Arthur was born on 15 January 1897 in Austria to Pepi (Josephine) Gams. Pepi was an immigrant from Poland who worked as a travelling saleswoman and had two further children, a son Moritz and a daughter Sidonie. Pepi married Josef Baumfeld in 1902 and after his death in 1904 she arranged for her children to be legitimised as his children and the family surname then became Baumfeld.

In 1924, Arthur, who worked as an electrician, married Elisabeth Schmodl and they had two children Herta born in 1926 and Kurt born in 1930. His sister Sidonie had moved to England where she married Joseph Falikmann. When Arthur was imprisoned in Buchenwald in 1938 she paid for his liberation and he then travelled to England to the Kitchener Camp where he worked as the camp bookbinder. He then enlisted into the Pioneer Corps and changed his surname to Hamley.

On 8 January 1941, his wife Elisabeth was murdered in the Holocaust and in 1942 aged sixteen, his daughter Herta lost her life in the concentration camp at Maly Trostinets in Belarus. His son Kurt survived as he had been sent to a foster family who cared for him.

Arthur died in University College Hospital and his death certificate states that he died from Pemphigus.