Arnold Roy BARTRAM (1895 - 1917)

Arnold Roy BARTRAM

was born in Richmond, 
Victoria, Australia 

in 1895 to 

George Andrew BARTRAM and Isabella SHANDS

PLEASE NOTE:
this blog post on Arnold Roy Bartram
has been updated on 3rd May 2012
and can now be found

HERE

George and Isabella were married on 27 August 1878 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia and had seven children.

As a young boy, Arnold attended the Yarra Park State School.

He was a 21 year old Shipping Clerk and living with his parents at 9 Hull St, Richmond when he enlisted in the AIF on 6 June 1916. Private Bartram was assigned to the 58th Battalion.

Both Arnold and his brother, Cyril were both in the 58th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement.

He embarked from Melbourne for Plymouth per the 

H.M.A.T. "Orsova," on the 1st of August 1916 with the 4th reinforcements .
 

He proceeded to Folkestone in France per the "Princess Henrietta," on the 6th of December 1916.

He was admitted to hospital for gastroenteritis on the 

13th of March 1917 and received a gun shot wound to the abdomen in the Second Battle of Bullecourt on the 12th of May 1917. 

He died of his wounds on the 13th of May 1917 aged 21 years.

 

Inscription:
Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Grevillers British Cemetery
Grevillers
Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region, France
Plot: II. E. 2.

The Second Battle of Bullecourt

13th - 17th May

58th Division

Over the next few days the 58th Division took over the entire front at Bullecourt west of the Central Road. The Australian's 5th Division maintaining the front on the right.

The end though, was finally in sight. On 15 May the Germans made a final attempt to oust the British from the village. The Australians and British now held the upper hand though and they were now as well entrenched in the old German positions as the Germans had been only a week before.

As the two sides' artillery fought out their own battle for supremacy the advancing German infantry now found themselves cut down by entrenched machine gun positions.

The moment was ripe to finally take Bullecourt in its entirety. At 02:00 hours on 17 May 1917 the 2/5 London Battalion attacked the last German held strong points in the south west corner of the village.

Bullecourt was in Allied hands after two weeks of gruelling and costly battle.

At 0345 hours on 7 May 1917 the British 7th Division made another attempt, this time successful, to take Bullecourt village but, as usual, the German response was vigorous and the village changed hands several times over the next few days with heavy casualties on both sides.

On 12 May the Australian 5th Division gave the British 7th Division strong support, in particular capturing, or destroying, several troublesome machine gun positions and joining up with them in Bullecourt village, most of which was now in British hands. This is when Arnold was shot.

Quite a bit is written on the battle of Bullecourt and one such article worth reading can be found HERE.

images above and below, are of Australian troops in the trenches at the battle of Bullecourt in May 1917

BARTRAM.- In fondest memory of our brother,
Arnold Roy, who died of wounds on 

13th May,1917, at Bullecourt,
brother of Raymond Everard and Reginald Percy
(both died on active service).

(Inserted by their loving sisters, Ethel and Clarice.) 
7 - 12 May 1917

above image: Informal outdoors portrait of the three Bartram brothers who have met up whilst on active service. 

Identified left to right: 

Reginald Percy Bartram, 37th Battalion; 

Arnold Roy Bartram, 60th Battalion;  

Raymond Everard Bartram, 46th Battalion.

the new updated blog post on 

Raymond Everard BARTRAM 

is
HERE

Lest we Forget

PLEASE NOTE:
this blog post on Arnold Roy Bartram
has been updated on 3rd May 2012
and can now be found

HERE