Arthur Edward Bingham
Western Mail 7 Sep 1917 page 19
Williams, Western Australia
Floreat Park, Western Australia
5' 1 3/4 " (1.57m) tall ; 170 lbs
; sallow complexion ; brown eyes ; black hair
NOK Prospect Road, Armadale, Western Australia
Father , Mr William Henry Bingham
16th Battalion, 17th Reinforcements
17 Apr 1916 ‒ 17 May 1916
HMAT A60 Aeneas
SS Llanstephan Castle Plymouth to Fremantle
Wounded in Action 11 Apr 1917 at 1st Bullecourt
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Arthur joined with his brother 5339 Austin Henry (Paddy) Bingham, and on arrival in camp was allocated to No. 2 Area for the first month before being allocated to the 11th reinforcement draft for the 28th Battalion. Two weeks later on 1 Apr 1916 he was reallocated to the 17th draft for the 16th Battalion. Following two months training at Blackboy Hill camp he was shipped first to Egypt aboard HMAT A60 Aeneas, and then on to France aboard the HMT Ionian, departing Alexandria on 7 Jun 1916 and arriving in Marseilles on 14 Jun 1916.
While Arthur was still with the 4th Division's Base Depot in Étaples he was admitted to the 24th General Hospital on 27 Jul 1916 suffering with German Measles. On 7 Aug 1916 he was released to the base depot and stayed with the until he joined his battalion on 25 Aug 1916 at Vadencourt just prior to their attack on Mouquet Farm.
On 13 Oct 1916 he presented to the 4th Australian Field Ambulance with Scabies and after treatment he was sent to the Division's Rest Station. The next day he was seen by the 13th Australian Field Ambulance and treated for Furnuculosis (deep infection of hair follicles). After nine days with them he was on 23 Oct 1916 transferred to the British 138th Field Ambulance who treated him until he was released to the British 41st Division's Rest Station on 27 Oct 1916. Arthur rejoined the 16th Battalion on 9 Nov 1916 at Ribemont where it was undertaking specialist training.
Arthur was wounded on 10 Apr 1917 in the lead up to the 1st Battle for Bullecourt on 11 Apr 1917. Receiving severe injuries to both legs - his left leg said to have been "blown off 4 inches below the knee" by a shell, and his right leg wounded in three places, along with wounds to his chest and little finger. Arthur was treated at the 13th Australian Field Ambulance on 10 Apr 1917 and then by the 49th Casualty Clearing Station on 11 Apr 1917 before he was sent to the 9th General Hospital in Rouen on 13 Apr 1917. Evacuated to England on 20 May 1917, he was admitted to the Birmingham War Hospital on 21 May 1917. It appears from his records that this was where the decision to amputate his leg was made and that it occurred on 21 May 1917 along with a finger on his left hand. The amputation referred to may have been a neat termination of the already missing lower leg.
On 7 Jul 1917 he moved to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital (2AAH) in Southall. The wound did not heal until December 1917 as he required four more operations to drain his stump and trim the little finger. Meanwhile the wound to his chest was also very slow to heal. During his time with the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Arthur was granted two periods of furlough (7 - 13 Aug 1917, and 12 - 24 Jan 1918 ) before preparing for his return to Australia via Plymouth.
Given that Arthur arrived in Fremantle on 8 Apr 1918 and was discharged by the 5th Military District on 28 Aug 1918 it appears that he spent time in hospital, most likely the 8th Australian General Hospital, before being discharged.
"Enlisted 15th February, 1916; sailed with the 17th Reinforcements of the 16th Battalion on 17th April to Egypt. Went with the troops to France and afterwards to Belgium."[1]
Casualty List 295 Arthur was listed as wounded in action[2]
On 22 Mar 1919 he married Hilda Whitehurst. Hilda died 2 Feb 1993 aged 97 in West Perth. No descendants?
In 1925 they were living at 34 Teague street in Victoria Park, with Arthur working as a harness maker, but in 1931 he was a railway employee living at 10 Clyde street in Maylands. 1943 - 1949 at 47 Orrel avenue, Wembley Park; 1954 at 38 Williams road, Kalamunda, a pensioner; 1958 - 1968 at 22 Kinross crescent Floreat Park.
↑ "The Drill of the Foot-Hills" (PDF) (1917). Western Australia. Mar 1917. p. 6. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via State Library of Western Australia.
↑ "WESTERN AUSTRALIA.". The West Australian. XXXIII, (4,715). Western Australia. 14 May 1917. p. 8. Retrieved 25 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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1917 WIA