BATT, Arthur George
| Service Number: | 352 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 November 1915, Enlisted at Sea |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, 5 May 1884 |
| Home Town: | Hilton, City of West Torrens, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Hindmarsh Public School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Fromelles Nord-Pas-de-Calais France, 20 July 1916, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Recovered from an unmarked mass grave in 2009, with 250 of his mates. Grave IV. D. 9 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Richmond West Adelaide Football Club War Veterans Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 352, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Sea | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 352, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Stowed away enlisted at sea into A Company 32nd Battalion | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 352, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) |
Arthur George Batt
Name: Arthur George Batt
Service Number: 352
Place of Birth: Hilton, Adelaide.
Date of Birth: 5 May 1884
Place of Enlistment: At sea aboard A2 Geelong, while stowing away -hence his name does not appear on the Embarkation Roll.
Date of Enlistment: 18 November 1915
Age at Embarkation: 31 years 7 months
Marital status: Single
Next of Kin: Father – Charles Batt, Railway Terrace, Hilton.
Occupation: Labourer
Religion: Church of England
Rank: Private 32nd Battalion
West Adelaide Football Club involvement:
Arthur played one game for WAFC in 1904.
Biographical details:
Arthur was the son of Charles and Elizabeth Batt (nee Kersley). He was educated at Hindmarsh Public School. His unit, the 32nd Battalion left Adelaide on HMAT A13 Katuna on 24 November, 1915 or HMAT A13 Geelong on 18 November, 1915 as “The Embarkation Roll does not distinguish between these two ships, and it is not therefore possible to ascertain on which ship an individual embarked” ( www.aif.adfa.edu), and disembarked at Suez on 17 December. Arthur served in Egypt and the Western Front. He embarked at Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force on 17 June 1916 and disembarked at Marsailles, France on 23 June. His unit then fought at Pheasant Wood. Arthur was reported as “missing’” on 20 July 1916. Arthur was originally listed as having “No known grave”, listed on “V.C. Corner, Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles, France”. He was buried at Pheasant Wood Cemetery, Fromelles, France. On 4 November the German – British Red Cross Death List reported that Arthur was killed in action. Initially, it was believed he had been captured as a prisoner of war. His brother, Mr. P.F. Batt, had written to the A.I.F. in Adelaide requesting further details of Arthur’s death. He claimed they were first advised “Missing” then “Prisoner of War”, and lastly “Killed in Action” during the futile attack at Fromelles on 19/20 July, 1916. The A.I.F. replied on 10 February 1917 that the “only information available,” had already been forwarded. The reply also stated “Official advice by mail shows that your brother was killed in action on 20th July 1916. This casualty was reported from Germany, per medium of the German-British Red Cross Death List. This will doubtless explain why he was unofficially reported Prisoner of War, Germany.”
Charles received his son’s Memorial Plaque, Memorial Scroll and 1914/15 Star between January 1921 and November 1922.
Melbourne-based school teacher Lambis Englezos had a site near Fromelles excavated in 2008, after he convinced the authorities that it contained the remains of 250 Australian and British soldiers. Then began the process of identifying the remains using DNA analysis. Arthur Batt was one of those identified and his remains now rest in the Pheasant Wood Cemetery, co-located with those of many of his mates from the 10th Battalion.
Source: NAA;B2455; Batt A G; Barcode 3057359
Submitted 20 October 2023 by christopher collins
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
He was 32 and the son of Charles and Elizabeth Batt (nee Kersley), of Railway Terrace, Hilton, South Australia.
A new headstone bearing his details will be dedicated to him at a ceremony on the 19th July 2019. This casualty was previously commemorated on the V.C. Corner Australian Memorial.
Biography contributed
Arthur Batt was not typical of Australian soldiers in WW1 for two significant reasons.
The first is that his name does not appear on the Embarkation Roll. That appears to be because he stowed away and was subseuqently enlisted into the 32nd Battalion, 'At Sea' on board HMAT Geelong on the 18th November 1915, (per service record) making his case one of the most unusual ancountered.
The second is that he was a big man by contemproary standards of the time. He stood 6'1" or over 180cm tall, so he was hardly inconspicuous!
He is one of many soldiers of the 8th Brigade (including the 32nd Battalion) killed in the futile attack at Fromelles on 19/20 July 1916, and who was for many years 'missing' although a German death certificate had been issued at the time. The 32nd Battalion was on the far left of the attacking line and many men penetrated the German defences only to be stranded and then cut off and either killed or captured.
Bodies need to be dealt with quickly on a battlefield or they rapidly become a source of infection disease and affect the morale of the survivors. As it happens the bodies werre laid in a large common grave and covered with lime.
There were rumours of a large common grave but it took until 2008 and the dilignece of a a Melbourne-based school teache Lambros Eglesios, to locate it. After Lambros convinced the authorities that the site was viable, it was excavated and the remains of over 250 Australian and British soldiers were unearthed. Then the process of identifying the remains began using DNA analysis.
Arthur Batt was one of those thus identifed and his remains now rest in the Pheasant Wood cemetery, co-located with those of many of his mates from the Battalion. Adjacent to the cemetery is a museum, all located on the edge of the village of Fromelles which ws behind German lines at the timne of the attack in 1916.
ALWAYS IN OUR MEMORY FOR THE SACRIFICE YOU HAVE MADE.
Compiled by Steve Larkins April 2019
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