Arthur Edward SCRUTTON
Year of Birth: 1882
Place of Birth: Petersham, Sydney, New South Wales
Date of Enlistment: 10 June 1916
Date and Place of Embarkation: 25 October 1916, Sydney, New South Wales
Ship: HMAT Ascanius A11
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 54th Australian Infantry Battalion – 6 to 9 Reinforcements
Regimental Number: 2971
Died: 29 March 1917
Arthur Edward Scrutton was the second son of Robert Le Neve Scrutton and Susannah Turton of Sydney where he was born 31 July 1882. Arthur was the youngest of 8 children, Susie Mary born 1871, Edith Le Neve 1872, Caroline Maude 1874, Annie I 1875, Alice L 1877, Elsie Constance 1879, Robert LeNeve 1881 and Arthur E 1882.
In the 1913 Electoral Roll he was a CSR Chemist at the Hambledon Mill near Cairns.
He enlisted with the A.I.F. 54th Infantry Battalion on 10 June 1916 two months after marrying Elsie Allen at Burrowa, NSW. Elsie died in 1930.
On his enlistment at the R.A.S. Grounds, New South Wales, he was 33 years 10 months of age, occupation Chemist and next of kin his wife Elsie Mabel Scrutton, Wahroona NSW – this was later changed to, wife deceased, sister Miss E C Scrutton next of kin. His height was 5 feet 5 ½ inches in height and weighed 156 pounds with a brown complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was Church of England.
Arthur Edward embarked on the HMAT Ascanius on 25 October 1916 from Sydney and landed in England on 28 December 1916 and then at Etaples, France on 1st March and joined his unit on 21 March. He was killed in action 8 days later at Bapaume, 29 March 1917. His fellow soldiers originally buried him where he was killed. He was later moved to the Vaulx Hill Cemetery, Vaulx, Picardie, France.
Online Resources
Photograph of Private A E Scrutton, RSL Virtual War Memorial
NAA: B2455, Scrutton, Arthur Edward, National Archives of Australia
Photograph of HMAT Ascanius A11, Australian War Memorial
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
The Sun (Sydney) Sunday 7 May 1916 p17
The Sydney Morning Herald 2 May 1917 p12
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