Name
William James Arnold
1882
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
03/06/1917
35
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
43985
Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
170th Company
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
RUE-DU-BOIS MILITARY CEMETERY, FLEURBAIX
III. A. 12.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Letchworth Town Memorial, Church of St Nicholas Memorial, Norton, Not on the Hinxworth memorials
Pre War
William James Arnold was born in 1882 in Hinxworth, Herts, the son of Harry and Ann Arnold, and was baptised there on 25 February 1883,
On the 1891 Census the family were living at High Street, Hinxworth where his father was working as am agricultural labourer. They remained in Hinxworth in 1901 and his father was then working as a mouse catcher. William and his brothers Wilfred and Victor were all working as agricultural labourers.
He married Hilda Lee in Ashwell, Herts on 4 August 1902 and on the 1911 Census they were living at 70 Common View, Letchworth, Herts and William was working as a Nursery Foreman. They had four children, William James (1903), Maud Hilda (1906), Sidney (1910) and Frances Daisy (1913).
They later lived at 85 Common View, Letchworth. He gave his occupation as Landscape Gardener on enlistment.
Wartime Service
William Initially enlisted with the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment on 10 June 1916 (reg. no. 7247) at Bedford and was put into the Army Reserve, eventually being mobilised on 10 June 1916.
He was transferred to the 170th Company of the Machine Gun Corps on 14 September 1916 and they left Southampton on 10 February 1917, arriving at Le Havre the following day.
He was killed in action on 3 June 1917 when a stray shell hit a cookhouse in the support trenches and he was killed instantly, having spent less than four months in France.
Additional Information
His widow received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £3 8s 11d. She also received a pension of £1 8s 9d a week for herself and her four children.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Dan Hill, Janet Capstick, Jonty Wild,
