Name
Arthur Alfred Sherwood
12th December 1889
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1917
27
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
36471
Princess Charlotte of Wales’ (Royal Berkshire) Regiment
6th Bn
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 45.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
NA
UK & Other Memorials
Letchworth Town Memorial, Church of St Nicholas Memorial, Norton, Church of St Nicholas Lychgate, Norton, Not listed on the Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Arthur was born on 12th December 1889. Some records suggest Hitchin, but the censuses consistently record Norton, near Letchworth and his birth registered in Hitchin.
He is first found in the 1891 census aged 2 years, was living with his grandmother, Ann Sherwood, a widow, in Norton village.
Looking the 1881 census, before Arthur’s birth, his grandmother was living in Norton and the household consisted of Ann Sherwood (48) listed as widow and a straw plaiter, sons Peter (21) and James (16) were both farm labourers and presumably contributing to the finances. Also present was Ann’s daughter Eliza and at 12 was already working at straw plaiting. Eliza’s full name was possibly called Elizabeth Ann, and we think she was Arthur’s mother and probably unmarried.
In 1891 Ann and Arthur family were still living in Norton. Ann still a straw plaiter. Arthur was her grandson and just 1. For whatever reason we have not found Eliza in the census or in death records.
As a child Arthur will have attended the village school.
In 1901 Ann was 68 and living in Norton with no work recorded, which may explain why Arthur was found in the Hitchin Union Workhouse and listed as a pauper.
By 1911 Arthur was back living with his grandmother in Norton and working as a farm labourer. Although a widow the census does record that Ann had been married 54 years previously and had 4 children, of whom 2 had died. She was now listed and old age pensioner.
As a young man Arthur worked at Letchworth Hall Hotel
Officially he was recorded as living in Letchworth, Herts (this would have been Norton) when he enlisted in Hertford.
Wartime Service
Formerly 5802 in the Hertfordshire Regiment meaning that he certainly enlisted after 1 November 1915.
Certainly by his death in July 1917 he had been transferred to the 6th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment and this was probably on 7 September 1916, when the Battalion, whilst in training at Guestraville (probably Ostreville) on the Somme, received a draft of 399 men from the Territorial Base Depot. The draft consisted entirely of Other Ranks from the Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Regiments.
During 28/29 July the Battalion marched to Canal Rest Camp at Ouderdom where they began equipping for action. On the evening of 30th July 1917, they marched to a forward area at Zillebeke in preparation for the commencement of the battle.
The following day at 3-05am the Battalion was reported as being in position in the assembly area ready to move off at 7-15am. At 8-30am they passed through Sanctuary Wood and came under heavy machine gun fire and an artillery barrage as they moved into captured trenches. The advance continued still under heavy fire to the Ypres-Menin road then to Jargon Switch/Surbiton Villas crossroads which was captured at about 9-50am.
The rest of the day was spent consolidating the ground gained. This work was difficult due to hostile machine gun fire and aeroplanes bombing the troops.
At 8-30pm orders were given for the Battalion to be relieved. This commenced at midnight with the Battalion withdrawing to Dickebusch. Casualties among the other ranks for the 31st July 1917 were 35 killed and 27 missing.
Additional Information
After his death £3 18s 4d pay owing and a war gratuity of £7 10s was recorded, however, unusually who it would go to is not recorded.
His pension cards record Mrs Ann Sherwood as his grandmother and as his dependant, living at Norton Village, near Letchworth, Herts. She was awarded a pension of 5s a week from 5 March 1918 to 4 March 1919, however there is an unexplained date of 23 March 1918 against the position for ‘If refused’.
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild
