Their bodies are buried in peace; but their names liveth for evermore.

Their Duty Done

A tribute to the men and women of the East Gippsland Region who Died as a result of their participation in World War One : 1914 -1919

Arthur Lingham was born in Nathalia in 1890 and came to Bairnsdale as a relief postal officer at the Bairnsdale Post and Telegraph Office in 1913. He was soon a very popular member of the community as he was a highly regarded vocalist and popular at social occasions. He was a member of the Bairnsdale Glee Club and often sang on steamer excursions, at church services, at concerts, farewells, church rallies and rowing club social evenings. He was constantly in demand in the concert halls of the district and formed a large circle of friends in a short time, proving himself to be a capable and courteous officer. On the eve of his leaving the district a number of his friends tendered him a very enjoyable smoke social evening at the Albion Hotel. After enlisting in July he arrived in Egypt in December 1915 and was promoted to Sergeant three months later. In June 1916 he was transferred to Marseilles where he was wounded with a gunshot wound to the wrist and admitted to the Casualty Clearing Station for treatment before being sent to England to recuperate. While in England he met up with fellow Bairnsdale soldiers who were also recuperating before going to Officers Training and re-joining his unit, the 29 th   Battalion, by the end of October 1916. Just four weeks later, on 3 December, he was mortally wounded with a gunshot to the head. He was taken to the 38 th   Casualty Clearing Station where he died two days later on 5   December 1916. Arthur Lingham, 26 years old, was buried at the Reilly Station cemetery and is remembered on the Bairnsdale honour roll.