Lewis Arthur Arnold (1882 - 1956)

Born 28 Jul 1882 in Brightwater, Nelson, New Zealand

Ancestors

Died 23 Jul 1956 at age 73 in Spring Grove, Nelson, New Zealand

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Biography

Lewis (Bunny) was born in the house behind his father Williams store in Brightwater.(1) Bunny when he was not away mustering as his father and grand-father had done before him, helped on his fathers mixed farm at Spring Grove. Hop-growing would eventually give away to cropping. Sheep were grazed and cows were milked daily and there was a small orchard. While farming at Spring Grove he is reputed to have killed two rabbits with one shot, hence there after being nick named “Bunny”.(1)

Bunny enlisted in the army on 29 May 1915 with Company C in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd N.Z.Rifle Brigade (Trentham Regiment) and held the rank of Rifleman (Number: 24/674). He was 32 years and 10 months when he enlisted. It was because of his brother Reginald (Reg) that Bunny joined up, believing that if he signed up there was less chance of his mother’s youngest son being conscripted. Bunny didn’t know at that stage that Reg would also voluntarily join up as well.

Bunny served initially in New Zealand for 215 days from 29 May 1915 to 8 October 1915 before serving overseas .While in NZ he trained at camps in Trentham and then later Rangiotu, near Palmerston North. On 9th October he departed with Company C on the ship Tahiti (HMNZT 31) from Wellington and on 18 November 1915, Bunny disembarked in Suez, Egypt and made way to the Quamaria Camp, Alexandria. In Eygpt the NZ force became part of the Western Frontier Force and assigned to guard the Mariut railway. During this period the 2nd Battalion saw little active combat. On 7th April 1916 Bunny departed Alexandria bound for France and arrived in Marseilles on 12 April 1916. Bunny saw active combat in Flanders Front, Armentieres, The Battle of the Somme and The Battle of Messines. On 18 June 1917 Bunny was wounded in action from a shell burst while consolidating trenches near Messines, shortly after the Battle of Messines on 7th June 1917. He sustained wound injuries to his right thigh (shrapnel & fractured), his right arm, his face and he lost 2 fingers which were blown away on his left hand. All up he had 9 wounds. After being attended to by the No 4 NZ Field Ambulance in the field and transported to the No 2 Australian Casualty Clearing Centre where a foreign body (shrapnel) was removed from his right thigh. After this he was taken by train to the number 83 hospital in Boulogne arriving on the 20th of June 1917. He was then taken by hospital ship to the UK departing on the 23rd June 1917and arrived on the 25th June 1917 at the NZ number 2 Hospital at Walton on Thames. He was classified on arrival as having “Gunshot wound multiple severe”. Having been classified by the Medical Board as unfit for active duty he returned back to New Zealand on the hospital ship “Marama” departing from Avonmouth on 14th July 1917. The “Marama” carried on board 28 Officers and 551 men of other ranks all returning after serving with the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. The Marama arrived in Auckland NZ on 25 August 1917. Accompanied by other returning Nelson soldiers, Bunny reached Nelson on the ship Pateena on 28th August 1917. Bunny was still in a serious medical condition and was taken by Ambulance directly to Nelson Hospital. The newspaper “The Colonist” on 29th August covering the arrival home commented “Notwithstanding the serious injuries from which he (Private Arnold) is suffering, he is very bright and cheerful” From his return to New Zealand on 26 August 1917 until 16 November 1917 Bunny remained part of the military service while he continued convalescing from his injuries. Bunny was finally discharged from service on the 16th November 1917 being no longer fit for war service on account of the wounds received in action. Bunny served overseas in Egypt and Western Europe for 1 years 321 days from 9 October 1915 to 25 August 1917. Combine with his NZ service he spent a total of 2 years and 171 days in military service. He was awarded the 1914 – 1915 Star, The British War Medal and the Victory Medal. In December 1917 his mother Ann had a serious accident while Bunny was with her. Ann was driving the horse and trap to Waimea West when the horse shied and Ann was thrown forward out of the trap breaking a rib and seriously lacerating her face over her eye to ear on the trap step. Lewis who having only recently returned from the war in France (WW1) was unable to get out of the trap as he was still recovering from injuries he had sustained there. Ann was taken to a nearby house and treated by Dr Peerless. She was then taken by car to hospital where she required an operation. (2) Bunny was known to be careful with money. He bought one of the first cars, but when the registration fee went up; he jacked up the car in the shed, and never drove again. Instead he went to the dances on his bike. (1) Bunny never married. He died at Spring Grove on 23rd July 1956 and is buried at St Joseph’s Wakefield Nelson.

Sources

(1) "Just Another Row of Spuds - The Pioneer History of Waimea South" ISBN 0-473-06021-3 by Marion J Stringer Page 198

Military History:

• http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C37583

(2) Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14590, 19 December 1917, Page 9

Birth Record: 1882/11335, Military Service Number 24/674, Death Record 1956/24667 (73 Years)

• Find A Grave: Memorial #140239121