Name
Arthur Jennings
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
09/04/1917
41
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
703930
Canadian Infantry
102nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
CANADIAN CEMETERY NO.2, NEUVILLE-ST. VAAST
Sp. Mem.
France
Headstone Inscription
THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT
UK & Other Memorials
Standon War Memorial, St Mary’s Church Memorial, Standon, Puckeridge Memorial Plaque, Standon Village Hall, Standon
Biography
Arthur Jennings was a Corporal, No. 703930. He served in the Canadian Infantry, 102nd Battalion and died 9th April 1917 at the age of 41.
His grave is to be found at the Canadian Cemetery No. 2, Neuville-St. Vaast, France.
Born October 1877 in East Grinstead he was adopted by the Draper family, Frederic, a carpenter and his wife Elizabeth nee Hunt, who had lived in both Puckeridge and Standon over a period of time. They had married in 1875, and presumably could not have children as none are shown on any of the census returns.
Arthur first appears aged five on the 1881 census and is described as a boarder, although 10 years later on the 1891census he is then described as ‘adopted son’. It is possible Arthur was fostered out at first, then adopted, but of course it is possible that the arrangement was never legalised. Whatever the situation was, Arthur spent his schooldays and apprenticeship as a carpenter locally.
In 1902 he married Ellen R Mills in Woolwich and the following year Arthur, then 27 years old, and Ellen emigrated to Canada.
At the outbreak of war, he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was sent to France. The following obituary notice in the Herts and Essex Observer in late May 1917 tells us more about his time in Canada, and his death.
"PUCKERIDGE
Death of Corporal Arthur Jennings. – Brought up by Mr and the late Mrs F. Draper, of Puckeridge, Corporal Arthur Jennings, though belonging to the Canadian Expeditionary Force, was well known in this district. For some time he followed the trade of a carpenter in England and in 1903 emigrated to Winnipeg. Later, he removed to near Nelson, British Columbia, where he owned a small ranch, and there his widow resides at the present time. When the war broke out he, like many other brave Canadians, was fired with zeal to aid the old country and joined up with alacrity. In training he and his comrades vied with each other to make themselves efficient and the splendid work done by soldiers like the late Corporal Jennings will be enshrined in the records of the Great War. Corporal Jennings went to France in 1915 and did valuable service in the machine gun section of his regiment. He was a cool, resolute and fearless soldier, and all the news received points to the probability that he was blown to pieces while serving his gun. The Captain of his company writes “He was killed instantly in the big engagement of April 9th. A great friend of his on the machine gun was also killed. He was one of our best machine gun operators, a fine soldier and we all feel his loss very much. I tender you and any other members of his family my sincere sympathy in your great loss. I know he made the supreme sacrifice in what he and we all believe to be a just and righteous cause.”
Arthur’s date of death, 9th April 1917, Easter Monday, was the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which was fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras. The objective of the action at Vimy Ridge was to take control of the German held high ground. The attack on the German lines, over a period of three days, which was carefully planned and timed, even though fought in cold,and at times snowy weather, was a success but at the cost of approximately 11,000 mainly Canadian casualties of which nearly 3600 were fatal. Four VCs were later to be awarded.
The Canadian Cemetery No. 2 is located very close to the much more well known Vimy Ridge Canadian Monument within the Canadian National Vimy Memorial Park.
The inscription on the top of Arthur Jennings headstone reads: KNOWN TO BE BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY and then, at the bottom: THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT.
Acknowledgments
Di Vanderson, Jonty Wild
