CLERY, Arthur
| Service Number: | 2845 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 July 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 4th Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | 1895, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Violet Town, Strathbogie, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Violet Town State School |
| Occupation: | Grocer's Assistant |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 11 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Euroa Telegraph Park, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1, Violet Town Primary School Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2845, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2845, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Port Lincoln, Melbourne | |
| 11 Oct 1917: | Involvement Sapper, 2845, 4th Field Company Engineers, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2845 awm_unit: 4th Field Company, Australian Engineers awm_rank: Sapper awm_died_date: 1917-10-11 |
Arthur Clery
CLERY Arthur 2845 SPR
4th Field Company Engineers
1895-1917
Arthur was the second child of Alfred and Mary Clery. He had one older sister Maggie, and two younger sisters Elsie and Alice; a younger brother died as a baby. There was a link with the McLellan family through Mary Clery who was a McLellan. Arthur’s cousins Dan and Percy McLellan were older and enlisted earlier in the war; their stories are included on this site.
Arthur grew up on the family farm at Balmattum, attending the Violet Town state school. After leaving school he worked at Mr West’s grocery store where those who met him enjoyed his ‘bright cheery nature’. He enlisted on 8 July 1916 when he was not quite 21 years old.
He was initially drafted into the 2nd Pioneer Battalion which embarked from Melbourne on HMAT Port Lincoln on 20 August. The first stop was at Sierra Leone in time for Christmas; then, aboard HMAT Borda he sailed on to Plymouth England, arriving the following January.
At the Training Depot at Brightlingsea Arthur was taken on strength by the 4th Field Company Engineers which embarked for France to take part in the defence of the Western Front at Passchendale. Their main task was to construct duckboards to make the wet, boggy country navigable. While on duty, they were exposed to enemy fire, sniping, and shelling. It was while Arthur was serving here that he was killed on 11 October 1917.
He is buried at Tyne Cot War Cemetery, Grave X1X A9.
Naturally the family was devastated; to add to their worries one of the daughters was sick and had to be hospitalised in Melbourne. A number of bereavement notices appeared in the Violet Town Sentinel. Maggie was so devoted to her brother that she named her daughter Arthurina in his memory, not having any sons.
At a memorial ceremony in Violet Town, Arthur’s cousin Miss McLellan, accepted a certificate in his honour. There were 32 other fallen soldiers who were also commemorated.
A Memorial Plaque and Scroll would have been sent to his father.
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
He is remembered with Honour on the Australian War memorial.
His name appears on the Violet Town State School Honour Board, also the Memorial Honour Board.
Tree No 12 - Brachychiton acerifolius - Illawarra Flame tree - was planted in 1917 by Mr. Garside. It was still standing in 2013.
Submitted 5 December 2015 by sheila burnell
Biography
CLERY Arthur 2845 SPR
4th Field Company Engineers
1895-1917
Arthur was the second child of Alfred and Mary Clery. He had one older sister Maggie, and two younger sisters Elsie and Alice; a younger brother died as a baby. There was a link with the McLellan family through Mary Clery who was a McLellan. Arthur’s cousins Dan and Percy McLellan were older and enlisted earlier in the war; their stories are included on this site.
Arthur grew up on the family farm at Balmattum, attending the Violet Town state school. After leaving school he worked at Mr West’s grocery store where those who met him enjoyed his ‘bright cheery nature’. He enlisted on 8 July 1916 when he was not quite 21 years old.
He was initially drafted into the 2nd Pioneer Battalion which embarked from Melbourne on HMAT Port Lincoln on 20 August. The first stop was at Sierra Leone in time for Christmas; then, aboard HMAT Borda he sailed on to Plymouth England, arriving the following January.
At the Training Depot at Brightlingsea Arthur was taken on strength by the 4th Field Company Engineers which embarked for France to take part in the defence of the Western Front at Passchendale. Their main task was to construct duckboards to make the wet, boggy country navigable. While on duty, they were exposed to enemy fire, sniping, and shelling. It was while Arthur was serving here that he was killed on 11 October 1917.
He is buried at Tyne Cot War Cemetery, Grave X1X A9.
Naturally the family was devastated; to add to their worries one of the daughters was sick and had to be hospitalised in Melbourne. A number of bereavement notices appeared in the Violet Town Sentinel. Maggie was so devoted to her brother that she named her daughter Arthurina in his memory, not having any sons.
At a memorial ceremony in Violet Town, Arthur’s cousin Miss McLellan, accepted a certificate in his honour. There were 32 other fallen soldiers who were also commemorated.
A Memorial Plaque and Scroll would have been sent to his father.
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
He is remembered with Honour on the Australian War memorial.
His name appears on the Violet Town State School Honour Board, also the Memorial Honour Board.
Tree No 12 - Brachychiton acerifolius - Illawarra Flame tree - was planted in 1917 by Mr. Garside. It was still standing in 2013.
© Sheila Burnell, December 2015