Pte
Arthur Walter Bee
Informations sur naissance
Date de naissance: 14/04/1890 |
Lieu de naissance: Mohaka, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
Informations générales
Profession: Eleveur de moutons |
Informations service militaire
Pays: New Zealand |
Force armée: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
Rang: Private |
Numéro de service: 34012 |
Incorporation date: 18/09/1916 |
Incorporation nom de lieu: Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand |
Unités: — Canterbury Regiment, 3rd Bn. (Dernière unité connue) |
Informations sur décès
Date de décès: 28/12/1917 |
Lieu de décès: Bois du Polygone, Zonnebeke, Belgique |
Cause du décès: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
Âge: 27 |
Cimetière
Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Parcelle: XII special memorial Rangée: AA Tombe: 6 |
Distinctions et médailles 2
British War Medal Médaille |
Victory Medal Médaille |
Points d'intérêt 3
#1 | Lieu de naissance | ||
#2 | Lieu d'enrôlement | ||
#3 | Lieu du décès (approximatif) |
Mon histoire
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
Ferguson David, The history of the Canterbury Regiment, NZEF 1914-1919 (Auckland, Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd, 1921) , pg. 218-223. Sources utilisées |
Complément d’informations 5
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480114 |
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=257dff49-529a-4387-acf4-caa2fbbc53d8 |
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7170863 |
The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=16245 |
Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C961 |