Name
Arthur Joseph Nind
1895
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
15/09/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
22313
Royal Fusiliers *1
32nd (County of London)(Service) Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
GB Kent & Sons (Kent Brushes) Memorial, Apsley
Pre War
Arthur Joseph Nind was born in Walthamstow, Essex in 1895, the son of Arthur and Annie Nind.
They had moved to 37 White Street, Govan, Lanarkshire on the 1901 Census, when his father was working as a brushmaker, but returned to Walthamstow by the time of the 1911 Census, when they were living at 63 High Street, Woodville Road, Walthamstow, and Arthur was working as a painting brush maker's apprentice.
He married Ethel May Worley in Islington in early 1915. On pension records his widow gave her address as 61 Balfour Road, Highbury, N5 and 31 Leswin road, High Street, Stoke Newington. Their son Arthur Albert was born on 22 November 1915.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Hackney and served with the 32nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers.
On 15 September 1916, the battalion had only been in France for four months and along with the 26th Bn, Royal Fusiliers, it was their first experience of battle. They were in support of the 10th Queen's RWS Regt and 21st KRRC with three tanks assisting. They moved off at 6.20 a.m. from their position in Delville Wood and initially met little resistance in Tea Support Trench and Switch Trench, halfway to Flers. The battalion was then split in two with one section of about 80 men pushing on beyond Flers and capturing three field guns, five German officers and 40 other ranks. The other section, after being held up by machine gun fire, advanced beyond Flers. The advance was successful but the battalion lost 10 officers (wounded) and 283 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing. (Details taken from "History of the Royal Fusiliers" by H C O'Neill).
Arthur was killed in action on 15 September 1916, age 21, during the Battle of the Somme. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His widow Ethel May received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £2 9s 8d. She also received a pension of 18s 9d a week.
Although there appears to be no record of this soldier living in the Apsley area, his occupation was as a brush maker's apprentice on the 1911 Census.
*1 Believed more correctly, (County of London)(Service) Bn London Regiment (East Ham).
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
hemelatwar.org., greatwarforum.org.
