CANE, Arthur Samuel
| Service Number: | 3221 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 August 1915, Warwick Farm, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Chatswood, New South Wales, 10 June 1897 |
| Home Town: | Chatswood, Willoughby, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Chatswood State School |
| Occupation: | Electrician |
| Died: | Died of wounds (POW of Germany), Dulmen, Germany, 23 November 1916, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cologne Southern Cemetery Cologne Southern Cemetery, Cologne, Germany |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3221, 17th Infantry Battalion, Warwick Farm, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3221, 17th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3221, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Imprisoned Fromelles (Fleurbaix) | |
| 23 Nov 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3221, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3221 awm_unit: 55th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-11-23 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Arthur Samuel CANE commenced working for the NSW Tramways as a switcher in Sydney on 19 January 1914. In August he became an electrical junior, a designation he retained for his whole career, though he claimed ‘electrician’ as his calling on his Attestation Papers. On 3 September 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces.
He left Australia through Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Suevic’ on 20 December 1915. He was taken on the strength of the 55th Battalion at Te-el-Kebir on 12 February 1916, and left Egypt through Alexandria on 19 June to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. He arrived in Marseilles on 29 June. He was captured at Fleurbaix on 20 July 1916 and became a prisoner of war held at Dulmen in Germany.
He died on 23 November 1916 whilst a prisoner of war. The cited cause of death varies from, as a result of wounds, Dropsy, Nephritis, heart failure from overwork while unfit, but most starkly as ‘Pneumonia (starvation)’ by fellow prisoner William Manly (1723). Private Frederick Chambers (3032) ascribed the cause of death as ‘owing to hard work and bad food’.
Submitted 18 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography
"PRISONERS OF WAR. PRIVATE A. S. CANE.
Private A. S. Cane, 19 years of age, who was previously reported missing in France on July 20, and is now said to be a prisoner of war in Germany, is the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Cane, Orchard-road, Chatswood. He was employed in the Raliway and Tramway Department." - from the Sydney Morning Herald 14 Sep 1916 (nla.gov.au)
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