Capt
Neville Henry Arden
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 05/01/1889 |
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Place of birth: New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand |
General information
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Profession: Architect |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Captain |
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Service number: 23/1288 |
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Enlistment date: 28/04/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand |
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Units: — Otago Regiment, 3rd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Van Meulen Farm, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 28 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: IV Row: B Grave: 15 |
Distinctions and medals 4
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Mentioned in Despatches Honourable mentioning |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Captain Neville Henry Arden (3rd Battalion Otago Regiment, 4th New Zealand Brigade, New Zealand Division) was killed in action on the 4th of October 1917, during the Battle of Broodseinde.
On the 2nd of October 1917 the 3rd Battalion Otago Regiment took over the frontline from the 1st Battalion Otago Regiment. On the night of the 3rd of October, the 3rd battalion Otago Regiment moved to its assembly positions, located 200-300 yards in the rear of the existing front line, west of ‘s Graventafel. The 3rd Battalion Otago Regiment would attack with two front line Companies: the 4th Company, which was commanded by Captain Neville Henry Arden, and the 14th Company. The 8th Company was responsible for mopping-up and had to assist the leading Companies. The 10th Company was the Battalion reserve.
On October 4th moments before the attack, a German barrage was put down on the frontline. At 6.00 a.m., the Battalion advanced. The 3rd Otago regiment took Dochy Farm and Riverside. Otto Farm was harder to take, but eventually fell. Van Meulen Farm and the dug-outs surrounding it near ‘s Graventafel also offered strong resistance. An attack on these places was organized and personally led by Captain Neville Henry Arden. They managed to capture 50 prisoners and a couple of machine guns. Earlier in the advance, Captain Neville Henry Arden had already been wounded. Nevertheless the 3rd Otago managed to capture all the previously mentioned strongpoints.
When the objective was gained, Captain Arden went forward to determine the most suitable line for consolidation. It was there that he was grievously wounded. The Battalion consolidated a line near Van Meulen and the attack was continued by the 3rd Canterbury and 3rd Wellington. Captain Neville Henry Arden was buried in the field near Somme and Aisne, east of the New Zealand Division’s jump off position. On his Service Record it is mentioned that he was buried at D.13.d.06.65 about 30 yards to the left of a pillbox used as a Regimental Aid Post. This suggests that Captain Neville Henry Arden was evacuated to the rear, but succumbed to his wounds on his way to or at a bandage station. In the regimentbook he ‘died of his wounds after he gave his last instructions’. His remains were reinterred on Tyne Cot Cemetery after the war.
On the 2nd of October 1917 the 3rd Battalion Otago Regiment took over the frontline from the 1st Battalion Otago Regiment. On the night of the 3rd of October, the 3rd battalion Otago Regiment moved to its assembly positions, located 200-300 yards in the rear of the existing front line, west of ‘s Graventafel. The 3rd Battalion Otago Regiment would attack with two front line Companies: the 4th Company, which was commanded by Captain Neville Henry Arden, and the 14th Company. The 8th Company was responsible for mopping-up and had to assist the leading Companies. The 10th Company was the Battalion reserve.
On October 4th moments before the attack, a German barrage was put down on the frontline. At 6.00 a.m., the Battalion advanced. The 3rd Otago regiment took Dochy Farm and Riverside. Otto Farm was harder to take, but eventually fell. Van Meulen Farm and the dug-outs surrounding it near ‘s Graventafel also offered strong resistance. An attack on these places was organized and personally led by Captain Neville Henry Arden. They managed to capture 50 prisoners and a couple of machine guns. Earlier in the advance, Captain Neville Henry Arden had already been wounded. Nevertheless the 3rd Otago managed to capture all the previously mentioned strongpoints.
When the objective was gained, Captain Arden went forward to determine the most suitable line for consolidation. It was there that he was grievously wounded. The Battalion consolidated a line near Van Meulen and the attack was continued by the 3rd Canterbury and 3rd Wellington. Captain Neville Henry Arden was buried in the field near Somme and Aisne, east of the New Zealand Division’s jump off position. On his Service Record it is mentioned that he was buried at D.13.d.06.65 about 30 yards to the left of a pillbox used as a Regimental Aid Post. This suggests that Captain Neville Henry Arden was evacuated to the rear, but succumbed to his wounds on his way to or at a bandage station. In the regimentbook he ‘died of his wounds after he gave his last instructions’. His remains were reinterred on Tyne Cot Cemetery after the war.
Sources 4
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Byrne, A.E., Official History of the Otago Regiment, N.Z.E.F. in the Great War 1914-1918, (Dunedin, Wilkie & Co, Ltd), p. 254-259. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 99. Sources used |
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Stewart, H., The New Zealand Division 1916-1919. A Popular History Based on Official Records, (Auckland, Whitcombe and Tombs, 1921), p. 260-273. Sources used |
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Wright, M., Western Front. The New Zealand Division in the First World War 1916-18, (Auckland, Reed, 2005), p. 107-110. Sources used |
More information 5
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461757 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=56263f9b-dce9-404b-9c01-631f19152daf |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7170328 |
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The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=6565 |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C387 |