Cpl
Arthur Shoobridge Atkins
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1878 |
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Place of birth: Coventry, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 48 Fairlight Street, Fairlight, New South Wales, Australia |
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Profession: Orchardist |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Corporal |
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Service number: 2763 |
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Enlistment date: 09/06/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 40th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Abraham Heights, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 39 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XXXV Row: D Grave: 7 |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Arthur Shoobridge Atkins was born about 1878 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. He is the son of Charles James Atkins and Kate Elizabeth Atkins. He also has a brother, C.N. Atkins, who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps at Gallipoli. When Arthur was three years old he moved with his parents to Australia, where he worked as a fruit grower and where he remained until he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. In Australia he met his wife Annie Scott Atkins, with whom he had a son, Arthur James Atkins. They lived at 48 Fairlight Street, Fairlight, New South Wales, Australia. Before the First World War Arthur had served in the military police in South Africa and after 1914 he served as a topographer on two reconnaissance missions in south-west Tasmania. Finally, Arthur enlisted in the Australian Army on June 9, 1916 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and served in the 40th Battalion Australian Infantry Regiment (10th Brigade, 3rd Division) during the war.
On Thursday, October 4, 1917, the day Arthur died, the Battle of Broodseinde took place. This battle was part of the Battle of Passchendaele. After the successful advance at the end of September 1917 at the Menin Road and Polygon Wood, an attack was now planned to take the German positions on the Broodseinde ridge and the villages of Zonnebeke, ‘s Graventafel and Poelcappelle.
The 3rd Division attacked with the 11th and 10th Brigades. The 40th Battalion was deployed in a line from Waterend House to Jacobs House. These were their starting positions. At Zonnebeke Creek the battalion experienced considerable difficulties in advancing due to the very wet state of the ground. When the Germans fired an initial barrage, most of it landed within range of the battalion, which suffered about 20 casualties. At 6 a.m. the Australian barrage opened and the 10th Brigade advanced: the 37th Battalion was to reach the first objective, from Bourdeaux Farm to Windmill Cabaret, the 38th Battalion was to reach the second objective, also called the Red Line, from Jodah House to Springfield Farm, the 39th Battalion was to reach the third objective, from Abraham Heights and Hamburg Farm to Seine and the 40th Battalion was to reach the fourth objective, also called the Blue Line, from above Hamburg Farm to Dash Crossing.
The first objective, from Bourdeaux Farm to Windmill Cabaret, was reached with few casualties. As the battalion moved from the first objective to the second objective, from Jodah House to Springfield Farm, the ground became very wet. This, combined with German barrage and machine-gun fire, caused several casualties. On the way from the 2nd to the 3rd objective, from Abraham Heights and Hamburg Farm to Seine, the Germans brought heavy machine-gun fire. After passing the 3rd objective the ground became very boggy. Heavy machine-gun fire came from Hamburg Dab Trench, but when the Australians reached the trench the Germans surrendered with 3 machine-guns. They then moved to the 4th objective, from above Hamburg Farm to Dash Crossing, and began to dig in at 9.12 am. Ten minutes later the battalion headquarters had moved to Beecham Farm. A telephone line was laid there to the front line and was maintained throughout. At 10.30 am the Germans were seen gathering at Tyne Cot Cemetery, but the Australian consolidation continued in reasonably comfortable conditions. In the afternoon the Germans collected the wounded under a Red Cross flag. At 2 pm the Germans began to move from Passchendaele towards the New Zealand sector on the left. During the night, several SOS signals were sent out.
4 October 1917 brought 257 casualties: 1 soldier went missing, 213 soldiers were wounded and 43 soldiers died in the battle, including 39-year-old Arthur Shoobridge Atkins. He was killed in the assembly trench by a grenade and received a heavy blow that killed him instantly. His body was found near Abraham Heights, in Zonnebeke. This was the location of the 3rd objective. He may therefore have died during the capture of this 3rd objective. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (plot XXXV, row D, grave 7).
On Thursday, October 4, 1917, the day Arthur died, the Battle of Broodseinde took place. This battle was part of the Battle of Passchendaele. After the successful advance at the end of September 1917 at the Menin Road and Polygon Wood, an attack was now planned to take the German positions on the Broodseinde ridge and the villages of Zonnebeke, ‘s Graventafel and Poelcappelle.
The 3rd Division attacked with the 11th and 10th Brigades. The 40th Battalion was deployed in a line from Waterend House to Jacobs House. These were their starting positions. At Zonnebeke Creek the battalion experienced considerable difficulties in advancing due to the very wet state of the ground. When the Germans fired an initial barrage, most of it landed within range of the battalion, which suffered about 20 casualties. At 6 a.m. the Australian barrage opened and the 10th Brigade advanced: the 37th Battalion was to reach the first objective, from Bourdeaux Farm to Windmill Cabaret, the 38th Battalion was to reach the second objective, also called the Red Line, from Jodah House to Springfield Farm, the 39th Battalion was to reach the third objective, from Abraham Heights and Hamburg Farm to Seine and the 40th Battalion was to reach the fourth objective, also called the Blue Line, from above Hamburg Farm to Dash Crossing.
The first objective, from Bourdeaux Farm to Windmill Cabaret, was reached with few casualties. As the battalion moved from the first objective to the second objective, from Jodah House to Springfield Farm, the ground became very wet. This, combined with German barrage and machine-gun fire, caused several casualties. On the way from the 2nd to the 3rd objective, from Abraham Heights and Hamburg Farm to Seine, the Germans brought heavy machine-gun fire. After passing the 3rd objective the ground became very boggy. Heavy machine-gun fire came from Hamburg Dab Trench, but when the Australians reached the trench the Germans surrendered with 3 machine-guns. They then moved to the 4th objective, from above Hamburg Farm to Dash Crossing, and began to dig in at 9.12 am. Ten minutes later the battalion headquarters had moved to Beecham Farm. A telephone line was laid there to the front line and was maintained throughout. At 10.30 am the Germans were seen gathering at Tyne Cot Cemetery, but the Australian consolidation continued in reasonably comfortable conditions. In the afternoon the Germans collected the wounded under a Red Cross flag. At 2 pm the Germans began to move from Passchendaele towards the New Zealand sector on the left. During the night, several SOS signals were sent out.
4 October 1917 brought 257 casualties: 1 soldier went missing, 213 soldiers were wounded and 43 soldiers died in the battle, including 39-year-old Arthur Shoobridge Atkins. He was killed in the assembly trench by a grenade and received a heavy blow that killed him instantly. His body was found near Abraham Heights, in Zonnebeke. This was the location of the 3rd objective. He may therefore have died during the capture of this 3rd objective. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (plot XXXV, row D, grave 7).
Sources 6
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10th Australian Infantry Brigade, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/10/12). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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40th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/57/19). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), RCDIG1037994). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, ATKINS A S). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 113. Sources used |
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Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM 8). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461777 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=3b5d8f68-3509-4e62-81d2-af5c702b5863 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7345616 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=8724 |