The story of my maternal grandfather, Arthur George Elliot, and his family background in the UK, Europe and then in Australia. He arrived in 1911 at age 25, in Sydney, NSW. Born in Ghent, Belgium, but of English birthright. From Hornsey, Middlesex. His service with the Royal Navy was paid out under the Short Service scheme. He came to Australia to work as a stockman on his uncle’s sheep property in South Australia. However, this didn’t work out, and he was working picking watermelons on a farm west of Brisbane when he responded to the call for volunteers to fight in the war that had just been declared in Europe. He joined the newly formed 25th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in February 1915. He went via Egypt and fought in Gallipoli and France, being wounded, and returned to battle several times. He returned to Australia and then married my grandmother. It’s mostly a story of survival.