The Australian Boer War Memorial
Anzac Parade Canberra

 
 
Trooper (later Lieutenant) Arthur Duprez

Ancestor Details

Ancestor's Name: Arthur Offord Duprez

Ancestor's date of birth: 01/01/1870

Ancestor's date of death: 24/10/1930

Cause of Death: Suicide brought on by trauma associated with service in the Boer War and World War One.

Service and Life Before the Boer War: He was born in Berrima but later lived in Bowral. He was a carpenter by trade.He served for 10 years in the second NSW Infantry Regiment He went to South Africa in 1896 with the intention of settling there. His cattle, however, died with the rinderpest, and he joined the Matabele mounted police. He served in the Matabele war 1896, and was wounded while rescuing a wounded comrade. His World War 1 enlistment shows evidence of a severe wound to the left calf. Later he returned to Australia.

Service Number: 179

Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: Sydney

Unit: 'B' Sqadron 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles

Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 1900

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): LT, Date Effective: 01/12/1916

Murray Page: 63

Contingent: Second New South Wales

Ship: Southern Cross, Date of Sailing: 17/01/1900

Memorial details: Buried at Rookwood NSW.

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: British South African Company medal Matabele campaign. Queen's South Africa Medal with Cape Colony and Driefontein clasps. British War Medal, Victory Medal.

Personal Characteristics: Height 173 cm tall, hazel eyes, brown hair weight 75 kg. Regarded as a good story teller and wrote long letters home to his mother in Bowral.

Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided.

Details of service in war: Service: From February 1900 in Free State and western Cape Colony. Arthur was invalided to Australia 30-8-1900 probably suffering from Enteric Fever.

Service and life after the Boer War: Subsequently he returned to South Africa, and was engaged in diamond mining for some years, but returned to Sydney again and joined the Harbour Trust. He lived at Summer Hill in Sydney. At the outbreak of World War 1 he joined as Second Lieutenant 1 October 1915 as part of the 16th reinforcements of the 3rd Battalion (may have been an honorary Captain as a result of war service), and served in France. He was promoted Lieutenant 1 December 1916. He received a severe gunshot wound to the face and right hand on 29 July 1916 at the battle of Pozieres. Returning to duty he was buried in a dugout for 10 hours by enemy shelling until he was dug out. He was unconscious most of the time. He suffered a fractured left leg, contusions, exacerbation of an existing hernia problem and from subsequent events, shell shock. Subsequently thrombosis set in and the leg never completely healed. The rest of the war he spent in rehabilitation and light duties. He returned to Australia and was discharged 10 June 1919. He returned to the Harbour Trust as a public Servant until he retired. Increasingly he suffered disturbed sleep and nightmares. He was found dead at the bottom of Ben Buckler, Bondi, Sydney.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Margaret Mary Gill, Carlton NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Great Great Niece

 


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