The British War Medal issued to Captain Arthur Mack, a New Zealander serving as an officer in the British Army, who was severely wounded and captured at Chemin Des Dames during the German Spring Offensive in March 1918.
Arthur Mack was born on 30th November 1884 at Wellington, New Zealand. Son of William Thomas and Clara Maud Mary Mack (née Forbes). Arthur left New Zealand in December 1915 on the S.S. Maitai, bound for London via San Francisco. He subsequently attended an Officer Cadet Unit, and on 25th October 1916 Arthur was appointed 2nd lieutenant (on probabtion) and posted to the Royal Field Artillery.
Arthur served on the Western Front throughout 1917, and was promoted to temporary lieutenant in June 1917. He was confirmed in the rank of lieutenant in April 1918. In May 1918 Arthur was stationed with his unit of trench mortars on the Chemin Des Dames as part of the British IX Corps. Early on the morning of the 27th a furious German bombardment preceeded an attack by 17 German divisions along a 40km front. The Germans smashed through the thinly-held British lines, causing severe casualties and taking many thousands of British troops prisoner. Arthur suffered wounds to his wrist, back and shoulder and, in this grievously-wounded state, was one of those taken prisoner that day. Arthur described the events in his capture report:
On 27th May 1918 I was in the trenches in charge of the trench mortar at Chemin des Dames. I was wounded in both arms by a shell, and about an hour afterwards I was taken prisoner. In company with half a dozen other wounded I walked to the rear in charge of a German soldier. After proceeding about 2 miles I felt faint, and seeing a trench board lying on the ground, I lay down on it. Four British prisoners were detailed to carry me, and I was carried for some hours. Then the trench board was put down by the roadside; two other British officers had also been placed by the side of me. In about three or four hours’ time we were picked up by a motor lorry and taken to a dressing station at a village, the name of which I believe was Lapion.
Arthur had his wounds dressed, however when he reached Heidelberg in June, his arm was found to be gangrenous and was amputated below the elbow. Arthur was then moved to the Prisoner of War Camp at Karlsruhe. On 22nd August 1918 Arthur was transferred to Dänholm-Stralsund PoW camp, in north-eastern Germany. In October 1918 he, and several other wounded officers, were transferred back to the Allied lines via Aachen and Holland. He arrived back in the UK in late October 1918. Arthur appears to have been promoted to captain in March 1919, before demobilising.
Arthur returned to New Zealand after the war, marrying Edith Persey in 1919, and having a family of three children. He resided in Wellington, where he died on 17th January 1961.
The BWM is correctly impressed APT. A, J, MACK.