 Born in Tasmania, Statton was married and working as a farmer when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force during 1916. Posted to the 40th Battalion, he was shipped to England where he spent three months training. Arriving on the Western Front in 1917, Statton was awarded the Military Medal during the Battle of Messines while leading carrying parties to the frontline under heavy artillery and machine gun fire. Wounded twice during the war, Statton returned to Australia in 1919 and was discharged the following year. In 1934, he took part in rescue work aiding families isolated by severe bushfires in the Derwent Valley. Following a period of service during the Second World War, Statton died of stomach cancer in 1959.
