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Arthur Thomas Gates Jr. - Information

As a young lad, Arthur watched his father leave on several occasions for war service. Arthur was born in North Sydney on the 15th of June 1902 to Arthur Thomas and Lorrie Gates. Raised in Leichhardt, he resided with his family at 174 Francis St. When he was 12, his father, joined the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, a few days after war was declared. He returned home in 1915, and then joined up again enlisting in the AIF. In 1916, Arthur Sr. was invalided home ill, only to leave again a few short months later. Not wanting to miss out on the great adventure, Arthur wished to wear a uniform. Claiming he was 18, he sent in an application for the AIF. He then signed on in Sydney on the 22nd of May 1918. However, his enlistment was presently cancelled, most likely when his mother was contacted. Admitting his real age, he tried again on the 13th of September. He was accepted, assigned to Home Service. He soon joined his unit at Victoria Barracks as part of the Australian Army Medical Corps. He devoted his time to looking after the sick and returned wounded, just like his father. He would have completed jobs like cleaning, heavy lifting, maintenance and orderly work. Sadly after the war ended, Arthur and his colleagues were kept busy with the huge influx of returned servicemen. He was finally demobilised on the 25th of February 1920.