Name
Arthur Wilshere
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Pirton School Memorial
Biography
Arthur appears on the School War Memorial, confirming that he attended the school. The Hertfordshire Express of April 28th 1917 reports him as one of four brothers serving whose parents were Mr and Mrs J Wilshere of Andrew’s Cottages - the three cottages at the bottom of the High Street.
Parish and census records confirm they were James Wilshere and Sarah (née Larman). Baptism records list seven children but by 1911 one had died. They are Martha (b c1876), Charles (bapt 1878), Frederick (b 1882), Kate (b 1884), Robert (bapt 1885), Arthur (b 1887) and Bertram (b 1890). Arthur was born on April 29th 1887. His brothers, Charles, Frederick and Bertram all served. Frederick was wounded and sadly lost a leg. Charles was killed and is recorded on the Village War Memorial.
Arthur was married before the war, in 1909, to Lily Jarvis, they had four children, but only three can be named at this time: were Irene Bertha (b 1910), Bert (b 1912) and Harold (b 1914). In 1911 he was living with his wife and child in their own home. A later report records that, like his brother Bert, he was earning a living as a cowman on one of the local farms.
He is recorded in the Parish Magazine of July 1916 as enlisting between October 21st 1915 and March 2nd 1916 and serving in the Bedfordshire Regiment. He would have been twenty-eight years old. The Hertfordshire Express of March 10th 1917 reports him as being wounded. This is confirmed in the North Herts Mail dated March 15th 1917*1, with the date of his injury given as February 26th. He was taken to Rouen Hospital with gunshot wounds to the head. It noted that he was married with four young children, and that, before joining up (a year ago), was a stockman for Mr Perkins of Little Offley. He was thirty and had been in France for eight months.
It is likely that Arthur and his wife spent the rest of their lives in Pirton, as they are buried in St. Mary’s churchyard. Arthur died in 1942 aged fifty-five and Lily in 1961 aged seventy.
Note: Unfortunately it is possible that this information has been confused with one of the A Walkers who served, as the paper mentions both surnames; the information from this paper should be treated with great caution.
Additional Information
The photograph is of Arthur with his wife Lily. Text from the book ‘The Pride of Pirton’ by Jonty Wild, Tony French & Chris Ryan used with author's permission
Acknowledgments
Text from the book ‘The Pride of Pirton’ by Jonty Wild, Tony French & Chris Ryan used with author's permission
