Arthur BARKER
Year of Birth: 1897
Place of Birth: Brisbane Queensland
Date of Enlistment: 8 May 1916
Date and Place of Embarkation: 23 December 1916, Melbourne, Victoria
Ship: RMS Orontes
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 7th Australian Machine Gun Company – 2 to 9 Reinforcements
Regimental Number: 547
Died: 4 October 1917
Arthur Barker was born 1897 to William Henry and Henrietta Sue Sang. He had one brother George born 1900. His mother then separated from William. At the time of Arthur’s death, Henrietta was living at Wolfram Camp.
Arthur Barker, a labourer, enlisted at Atherton on 8 May 1916 with the consent of his mother, Mrs. Henrietta Barker, Upwood Street, Cairns, as he was only aged 18 year 8 months. His father, William Henry joined the army at the age of 40 years 3 months and was already serving overseas, and his younger brother, George, who enlisted on 28 August 1917 at the age of 18, they both returned to Australia.
Arthur was 5 feet 6 inches in height, weighed 120 pounds with a fair complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was Church of England. He joined the 7th Machine Gun Company and embarked at Melbourne on RMS “Orontes”, arrived in England on 18 February 1917 and proceeded to France on 24 April that year.
On 4 October 1917 he was reported missing following he and his companion being hit by a shell. His friend later reported to an Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry that “when a shell dropped 5 yards from us, blowing him to pieces and severely wounding me”. He was subsequently confirmed to have been killed in action. Arthur was aged 19 years and 2 months when he died. Arthur Barker is remembered at the Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium.
Online Resources
Queensland Birth Death & Marriage Index
NAA: B2455 Arthur Barker, National Archives of Australia
NAA: B2455 William Henry Barker, National Archives of Australia
NAA: B2455 George Barker, National Archives of Australia
Australian War Memorial AWM – Red Cross Wounded & Missing
Photograph of RMS “Orontes”, Australian War Memorial
If you have a photograph or further information about this soldier you would like to share and add to his biography, please contact the Society projects@cdfhs.org.
Hi we are trying to locate any remaining family of Arthur barker . We found a dead man’s penny with his name on it in a old shed in a station near Longreach Qld .
Hi Jake – Thank you for your comment. How wonderful to have a “Dead Man’s Penny” for Arthur. Would you be willing to digitise the Penny and allow us to include it in his biography with acknowledgement. We have tried hard to find a photo of Arthur but have not been successful. Do you know if there is a photo of him in existence? We could include a call-out in our next eNews asking if anyone is researching the Barker family for you. If you would like us to go ahead with the call-out could you please send me your email address to: researchteam@cdfhs.org Heather