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Arthur James Genner - Information

The Genners had resided in the Camden area, before relocating and settling on William St in Belligen on the North Coast. Arthur was born in Goulburn c1897 to John and Elizabeth Genner. After his parents moved, he eventually found employment as a shop assistant. Arthur and his older brother, Leslie, then decided to join the AIF together. Arthur was 19 when they signed up on the 17th of January 1916. While Arthur joined the infantry in Casula, Leslie became part of the Light Horse at Liverpool. At Casula, Arthur was allocated to the 5th Reinforcements, 54th Battalion as a Private. He boarded the HMAT Aeneas in Sydney on the 30th of November 1916.

Arthur disembarked in Plymouth in mid November, and was transported to the Western Front in France a month later. Stationed to Etaples Base, he joined the 54th Battalion in early February 1917 as a Lewis Gunner. They spent the next few months advancing on the Germans as they withdrew to the Hindenburg Line. Later in the year, they were shifted for operations during the Third Battle of Ypres in Belgium. He was near the frontline in preparation for the attack on Polygon Wood, when he was killed on the 25th of September 1917. While waiting in the reserve line near the YMCA Tent, a high explosive shell popped over and killed him instantly. His mates buried him in the field near Westhoek. In 1925, his body was uncovered. Identified by his disc found on his remains, he was subsequently re-interred at the Bedford House Cemetery near Ieper (Ypres) in Belgium.