Pte
Arthur Walter Bee
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 14/04/1890 |
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Place of birth: Mohaka, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
General information
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Profession: Sheep Farmer |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 34012 |
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Enlistment date: 18/09/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand |
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Units: — Canterbury Regiment, 3rd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 28/12/1917 |
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Place of death: Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 27 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: XII special memorial Row: AA Grave: 6 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Arthur Walker Bee was born on 14 April 1890 in Mohaka, Hawke's Bay. By the time he enlisted in September 1916 he was a self employed sheep farmer in Putorino, Hawke's Bay. He joined the 21st Reinforcement, enlisting at Trentham Camp.
He embarked from Wellington on 19 January 1917 on the troop ship Waitemata. He remained in a reinforcement camp until he was posted to 3rd Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment in May 1917.
The New Zealand Division was in the Polygon Wood area after the end of the Third Battle of Ypres. Much of the time was spent in wiring, repairing crumbling trenches and improving defences. The landscape was covered with waterlogged shellholes. The right of the New Zealand position was enfiladed from Polderhoek and a decision was made to capture the spur on which the ruins of Polderhoek Château and German pillboxes sat.
After the unsuccessful attack on Polderhoek on 3 December, the various battalions took turns in the line and in reserve. Neither the New Zealand Division history or that of the Canterbury Regiment give detailed information for the December 1917-February 1918 period so it is impossible to say with any certainty how Arthur died on 28 December 1917. The opposing German forces generally held higher ground and movement in the New Zealand lines was often observed and shelled or machine-gunned. On the 28th of December five men of the 3rd Canterbury Battalion, including 27-year-old Arthur Bee, were killed in action.
He embarked from Wellington on 19 January 1917 on the troop ship Waitemata. He remained in a reinforcement camp until he was posted to 3rd Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment in May 1917.
The New Zealand Division was in the Polygon Wood area after the end of the Third Battle of Ypres. Much of the time was spent in wiring, repairing crumbling trenches and improving defences. The landscape was covered with waterlogged shellholes. The right of the New Zealand position was enfiladed from Polderhoek and a decision was made to capture the spur on which the ruins of Polderhoek Château and German pillboxes sat.
After the unsuccessful attack on Polderhoek on 3 December, the various battalions took turns in the line and in reserve. Neither the New Zealand Division history or that of the Canterbury Regiment give detailed information for the December 1917-February 1918 period so it is impossible to say with any certainty how Arthur died on 28 December 1917. The opposing German forces generally held higher ground and movement in the New Zealand lines was often observed and shelled or machine-gunned. On the 28th of December five men of the 3rd Canterbury Battalion, including 27-year-old Arthur Bee, were killed in action.
Sources 1
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Ferguson David, The history of the Canterbury Regiment, NZEF 1914-1919 (Auckland, Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd, 1921) , pg. 218-223. 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/480114 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=257dff49-529a-4387-acf4-caa2fbbc53d8 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7170863 |
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The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=16245 |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C961 |