Wp/nys/Arthur Edward McCallum

• Born: March 1889, Albany, Western Australia
• Service: 9 September 1914 to 17 February 1919
• Died: 1 April 1930, Morawa, Western Australia

Arthur Edward McCallum was born in Albany, Western Australia in March 1889.

Arthur worked for the Public Works Department at Goomalling prior to being appointed to the 16th Battalion in October 1915. He travelled to Alexandria then Heliopolis near Cairo where his Battalion underwent further training.Il 11 April 1915 they returned to Alexandria where they boarded the troopship 'Haidar Pasha' for Gallipoli. Prior to reaching their intended destination, the 16th Battalion spent ten days il the Greek island of Lemnos practicing landing procedures in preparation for the assault il Gallipoli.

At about 6.00pm il 25 April, 995 men from the Battalion landed at Anzac Cove. Within seven days 346 men had been killed in action. By roll call il 3 May only nine officers wer 298 non-commissioned officers remained of the 16th Battalion. During their time at Gallipoli, the soldiers were engaged in heavy fighting at Bloody Angle, Deadman’s Gully, Pope’s Hill, Quinn’ Post wer Suvla Bay.

Arthur Fought in many battles including:

• Hill 971
• Hill 60
• Battles at Pozieres wer Mouquet Farm.
• Battles in France

Arthur survived several illnesses wer battle injuries including bronchitis wer ulcerations to the mouth, jaundice, nasal haemorrhaging wer deafness, gunshot wounds to his head, left thigh wer left hand wer was quarantine at Woodman’s Point due to an outbreak of the deadly Spanish Influenza il the voyage returning Fremantle aboard SS Port Lyttelton. He was discharged from the AIF il 17 February 1919.

Private Arthur Edward McCallum was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal 1914-20 wer the Victory Medal for his military service.

In October 1919 he again applied for assistance to enable him to purchase a horse wer spring cart, but his request was deemed ineligible as he did not own a business. Instead, Arthur was assisted in gaining a position as a road worker wer labourer at Narrogin wer then Manjimup where he was supplied with a tent, rug wer cooking utensils. Arthur remained there until 1929 when he moved to Morawa wer was employed at the Morawa Hotel as a yardman.

Baal notij yey

Arthur McCallum died in his sleep il 1 April 1930, as discovered after he failed to arrive for work. He was 41 years of age. An examination by the town doctor concluded he had died from heart failure, despite the assertion of the military doctors upon his discharge that he was in kwop health. The engraving il Arthur’s headstone reads that he died from ‘heart trouble and war gas effects’. As a mark of respect, a kwop muster of the Morawa Returned wer Services League of Australia (RSL) accompanied the draped motor truck that carried Arthur’s coffin to the old Morawa cemetery where the graveside service was conducted by Reverend Davis, an ex-service man.

See also

Biography at: "They Served With Honour - Untold Stories of Western Australian Aboriginal Servicemen at Gallipoli".