Arthur William Hutton

Arthur William Hutton, the second son of William Forbes Hutton and Eleonora Mackillop, was born on 14 July 1857 in Ootacumund, India where his father was a Captain in the 34th Light Infantry. On 20 April 1858 he left India with his mother, sister Alice and one servant to travel to England. The 1861 English census showed him living at Bath in England while the 1871 census showed the family living at Leckhampton in Gloucestershire.

In 1871 Arthur's father travelled to Australia where he purchased land at Lilydale in Victoria. He travelled back to England in 1873 and when he returned to Australia in February 1874 he brought two of his children, Arthur and Jean, with him. Arthur was 16 when he arrived in Victoria and would have initially helped his father establishing their new property. Once the rest of the family arrived to join them, the eldest son, George, who had come to Australia in 1869, decided to travel north initially to Queensland.

In the 1883 George and Arthur, with the financial assistance of their father, formed a partnership - the Messrs Hutton Brothers - and purchased a property, The Troffs, west of Parkes in New South Wales. They ran the property together until the partnership was formally dissolved on 1 April 1898. George then managed The Troffs on his own while Arthur looked to purchase property of his own and further pursue his racing interests. Arthur was very involved with the Parkes Jockey Club holding a number of positions over the years including vice president and secretary. He also owned and raced horses. Another brother, Walter John Hutton, lived in the same region and was also on the Parkes Jockey Club Committee for a number of years.

During the Boer War it was decided to raise a regiment consisting of men from the country who were familiar with living in the bush and were good shots, good riders and had good physiques.  Public subscription funded the raising of the regiment initially known as the New South Wales Citizens' Bushmen. Arthur Hutton certainly knew about horses and had experience living in the bush so he enlisted.Four mounted rifle squadrons - A to D - were stationed at Kensington during January 1900. Arthur Hutton was in C Squadron, initially as a Trooper but before the ships sailed he had been promoted to second lieutenant. There were two second lieutenants in each squadron. The Western Champion 26 January 1900 included the announcement that 'the keen and capable secretary of the Parkes Jockey Club has obtained leave of absence as he is "off to the war".'

On 28 February the men of the NSW Citizens' Bushmen marched from Kensington to the ships that were take them to South Africa. A large crowd turned out to view the procession and dignitaries including the Lieutenant Governor and the Premier addressed the men before they boarded the ship. Arthur Hutton was 42 when left Sydney for South Africa.

Image originally in Sydney Mail 3 March 1900

The contingent consisting of 30 officers and 495 other ranks, with 570 horses arrived at Cape Town on 2 April 1900. They disembarked at Biera on 12 April and then continued on to Bulawayo in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). C Squadron was involved in a battle at Koster's River on 22 July while attempting to relieve the Eland River Garrison. They continued to operate in the Transvaal and the advance on Pietersburg before returning to Cape Town to embark on ships returning to Australia. They arrived back in Australia on 9 May 1901 disembarking in Sydney on 11 May.

Back in Australia, Arthur returned to his previous life in the Parkes region. In December 1902 Arthur Hutton was appointed, with two other gentlemen, by the Australian Jockey Club as stipendiary stewards in the metropolitan area on a salary of £500 a year. The term of the contract lasted until 1 August 1904. He continued his association with Parkes Jockey Club but was also involved with other racing clubs in the region. The Western Champion 7 December 1906 reported that 'Mr Arthur Hutton, of Coradgery, who has been appointed handicapper for Peak Hill Jockey Club, is a keen sport and is regarded as being " as straight as a gun barrel".' From January 1909 Arthur held the position of stipendiary steward of the Western District Racing Association before resigning to take up a similar position in Queensland in 1912. He only stayed in the Queensland position for three or four months. 

Arthur Hutton married Florence Hamilton in Sydney on 23 June 1915. They appear to have then lived in Sydney as a report in a newspaper in 1922 recorded that Arthur's sister, Katherine, visited them in Sydney when travelling to Queensland. Arthur William Hutton died in Sydney on 19 January 1930. He was 72.

For information about the NSW Citizens' Bushmen:
Australian War Memorial
Australian Military History of the Early Twentieth Century