FLANAGAN, Arthur Francis
| Service Number: | 3549 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 March 1916, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Army Medical Corps (AIF) |
| Born: | Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, 19 November 1900 |
| Home Town: | Leichhardt, Leichhardt, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fruiterer |
| Died: | Tuberculosis, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 14 June 2020, aged 119 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rookwood Cemetery & Crematorium C.E. T. 9445 (GRM/2*), |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3549, 30th Infantry Battalion, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3549, 30th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Aug 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3549, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Sydney | |
| 17 May 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, Australian Army Medical Corps WW1, Transferred to A.A.M.C Details (Parkhouse). | |
| 30 Jan 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3549, Australian Army Medical Corps WW1, Embarked per A14 Euripides from England, returned to Australia underage (without pay). | |
| 22 Mar 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3549, Australian Army Medical Corps WW1 | |
| 14 Jun 1920: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3549, Army Medical Corps (AIF), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3549 awm_unit: Australian Army Medical Corps awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1920-06-14 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Karen Standen
Son of Arthur James FLANAGAN of 457 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt, NSW
When Arthur Francis Flanagan enlisted in March 1916, he admitted he had already been rejected on account of his age. Claiming now to be 18 1/2 and with a note giving parental consent, Arthur was accepted into the AIF. The irony was, he was still well under age.
Initially sent to Bathurst’s AIF Depot Battalion, Arthur was later assigned to the 8th reinforcements for the 30th Battalion and underwent his training on the N.S.W south coast at Kiama.
Eleven days after Arthur had embarked, The Daily Telegraph noted that Arthur’s father had recently received notification that his eldest son, Hilton, had been wounded in France, “Mr. Flanagan has two sons and the other, Arthur, is now on his way to the war.” Arthur had sailed the day before the army had sent the cable to his parents.
Arriving in England, Arthur continued his infantry training at Wareham and Weymouth. At what point the army became aware of Arthur’s true age is unclear. In April 1917, he was sent to the A.A.M.C. Training Depot (Parkhouse) pending transfer.
Arthur remained at Parkhouse with the A.A.M.C. Details unit until January 1918, when he was returned to Australia aboard the A14 HT Euripides, being ‘under age’. While the ship sailed on the 30th, his pay had been stopped two weeks prior. Arriving in Melbourne on the 21st March, Arthur proceeded home to Sydney and was discharged the following day.
This is where the adventure should have ended. However, in a cruel twist, Arthur had contracted tuberculosis while in service. On the 14th June 1920, at the age of 19 years, “ex No. 3549, Private Arthur Francis FLANAGAN, A.A.M.C.,...died at “Woodville” Red Cross Home, Belmore Road, Randwick,...”.
Arthur’s funeral was held the following day. At 12.45 p.m., the large procession of family and friends left his parents home in Annandale for the Church of England Cemetery, at Rookwood.