BRUMLEY, Arthur Leslie (1900-1991)Arthur Brumley was born on 7 January 1900, the son of Daniel Wells Brumley and Ellen Guelinda nee Whitson. After a period at Mortlake State School he was enrolled at Geelong College on 8 February 1915 as a boarder continuing as a student at the School to December 1917. At the time of his enrolment his parents were at 'Nadjook', Mortlake.
During World War I he enlisted (No 61360) as a Private on 5 March 1918, and embarked on
HMAT Barambah in August 1918, with the 14 Battalion 11 Victorian General Service Reinforcements. The voyage was eventful and he survived both a German submarine attack, and an influenza outbreak that killed twenty-three of his colleagues. His ship docked at Tilbury the day the Armistice was declared. He wrote to the College of their trip over, stating that
'the voyage was monotonous, they had some gun practise on the way over, and one day had an opportunity of testing their skill on several whales which hovered around the ship'. He returned to Australia, embarking on 24 January 1919.
His cousin L/Cpl Douglas Blewitt Brumley, the son of William Couch and Dorcas Mary Brumley, of Mortlake, 46 Battalion, died on 12 July, 1917 of wounds suffered at Polygon Wood, he is buried in Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck – Grave IT6.
His brother,
Edwin John Brumley (1896-1990 was also educated at Geelong College.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. p144 (citing Pegasus; Australian War Memorial; National Archives).