Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Arthur was born in Christchurch on 30 June 1883, the third son of George (d.1939) and Annie Jane (1861-1931, nee Reece) Davies. His father, born in Staffordshire, England, was at one time a senior partner in the firm of Davies & Lamb, Hair Dressers and Tobacconists, Christchurch. From 1907 to 1911 he farmed at “Blair Athol”, Clandeboye, before moving to the Waikato, where he continued farming. Arthur served his time as an engineer with the firm of P & D Duncan, Christchurch, and later spent several years in Melbourne with McKay’s Sunshine Harvester Company. Arthur had returned to New Zealand and taken up farming with his father by the time he enlisted with the NZ Field Ambulance on 14 December 1914. His military file described him as being aged 31, 5 foot 6 ½ inches tall, single, Methodist, weighing 136 pounds, chest measuring 33 – 35 ½ inches, of fair complexion, blue eyes, light brown hair, fair teeth and a tattoo on each forearm. He nominated his father George, who was then farming at Ohaupo Road, Rukuhia, Hamilton, as his next of kin. Private Davies embarked from Wellington on 13 February 1915 aboard HMNZT 18 SS Tahiti with the 3rd Reinforcements, and arrived at Alexandria, Egypt, on 26 March 1915. After further training in Egypt, he embarked on 5 May 1915, for service on the Dardanelles. Taken seriously ill with dysentery he was admitted to the 15th Stationary Hospital Mudros on 11 July, where he died two months later on 17 September 1915. Arthur was buried in the East Mudros Military Cemetery on Lemnos Island, Greece, by Chaplain J. Stirling. After the war his medals, the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, along with a scroll and plaque, were sent to his father. His parents had by this time, moved to 506 Queen Street West, Hastings. Arthur’s name is also commemorated on the Temuka War Memorial. Two of Arthur’s brothers also served in World War One. 59509 Private Allan Westerfield Davies (1891-1931) served with the Otago Regiment, his name is on the Hastings War Memorial Library Roll, and 45671 Corporal Percy Silvester Davies (1889-1917) served with the NZ Rifle Brigade and was killed in action on 12 October 1917, at Ypres, Belgium. Percy’s name is on the Hastings War Memorial Library Roll and The Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database (September 2013); NZ BDM Historical Records at https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz; New Zealand ANZACs in the Great War 1914-1918 at http://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=62294; Electoral roll entries from at Ancestry.com.au (September 2013); New Zealand War Graves Project at http://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/arthur-james-davies; For Us They Fell: Waikato WW1 Centenary Exhibition at http://www.forustheyfell.org.nz/soldier/davies-arthur-james/; "New Zealand Casualties" in Evening Star 24 July 1915 p5, "Killed in action" in New Zealand Herald 12 October 1915 p1, "The Dardanelles" in Southland Times 29 September 1915 p5, "Personal War Notes" in The Colonist 9 October 1915 p 3, and "Personal" column in Temuka Leader 6 November 1917 p3, courtesy of Papers Past at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

• Great War Stories - Private Arthur James Davies - Timaru Herald 12 August 2017 (pdf, 69.3 KB updated 15-Sep-2017)

Researched and Written by

Tony Rippin (South Canterbury Museum); Ted Hansen, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.