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Lieutenant Arthur St George BURDETT
6th (Service) Battalion Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) attached to the Army Service Corps (Motor Transport) Date of birth: 18th July 1895 Date of death: 3rd February 1978 Died aged 82 Unknown
Arthur St George Burdett was born at "Coolfin", Banagher, King's County in Ireland on the 18th of July 1895 the only son of Captain Arthur Hugo Florian de Burdet Burdett, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and Henrietta Maude (nee St George) Burdett of "Coolfin", Banagher. He was educated at Hazelwood School until April 1909 where he was a member of the Football XI in 1906, 1907 and 1908 when he was Captain. He was a member of the Cricket XI in 1908 and won the School Golf Championship in the same year. The school magazine wrote the following on his 1906 football season: - "(Inside right) - Owes his place in the XI more to his skill as reserve custodian than to his ability in attack. A good trier in any position." Of his 1907 football season they wrote: - "(Goal) - Conclusively proved himself our soundest custodian, often displaying ripe judgement; should go far in this position, when he has improved his kicking power." Of his 1908 football season they wrote: - "(Goal keeper) - Captain: a very capable custodian; has considerably improved his kicking power; would be quite first rate but for a certain lack of decision and determination." The magazine wrote the following on his 1908 cricket season: - "Made the most astonishing advance, and proved himself a great acquisition t the side in every branch of the game." On leaving the school the magazine wrote the following of him: - "....goes to Eton. His charming personality made him a general favourite, and he shone as an all round athlete. he was skipper of our teams in both the winter terms, made a wonderful advance as a cricketer in the Eleven of 1908, and has loomed large in the past term as champion golfer and a "conspicuous figure in the choir." He went on to Eton College where he was in A.E. Conybeare’s house from May 1909 to August 1913. He served as a Private in the Officer Training Corps from May 1911 until he left the College. He won the Peek Cup for shooting in 1908. On leaving school he worked as a farmer. Following the outbreak of war he was applied for a commission at the Leinster Depot at Birr on the 15th of August 1914. He underwent a medical examination, which took place on the same day, where it was recorded that he was five feet eleven and one half inch tall and that he weighed 138lbs. He received no response to his application so applied again on the 22nd of September and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th (Service) Battalion Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) on the 29th of September 1914 and was sent for training at Fermoy. He became Transport Officer and went with his battalion to Salonica in October 1915, despite the attentions of a German submarine en route. He was involved in the retreat of 10th Division from Serbia, spending 16 months in Salonica altogether. He also served in Egypt. He was admitted to hospital suffering from malaria on the 8th of July 1916 and returned to 1th Infantry Brigade Base Depot on the 30th of August. On the 16th of September 1916 he was admitted to hospital suffering from diarrhoea and was discharged on the 22nd of September. He was admitted to hospital once again on the 11th of October 1916 suffering from malaria and was discharged to 42 Divisional Base at Mustapha on the 15th of November 1916. He was promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to the Army Service Corps, Mechanised Transport Section on the 28th of November 1916 and was attached to the Base Motor Transport Depot at Alexandria the same day. He was posted to 644 Motor Transport Company, Heavy Repair Workshop at Alexandria on the 11th of December 1916. On the 21st of December he transferred to 347 Motor Transport Company, Divisional Ammunition Park and on the 28th of December 1916 he transferred to 303 Motor Transport Company, Divisional Ammunition Park also at Alexandria. He was attached to the Base Depot on the 30th of January 1917 and on the 3rd of February 1917 he embarked at Port Said for service in England. He was posted to the Motor Transport Depot at Bulford on the 13th of March 1917 and transferred to 180th Section, 289 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery on the 23rd of March. He was unfit for service from the 7th of April 1917 and, on his return, he was posted to 373 Motor Transport Company at Bedford on the 3rd of May. On the 21st of September 1917 he returned to Bulford in preparation for overseas service and he returned to France where he was attached to 5 Corps Troops Supply Column on the 3rd of November 1917. He was injured in a motor cycle accident at Bapaume on the 24th of September 1918 and was evacuated to 34 Casualty Clearing Station and then to England. On the 15th of November 1918 a Medical Board sat at the Prince of Wales' Hospital for Officers to report on his case: - "The Board find that on 24.9.18 he was riding a motor cycle in performance of his duties as mess president and accidently ran into a lorry at a sharp bend - his engine was knocking and while his attention was momentarily distracted in attending to his engine a lorry appeared round the bend unexpectedly and a collision occurred before either could pull up. The lorry had no lights and did not sound his hooter. He sustained a twist followed by synovitis of the knee and cut on forehead and top of head both of which are now causing no disability. The knee is however, still very swollen and he cannot yet bend it to more than about half its full limit. Fluid is still present in the joint." He transferred to Mrs. Mitchison's Hospital at Chelsea on the 20th of November 1918 and was sent on leave from the 20th of December 1918 to the 10th of January 1919. He resigned his commission on the 1st of September 1921, retaining the honorary rank of Lieutenant. He became engaged to Miss Ida Graham VAD in late 1918 but was married instead in 1919 to Winifred (nee Gilligan) and they had a son John Arthur Hugo, born on the 25th of July 1921 and a daughter, Gay. He was named as a co-respondent in a petition for divorce which was filed by George Frederick Eddie Seabrook on the 13th of February 1924. It was alleged that Arthur Burdett had been in a relationship with his wife, Christina Kate (nee Henrikson) Smallwood, since July 1923. The decree nisi was granted on the 3rd of November 1924. He later lived with Gladys Lily (nee Rye) and was married to her on the 17th of June 1954 following the death of his first wife. On leaving the army he became a farmer and later worked as a Field Officer with the Land Drainage Department. He was a freemason and was admitted as a member of St Brendon's Lodge on the 14th of February 1921 where he was member until 1940. He later worked as a gamekeeper and lived at The Lodge, Welton in Lincolnshire where he served as an ARP Warden during the Second World War.

Went on to Eton College