Pte
Arthur Davey
Information about birth
|
Year of birth: 1893 |
|
Place of birth: Milton, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
|
Profession: Printer |
Army information
|
Country: Australia |
|
Force: Australian Imperial Force |
|
Rank: Private |
|
Service number: 4401 |
|
Enlistment date: 18/10/1917 |
|
Enlistment place: Moore Park, Sydney, South Wales, Australia |
|
Units: — Australian Infantry, 17th Bn. (New South Wales) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 09/10/1917 |
|
Place of death: Defy Crossing, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
|
Age: 24 |
Cemetery
|
Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: IV Row: C Grave: 2 |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal |
|
Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private Arthur Davey served in the Australian Infantry 17th Battalion, “C” Battalion, part of the 5th Australian Brigade, of the 2nd Australian Division. He was designated as an acting Corporal on the moment of his death.
The 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle on the 9th of October 1917. This Battle was a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The attack of the 5th Australian Brigade, with the 6th brigade on its right flank, was carried by the 20th Battalion and the 17th in close support.
At 5.20 a.m. the barrage opened, followed by the men of the 20th Battalion. The 17th Australian Battalion followed closely. When the Companies reached the crest of the Broodseinde Ridge they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Nevertheless they went on to the first objective, capturing a German strongpoint at Defy Crossing, along the Ypres-Roulers Railroad. While the 20th Battalion moved on, the left of the 17th Battalion had to secure Defy Crossing. This was far from easy, as the men were fired upon from German positions North of the Railroad, which the 66th British Division on the right had failed to reach, due to the swampy ground in front of these positions.
The right and center of the 17th Battalion was also enfiladed by German machine-gun positions in Dairy Wood, which was in the area the 6th Australian Brigade was supposed to take. Owing to the failure of the 6th Brigade to come up, the men of the 17th Australian Battalion were subsequently subjected to heavy machine-gun fire. A group of men was sent up to form a defensive flank in front Dairy Wood.
The 17th was now able to continue their advance, capturing and consolidating the Red Line. When the men at the Red Line came under fire from Assyria, a party rushed and took this German strongpoint, which was recaptured by the Germans later on. As the day went on the casualties began to mount. It was impossible to advance to the second objective, the Blue Line, because the Australian Battalions lacked the numbers and the British advance on the left had been checked in the boggy terrain.
The 17th Battalion held their ground at the Red Line and was relieved at 3 a.m. on the 10th of October 1917. The Battalion had suffered heavily. A total of twelve officers and 177 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing. Reducing the 17th Battalion’s effective strength by two-thirds.
Acting Corporal Arthur Davey was killed during the Battle of Poelcapelle on the 9th of October 1917 near Defy Crossing. According to several witness reports in his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File, Arthur Davey fell, due to shellfire, during the retirement from the frontline. He was initially buried in the field near Defy Crossing. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
The 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle on the 9th of October 1917. This Battle was a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The attack of the 5th Australian Brigade, with the 6th brigade on its right flank, was carried by the 20th Battalion and the 17th in close support.
At 5.20 a.m. the barrage opened, followed by the men of the 20th Battalion. The 17th Australian Battalion followed closely. When the Companies reached the crest of the Broodseinde Ridge they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Nevertheless they went on to the first objective, capturing a German strongpoint at Defy Crossing, along the Ypres-Roulers Railroad. While the 20th Battalion moved on, the left of the 17th Battalion had to secure Defy Crossing. This was far from easy, as the men were fired upon from German positions North of the Railroad, which the 66th British Division on the right had failed to reach, due to the swampy ground in front of these positions.
The right and center of the 17th Battalion was also enfiladed by German machine-gun positions in Dairy Wood, which was in the area the 6th Australian Brigade was supposed to take. Owing to the failure of the 6th Brigade to come up, the men of the 17th Australian Battalion were subsequently subjected to heavy machine-gun fire. A group of men was sent up to form a defensive flank in front Dairy Wood.
The 17th was now able to continue their advance, capturing and consolidating the Red Line. When the men at the Red Line came under fire from Assyria, a party rushed and took this German strongpoint, which was recaptured by the Germans later on. As the day went on the casualties began to mount. It was impossible to advance to the second objective, the Blue Line, because the Australian Battalions lacked the numbers and the British advance on the left had been checked in the boggy terrain.
The 17th Battalion held their ground at the Red Line and was relieved at 3 a.m. on the 10th of October 1917. The Battalion had suffered heavily. A total of twelve officers and 177 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing. Reducing the 17th Battalion’s effective strength by two-thirds.
Acting Corporal Arthur Davey was killed during the Battle of Poelcapelle on the 9th of October 1917 near Defy Crossing. According to several witness reports in his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File, Arthur Davey fell, due to shellfire, during the retirement from the frontline. He was initially buried in the field near Defy Crossing. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
Sources 5
|
"The Story of the Seventeenth Battalion A.I.F. in the Great War 1914-1918", Mackenzie K.W., Sydney, 1946, pg. 206-212. Sources used |
|
"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995, pg. 104-106. Sources used |
|
17th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/34/27). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
|
Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10329754 Sources used |
|
First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, DAVEY A). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources used |
More information 4
|
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480183 |
|
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=950b3ec3-2852-436c-a181-2337b1863a16 |
|
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7412394 |
|
The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=72675 |