BANKS, Arthur John
| Service Number: | 4731 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 59th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 October 1916, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Rue-du-Bois Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix Rue-Du-Bois Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, Bethune, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4731, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4731, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Sydney | |
| 5 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 4731, 59th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4731 awm_unit: 59th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-10-05 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Arthur John BANKS, (Service Number 4731) was born on 26 November 1896 in Marrickville, Sydney. He commenced work as a cleaner on the electric trams in Sydney on 27 July 1915. He nominally retained this position and received the routine increments in pay over the next 16 months, although he only ever worked in the job for a month, having been given leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 28 August 1915. On his enlistment papers he gave his calling as ‘butcher’, so perhaps his short employment with the public service was a device to ensure the supplemented pay which was guaranteed to such persons. His attestation papers are dated 30 August but signed 23 November and his service is dated from that date.
He left Australia on 8 March 1916 on HMAT ‘Star of England’, underwent further training in Egypt and after transfer through Marseilles joined the 54th Battalion. He was killed in action on 5 October 1916, and is buried at Rue Du Bois Military Cemetery, 4½ miles SW from Armentières.
(NAA B2455-3048055)
Submitted 10 May 2023 by John Oakes
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