Contributed by Ron Inglis, October 2021:
The Wolff brothers, 3506 Arthur Carlson Wolff and 7609 David Wolff, are one of seven sets of brothers on the Auburn War Memorial. The Wolff brothers attended Auburn Public School and their names are on the honour roll of St Philip’s Anglican Church. Both brothers nominated their parents living at 33 Susan Street, Auburn as their next-of-kin. They were both in the 13th Battalion, Fourth Australian Division, at the time of their deaths.
Sergeant Arthur Wolff, 24, was the older brother. He was a blacksmith’s striker and a member of Liberty Plains Lodge, United Ancient Order of Druids. He enlisted in September 1915 and embarked on the Port Lincoln one month later. He was too late for Gallipoli, but he must have arrived in Egypt before 31 December 1915 as he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star. On 4 March 1916, Arthur was allocated to the 13th Battalion. He was to spend six months in Egypt before his division moved to the Western Front via Marseilles in June 1916. Arthur survived on the Western Front for almost two years, less four months in 1916 in England recovering from a shrapnel wound.
Early in 1917 he had ‘crimes’ of 'AWL' and 'Drunkenness', but this was followed by regular promotion, right up to Temporary CSM. He was killed by a German stick bomb in May 1918 in the vicinity of Villers-Bretonneux. He was one of the longest serving Auburn Anzacs having had been in the AIF two years and eight months.
For both Arthur and David, their father chose the inscription HE WAS BELOVED BY US ALL, but the inscriptions were never used for neither body was ever found. The brothers are inscribed on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.
Arthur Wolff is honoured on the following memorials in Australia:
- Auburn War Memorial
- Municipality of Auburn 1914-1919 Honour Roll
- Auburn Public School First World War Honour Roll
- Auburn Boys Public School Great War Honour Roll
- St Philip's Anglican Church Auburn First World War Honour Roll
- Roll of Honour Australian War Memorial Canberra
His decorations:
- British War Medal 1914-20
- Victory Medal
- 1914-1915 Star
