2018].

6.      Trooper Arthur Edward Brown (Unknown-1918) - Find A Grave Memorial. 2018. Trooper Arthur Edward Brown (Unknown-1918) - Find A Grave Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25272317/arthur-edward-brown/photo. [Accessed 06 March 2018].

7.      Imperial Camel Corps | The Australian War Memorial. 2018. Imperial Camel Corps | The Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51065. [Accessed 07 March 2018].

8.      The British Library. 2018. Training to be a soldier - The British Library. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/training-to-be-a-soldier. [Accessed 20 March 2018].

9.      Menangle Camp, New South Wales. AIF Camel Corps members training a camel for army work. (Donor ... | The Australian War Memorial. 2018. Menangle Camp, New South Wales. AIF Camel Corps members training a camel for army work. (Donor ... | The Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/index.php/collection/C378662. [Accessed 21 March 2018].

10.  New Zealand Camel Companies - The Imperial Camel Corps | NZHistory, New Zealand history online. 2018. New Zealand Camel Companies - The Imperial Camel Corps | NZHistory, New Zealand history online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/camel-corps/nz-companies. [Accessed 21 March 2018].