Alfred Arrowsmith was the son of Charles and Emily Arrowsmith. He was born on 3 February 1897 at 39 Mansfield Road, St. Pancras, London. Alfred’s father, Charles was the son of a grocer and was born in St. Pancras in 1860 and baptised at All Saints, Camden Town on 23 September 1860. In the 1881 census, Charles was living with his family at 32 Prebend Street, St. Pancras and working as a carman. A carman drove a horse-drawn cart which transported goods and it is likely that Charles was working for one of the railway companies in the area.

On the 11 December 1889, Charles married Ada Margaret Eleanor Middleton, the daughter of Smith Middleton, at St. Martin’s Church, Kentish Town. At the time of the marriage, Charles lived at 32 Prebend Street, St. Pancras while Ada lived at 35 Grafton Road, approximately three miles distance.

The union produced two children, Ada who was born in 1889 and Charles who was born in 1891. Unfortunately, Charles’ wife died on 30 June 1891, very likely either in giving birth to Charles or from complications shortly afterwards. I would recommend ordering Ada’s death certificate which would give her exact cause of death. Alfred did not live with his half-siblings and in the 1911 census, they were living at 56 Wrotham Road, Camden with their grandmother, Sophia Arrowsmith (Charles’ mother).

Charles Arrowsmith subsequently married Emily Frances Mary Ketley at St. John the Baptist Church, Kentish Town on 7 November 1895. Charles’ residence at the time of the marriage was 158 Leighton Road while Emily’s was 16 Rochester Place. Leighton Road is less than a mile’s walk from Rochester Place so the couple would have met locally. Emily’s father, Alfred Kettley, was listed as a cab proprietor while Charles’ father William was a grocer.

Emily Ketley was born in 1875 and baptised on 13 September 1875 at St. Jude Gray’s Inn Road, Middlesex. In the 1881 census, Emily was living with her family at 17 Archbishops Place, Lambeth where her father Richard was a coachman.

Alfred was the first of Charles and Emily’s three sons and was born at 39 Mansfield Road, St Pancras, Middlesex, London on 3 February 1897. On Alfred’s birth certificate, Charles’ occupation is listed as Domestic Coachman. Emily Arrowsmith registered the birth on 15 March 1897 and her residence was recorded as 39 Mansfield Road. Alfred’s brother Albert was born in 1899 and Frederick in 1900.

In the 1901 census, the Arrowsmiths are residing at 31 Castle Road, St. Pancras. While the street still exists, the house in which the family lived has long since been destroyed. Castle Road is a couple of minutes walk from Kentish Town West Railway Station and is one of the roads leading off the A400 (Kentish Town Road). The neighbourhood was working class and in Charles Booth’s Descriptive Map of London Poverty (1898-99), Castle Street is shaded purple for “Mixed. Some comfortable others poor”.

If you turn to the 1901 census you will see that the Arrowsmith’s neighbours included a professional boxer Henry Greenfield, a gentleman’s tie maker, an army pensioner and a house decorator. Charles Arrowsmith was working as a “Coachman (Domestic)”. As a domestic coachman, Charles was hired to drive a coach for a family. The Arrowsmiths are also living with a boarder, Alfred Raughton, who was a “Journeyman Baker”. The term journeyman is often encountered on census returns and refers to a tradesman who had completed an apprenticeship.

Unfortunately, we now have a gap of ten years before we can once again return to Alfred Arrowsmith. In the 1911 census, he was an inmate in the Highbury Truant Industrial School for Boys at Highbury Grove, London. The Highbury Truant Industrial School for Boys was opened in 1891 and initially, its inmates were children who had failed to attend elementary school and were committed for periods of three months. However, in April 1909, it became an industrial school where children were sent for a variety of reasons. The reason Alfred was sent to the school is unknown but possible reasons include vagrancy, keeping bad company or the possibility that he would likely fall into criminal habits.

The 1911 Census records that the School had 43 rooms with 206 males and 9 females which included a staff of 7 men and 8 women. While at the school Alfred would have worn a blue uniform and been subjected to a strict regime with daily drill and exercise sessions. The children would have also undertaken training in trades e.g. tailoring, carpentry or hat making.

Alfred’s parents and brothers were living at 62 Langdon Road, Highgate in the 1911 Census. Charles was still working as a coachman but now drove a cab on the streets picking up fares. Charles Arrowsmith died in 1915 and I would recommend ordering his death certificate to find out the exact cause of his death.

After the 1911 Census, we are left with another gap regarding what Alfred was doing before he enlisted into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on 19 September 1914. However, there is a clue in Alfred’s service file as when he enlisted, one of the questions asked, “Have you resided out of your Father’s house for three years continuously in the same place… if so, state where?”. In response to this question, Alfred wrote “yes Llandilo [sic]”. Alfred also gave his trade on enlistment as “farm labourer”.

The most likely course of events is that shortly after being released from the Highbury Truant Industrial School, Alfred left London for a fresh start. There is no known family connection to Wales and how Alfred ended up as a labourer on a farm at Llandeilo, a small town in Carmarthenshire is a mystery. A farm in rural Wales would have been a very different environment compared to his urban upbringing in London. In August 1914, the First World War broke out and in September, Alfred enlisted into the British Army.

The First World War and Joining the Royal Welsh Fusiliers

On 4 August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, and two days later Lord Kitchener (Secretary of State for War) sought parliamentary approval for increasing the size of the army by 500,000 men. On 7 August, newspapers across the country carried appeals for “an additional 100,000 men to His Majesty’s Regular Army”. Thousands of men answered the call. Alfred was one of these new recruits and enlisted on 19 September 1914 at Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

The majority of First World War service records were destroyed during the Blitz in 1940 when the warehouse in which they were stored caught fire. Alfred’s service record survived because it had been moved to the Ministry of Pensions for analysis. These files have been digitized and the originals are held at the National Archives with the catalogue reference WO 364. I was surprised to find Alfred’s record in the WO 364 series as the vast majority of records relate solely to soldiers who claimed a disability pension or concern a pension granted to their dependents. As Alfred was killed in action and had no dependents, I was not expecting to find a file in this series.

The first page of Alfred’s service record to turn to is his attestation form which was completed on the day he joined up. This was a standard form completed by new recruits and the first six questions asked basic information such as name, age, occupation etc. The next eleven questions covered a range of topics from any previous military service to whether Alfred was willing to be vaccinated or re-vaccinated. Alfred then signed the form which was also signed by a witness and attesting officer.

If you have a look below question 17 on the form you will see that Alfred put his name to the following: I Alfred Arrowsmith do solemnly declare that the above answers made by me to the questions are true, and that I am willing to fulfil the engagements made. However, Alfred had actually lied when it came to his age as he was not 19 years and 7 months but 17 years and 9 months. To enlist in the regular British Army, a soldier had to be aged 18 and over but many enlisted underage. The British Army had long struggled to obtain new recruits and it was common practice to turn a blind eye. It is important to note that Alfred added two years to his age to take him well over the minimum age of enlistment. Alfred would have added an extra year because the British Army would not send men abroad until they were aged over 19.

The following description of Alfred can be found in his service file:

• Age: 19 years and 7 months
• Weight: 117 lbs. [53 kg]
• Height: 5 feet and 7 ½ inches
• Chest measurement: girth when fully expanded 35 ½ inches. Range of expansion 2 inches.
• Complexion: Fresh
• Eyes: Grey
• Hair: Light Brown
• Trade: Farm Labourer
• Religion: Church of England
• Next of Kin: Mr Charles Arrowsmith 56 Wrotham Road, Camden Town, London.

Alfred has a typical height and build of a working class man of this period. You may be surprised to find that Alfred only weighed 117 lbs, but a weight for a fully grown man less than 130 lbs was common during the period.

On enlistment, Alfred was given the regimental number 15513, rank of Private and sent to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers Depot at Wrexham in North Wales. Alfred arrived at the Depot on 21 September and remained there until the 26 September 1914 when he was posted to the 10^th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. In theory, at the Depot, Alfred would have received his new uniform and equipment but the rapid expansion of the army meant there were many shortages.

When war broke out the previous month, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had two regular battalions, one reserve battalion and four battalions of the Territorial Force (the forerunner of the Territorial Army). By the end of 1914, an additional 13 battalions of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had been formed. These were a combination of new Territorial Force battalions and service battalions of the New Army. The New Army, often called Kitchener’s Army, was the brainchild of the Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener and was formed from the hundreds of thousands of new volunteers.

Alfred was posted to the 10^th Battalion, which was one of the new service battalions which initially served as part of the 76^th Brigade, 25^th Division. The 25^th Division was part of Third New Army, K3 (Kitchener’s Army 3). The 10^th Battalion was formed at Wrexham, but subsequently moved to Codford St. Mary in Wiltshire and on to Bournemouth by November 1914.

Alfred served with the 10^th Battalion until he was discharged at Bournemouth on 8 December 1914. During Alfred’s two months service with the Battalion, he would have undertaken basic training and became accustomed to army life. This would have included many hours of undertaking long and monotonous drill and long marches designed to toughen up recruits. Alfred’s time in the Highbury Industrial School meant that he would have found the transition from civilian to military life a lot easier than most of his contemporaries.

However, Alfred’s service with the Battalion would be short, as he fractured his left wrist and became non-effective by “Having been found medically unfit for further service under para 392 (xvi) King’s Regulations”. Alfred’s character while in the army was “good” and he gave his intended place of residence on discharge as “56 Wrotham Road, Camden Town, London”. After 81 days in the army, Alfred found himself a civilian once again.

The Welsh Regiment

Alfred must have been very determined to join the army, as after being discharged from the Royal Welsh Fusiliers he joined the Welsh Regiment. Unfortunately, Alfred’s service file was destroyed during the Blitz but I have been able to uncover information from other sources. Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 records Alfred’s place of enlistment as Llandilo, which is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It may seem odd that after being discharged from one regiment due to a fractured wrist Alfred just joined another but it was common for men who wanted to enlist to keep trying until they were accepted. Alfred’s fracture would have either healed sufficiently, or he would have successfully hidden the problem, for him to pass the medical inspection.

On joining the Welsh Regiment, Alfred received a new regimental number of 808. I haven’t been able to work out Alfred’s enlistment date from his service number but believe he joined the Welsh Regiment shortly after he was discharged from the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

The 4^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment was a Territorial Force Battalion. The Territorial Force had been created in 1908 following the Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane’s reforms of the Yeomanry and Volunteer Force. The Territorial Force, the forerunner of the Territorial Army, was a voluntary reserve where men would serve part-time with their local unit and undertake an annual two-week camp. The Territorial Force was meant for Home Defence only and there was no obligation, though this changed during the war, for a soldier to serve overseas.

The Territorial Force units had a very local character as a man had to live close to a unit to train with it. The 4^th Battalion recruited its companies from the following areas:

• Headquarters: Carmarthen.
• A Company: Haverfordwest and Milford Haven
• B Company: Pembroke and Narberth
• C Company: Cardigan
• D Company: Llandilo and Llandovery
• E Company: Carmarthen
• F Company: Llanelly and Tumble
• G Company: Llanelly
• H Company: Ammanford

As can be seen, D Company recruited men from Llandilo and Llandovery. Once Alfred joined the 4^th Battalion he would have signed the Imperial Service Obligation which meant that he was willing to serve overseas.

Unfortunately, there is no war diary covering the period Alfred served with the 4^th Battalion in Gallipoli. A war diary was recorded daily by a unit, usually only when it was on active service, noting its location and the events of the day. Despite this problem, I have been able to uncover the events of Alfred’s last months by referring to other resources.

In August 1914, the 4^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, which was part of the South Wales Brigade, was mobilized at Carmarthen, where its headquarters was based. The South Wales Brigade moved to Tunbridge Wells, Kent in November 1914 and subsequently to the Forth and Tay defences, Scotland in February 1915. In April 1915, the 4^th Battalion left the South Wales Brigade and joined the 159^th Infantry Brigade, 53^rd (Welsh) Division and moved to Bedford, Bedfordshire. The 159^th Infantry Brigade consisted of:

• 4^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment
• 5^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment
• 4^th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment
• 7^th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment

The Battalion remained at Bedford until it sailed for Gallipoli, The History of the 53^rd (Welsh) Division records:

On the 3^rd July, 1915, General Lindley, commanding the 53^rd (Welsh) Division received the order to prepare his Division (less Artillery) for service in the Mediterranean. Embarkation was completed on the 19^th July, when the fleet of eight transport ships sailed.

The 4^th Battalion embarked at Devonport, Plymouth on board SS Huntsend with a strength of 29 officers and 969 other ranks on 17 July 1915. The SS Huntsend had started life as the German passenger ship Lutzow but was seized in the Suez Canal on 3 August 1914 and spent the war as a troopship. While Alfred’s service record has been lost, we know that he was one of the 4^th Battalion which embarked on board the SS Huntsend from the information recorded on his Medal Index Card. A Medal Index Card allowed a clerk to look up their Medal Rolls and on Alfred’s card, it is recorded that he first entered a theatre of war on 7 August 1915 and the theatre of war he first served in was (2B) Balkans, which was the code for Gallipoli. The SS Huntsend reached the Greek Island of Mudros on 5 August 1915 and slight discrepancies in dates of entry are common in Medal Index Cards.

The 53^rd Division was about to take part in the Gallipoli Campaign which began with a series of amphibious landings on 25 April 1915. I have included two maps in Alfred’s folder which show the location of the Gallipoli Peninsula and the positions of the Turkish and Allied forces in August 1915. The Gallipoli Campaign was designed to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula and allow an Allied fleet to sail up the Dardanelles where it would capture Constantinople, now Istanbul. Once Constantinople had been captured, it was believed that Turkey would surrender, thus depriving Germany of a key ally and enabling a new supply route to Russia through the Black Sea.

However, the Gallipoli Campaign, like the Western Front, soon descended into stalemate with both sides unable to break through the other’s trenches. A new offensive was planned for August 1915, with a breakout in the ANZAC Sector supported by a landing at Suvla Bay (see map). The landings at Suvla Bay began on the evening of 6 August 1915 and quickly descended into chaos. Despite minimal Turkish opposition, chaos reigned as units became mixed up and remained close to the beach rather than advancing inland. I recommend Suvla: August Offensive by Stephen Chambers if you wish to learn more about the landings at Suvla Bay.

The 53^rd Welsh Division began landing at Suvla in the evening of the 8 August with the 4^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment landing under shell fire at C Beach the next morning.

The photograph above was taken from Plugge’s Plateau in the ANZAC Sector looking towards Suvla Bay. The 4^th Battalion was wholly unprepared for active service and the regimental historian in the History of the Welch Regiment 1914-1918 records:

Lastly, a portion of the Division was practically untrained for mobile warfare. The 4^th and 5^th Welch, for instance, had spent their time since the outbreak of war as garrisons of coast defences in South Wales, and had been employed in digging trenches and erecting blockhouses until April, 1915.

At 11 am on 9 August, the 4^th Battalion Welsh Regiment and 5^th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment was ordered forward to report to Brigadier-General Sitwell, Commanding 34^th Brigade without knowing exactly where they were proceeding to. The regimental history records:

Brigadier-General Sitwell was eventually located after a prolonged search, but was able to give very little information. Brigadier-General Cowans, therefore, established his Headquarters at Anafarta Ova Farm, holding most of the 4^th Welch in reserve, while the 5^th Cheshires moved up into the scrub where they were swallowed up in the same manner as had been the 5^th Welch and 4^th Cheshires.

The men of the 4^th Battalion would have been exhausted after a trying day spent in the August sun with very little water. The next day, two Brigades of the 53^rd Welsh Division, the 158^th and 159^th Brigades would attack Turkish positions on Scimitar Hill. The plan was for the 159^th Brigade to lead the attack and capture the first ridge and allow the 158^th Brigade to pass on and capture the hill. Unfortunately, the attack went terribly wrong as the regimental history records:

The orders for the attack only reached the Headquarters 159^th Brigade after midnight. It was pitch dark; the Battalions composing the Brigade were distributed all along an irregular line in the bush, and no communication had been established with the 158^th Brigade. As a consequence it was only the pretence of an attack which took place. Two weak companies of the 7^th Cheshires led the attack, supported by the 4^th Welch, but there was no covering fire except from their own rifles and Lewis guns.

The 4^th Welch soon found themselves in the firing line, and the advance met with a murderous fire, Captain A. H. Howard and Captain H. M. Green, commanding respectively the two leading companies, being soon killed. However, Captain Green’s Company managed to seize a ruined house on a knoll and hold on for a time, but was later counter-attacked and driven back.

The 158^th Brigade, which was meant to follow the 159^th Brigade, never arrived as it had ended up on the 159^th Brigades’ right. In Alfred’s file, I have included the relevant pages from The History of the 53^rd (Welsh) 1914-1918 by Major C. H. Dudley Ward and History of the Welch Regiment 1914-1918 by Major-General Sir Thomas O. Marden which will provide more information about the attack. It was during the attack on Scimitar Hill that Alfred was killed, with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission recording a total of 51 deaths for the 4^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment on 10 August 1915. Alfred was recorded as missing presumed dead on 10 August 1915 on his Medal Index Card and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial as his body was either never recovered or was unidentified after the war.

The Helles Memorial was built after the war to commemorate Commonwealth servicemen who died during the Gallipoli Campaign and who have no known graves. In total, there are 20,886 servicemen commemorated which does not include the missing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who are commemorated elsewhere. Below is Alfred’s name on the Helles Memorial which I took on a recent visit to Gallipoli.

The Suvla Bay landing quickly became bogged down and the offensive which was designed to capture the Sari Bair Ridge in the ANZAC Sector also failed. The Allied forces began to evacuate from the Gallipoli Peninsula between December 1915 and early January 1916. The last Allied soldiers were evacuated on 9 January 1916 ending a land campaign which has lasted over 8 months. During these eight months, the Allied forces suffered over 250,000 casualties. If you would like to learn more about the campaign, I would recommend Peter Hart’s Gallipoli.

For his service during the First World War, Alfred qualified for three campaign medals:

• 1914-15 Star
• British War Medal
• Allied Victory Medal

The 1914-15 Star and British War Medal are still with the family, with the whereabouts of the Allied Victory Medal unknown. These medals would have been sent to Alfred’s mother, Emily as his next-of-kin. I have included Alfred’s Medal Rolls and Medal Index Card in his folder. In addition, Emily Arrowsmith would have received a memorial plaque and memorial scroll which would have had Alfred’s full name on. The whereabouts of the plaque and scroll are unknown. I have included Alfred’s entry in the Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 which records the following payments in 1919: £3, 9 shillings to his mother Emily, 13 shillings and 10 pence to his brother Charles, and 13 shillings and 10 pence each to his half-sisters Ethel and Ada.