Rupert Arthur Kent Goodchild

aka Arthur Kent

Western mail 2 Jul 1915 page 1s
Personal Information
Date of Birth	not known
Place of Birth	Lutwyche, Brisbane, Queensland
Death	26 Apr 1915
Place of Death	Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, Turkey
Age at Enlistment	27 years, 3 months
Description	5'5" (1.65m) tall; weight 136 lbs (61.7kg); dark complexion, brown eyes, dark hair.
Occupation	survey hand
Religion	Church of England
Address	, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Uncle (later established to be his Father) Mr Ernest G. Goodchild
Military Information
Reg Number	639
Date of Enlistment	21 Sep 1914
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	16th Battalion, B Company / 4th Brigade, 1st Division
Date of Embarkation	22 Dec 1914
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A40 Ceramic
Fate	Killed in Action 26 Apr 1915
Monument	Lone Pine Memorial Jarrahdale Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford)
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal Medals sent to his father in 1920 to hold in trust for his grandson.

Pre War

Pte Goodchild had previously fathered an ex-nuptial son, known as Arthur George Albert Tondut, born 26 Aug 1907 whom he acknowledged and had made financial provision for via a Court Order (10/- per week). The Mother had subsequently remarried, and the chid was being raised by maternal grandmother Mrs Ellen Tondut.

War Service

While there are many folios on his file, very few give us information in relation to his service. On the two different pages of his records are two entries, one stating Killed In Action 26 Apr 1915, and the other Died Wounds 30 Apr 1915. One of them also contains the entry "(Entries checked and found correct)"

Proceeded to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force on the Gallioli Peninsula on 12 Apr 1916.

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  Section of Lone Pine Memorial
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  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Notes

Several sources of names for the Serpentine-Jarrahdale district include an A. Kent. While there are 10 other Kents with initial A in the A.I.F., none other than Rupert Arthur Kent Goodchild, using it as a pseudonym, has a WA connection that I could find.

On that basis I have included him in the webpage, although his connection (probably to Jarrahdale) is not clear cut. His true identity only became know to military authorities after his death.

Rupert is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 53), Gallipoli, Turkey. Situated in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Anzac, is the main Australian Memorial on Gallipoli. Designed by Sir John Burnet, the principal architect of the Gallipoli cemeteries, it is a thick tapering pylon 14.3 metres high on a square base 12.98 metres wide. It is constructed from limestone mined at Ilgardere in Turkey.

The Memorial commemorates the 3268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who have no known grave and the 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who were buried at sea after evacuation through wounds or disease. The names of the Australians are listed on a long wall of panels in front of the pylon and to either side. Names are arranged by unit and rank.

The Memorial stands over the centre of the Turkish trenches and tunnels which were the scene of heavy fighting during the August offensive. Most cemeteries on Gallipoli contain relatively few marked graves, and the majority of Australians killed on Gallipoli are commemorated here.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Memorial