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Provincial Archives of New Brunswick

Soldiers of the Great War; The Fredericton Soldier Biography History Initiative

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McArthur, Robert R.

Private 1030059
236th Battalion
42nd Battalion

Background

Robert McArthur was born October 4, 1887 in Richibucto, New Brunswick to Gilbert McArthur and Olive Rebecca Boyce. According to records, both Gilbert and Olive were from the Richibucto area before they met and married one another, later moving to Prince Edward Island for work. They eventually moved back to New Brunswick, settling in Victoria Mills with Gilbert finding work as a mill labourer in Marysville. Together, the McArthur's had a large family of six boys named William, John, George, Alex, Gilbert Jr., and Robert. The third youngest in the family, Robert grew up in a family of young men who all worked at local mills and attended local churches. Then tragedy struck the family in December 1893. Robert's father, Gilbert, had been working in the woods when a tree accidental fell on him. He spent the next 21 days receiving care until succumbing to his injuries and passing away January 1, 1894. Robert was eight years old at the time of the accident. The death of her husband, and the reality of raising six children on her own, was also likely hard for Olive. It is not surprising that the boys would all have to find work in the mills for the family in the absence of Gilbert. Robert's mother eventually met a gentleman named Harry Allen, also from Marysville who had also lost a spouse. They married one another October 5, 1904. However, by 1911, records suggest that Harry was no longer living with the family and there are few details explaining what happened. Although the census records reveal Olive and her children had changed their family name to Allen, including Robert, newspaper documents and others reveal she had kept her previously married name Olive McArthur. When war broke out in 1914, Robert had worked for a long time as a labourer at the Marysville mill, he was unmarried, and had no previous military experience. As a result, for a twenty-eight-year old male who was single and with extensive experience as a labourer, he was the ideal candidate for enlistment. His service record shows that he enlisted in Fredericton, August 4, 1916 along with other local boys with the 236th New Brunswick Kilties. Robert was described as standing five feet seven inches tall and having a swarthy complexion, with grey eyes, and dark brown hair. For the next year, Private McArthur remained at Valcartier Camp for training in preparation for going overseas. It is unclear if his family saw him again before he left.

Wartime Experience

Private Robert McArthur left Canada with the Kilties aboard the S.S. Canada October 30, 1917 arriving in England November 19, 1917. Robert's service would be impacted early on by infections that were common among soldiers in the military. According to medical records, Robert sought early treatment in Montreal, however, he received continuous treatment for the duration of his service while in Europe. After nine months of training in England with the 20th Reserve Battalion, Private McArthur left for France August 19, 1918 joining the 42nd Battalion, also known as the Royal Highlanders of Canada. Although Robert had seen limited action during the war, he was arriving during one of the most important times of the war. The Battle of Amiens had begun August 8, offering the opening phase of an Allied offensive that would come to be known as Canada's Hundred Days. By late September, Robert and the 42nd, had smashed through German lines and had moved beyond the Canal du Nord towards Cambrai. According to his circumstances of death record, during the early morning hours of October 30 Robert's unit was in an area outside of Cambrai called Neuville St. Remy. While organizing in an enemy gun-pit, Robert was killed instantly by enemy machine gun fire, along with other members of his company. A few weeks after his death, newspapers revealed that Robert and another from Victoria Mills, Clifford Jukes, had been killed together while assembly a Lewis-machine-gun. However, newspapers would highlight that Clifford "had been killed by the same exploding shell that had killed Robert McArthur" the morning of October 29. The confusion regarding how Robert had been killed and when was worsened by reports in late October in the Daily Gleaner suggesting that Olive McArthur had not received a proper notification of death. Although there are few records available to reveal the full impact of Robert's death on family and community, it is likely the news was met with profound sadness. Private McArthur was thirty years old at the time of his death.

Lest We Forget

Private Robert McArthur is buried and honoured at the Mill Switch British Cemetery located in Neuville, St. Remy, France west of Cambrai. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Robert is one of approximately 107 burials in this location.

*This biography was researched and written by Swati Jayachandran 8A, Rahaf Rashid 8A, Rachel MacDonald 8C, and Emma He 8E, Grade 8 students at George Street Middle School located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

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