Biography of Lance Serjeant Arthur Bates (5865)
1st Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
Died 24th August 1914

Mother

• Name: Mary Booth
• DOB: 1850
• Place Of Birth: Haconby, Lincolnshire, England
• Marriage: 1870 Bourne District

Relatives in services

• Arthur’s brother Amos also served in WW1 in the 3rd battalion Lincolnshire Regiment and later in the 2nd battalion.

Marriage

• No marriage for Arthur has been found and we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.

Newspaper Mentions

• Sheffield Daily Telegraph Monday 28th September 1914
  LINCOLNSHIRE
  CASUALTIES IN THE FIRSTS
  The following casualties in the 1st Lincolnshire Regiment, which occurred chiefly in action at Frameries and Inchy, France, have been notified to the Commanding Officer at Lincoln Barracks.
  KILLED IN ACTION AT FRAMERIES.
  Bates, 5865, Sergeant A.

• Grantham Journal Saturday 3rd October 1914
  FIRST CASSUALTY IN THE BOURNE DISTRICT OCCASIONED BY THE WAR.
  On Wednesday Morning Mrs Albert Scotney received an official intimation from the War Office that her brother had been killed in action at the front. Sergt. Bates was a native of Morton but had made his home, when on furlough, with his sister at Bourne. He had been serving with the Lincoln regiment for several years, and seen active service during the South African War, for which he received a medal. In the interval, Sergt. Bates had been serving in India, and returning home to England last year, when he visited his sister.

• Grantham Journal Saturday 3rd October 1914
  GENERAL WAR NEWS
  LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT.
  1st BATTALION CASUALTIES
  The following casualties in the 1st Lincolnshire Regiment, which occured chiefly in action  at Frameries and Inchy, France have been notified in the Commanding Officer at Lincoln Barracks:-
  Killed In Action At Frameries.
  Bates, 5865, Sergt. A.

• Sleaford Gazette Saturday 3rd October 1914
  1ST LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT.
  LOSSES AT FRAMERIES AND INCHY
  The following casualties in the 1st Lincolnshire Regiment, which occured chiefly in action  at Frameries and Inchy, France have been notified in the Commanding Officer at Lincoln Barracks:-
  KILLED IN ACTION AT FRAMERIES.
  Bates, 5865, Sergt. A.

• Grantham Journal Saturday 10th October 1914
  MEMORIAL SERVICE – On Sunday afternoon, a special memorial service was held at the Abbey Church, Serjt. Bates as reported in our last issue, having been killed in action. An appropriate address was given by the vicar, who made a reference to the circumstances in which Sergt. Bates was killed. In the evening the vicar also made a reference to the death of Sergt. Bates. Prior to the evening service, a half-muffled peal was rung on the church bells.

• Sheffield Daily Telegraph Thursday 15th October 1914
  CASUALTIES IN THE LINCOLNS.
  Additional casualties in the Lincolns are reported as follows:-
  KILLED IN ACTION.
  Bates (5865), Sergeant J.

• Birmingham Daily Post Friday 16th October 1914
  THE RANK AND FILE.
  The following casualties amongst non-commissioned officers and men of the Expeditionary Force are reported from the Base, under date September 18:-
  KILLED (38)
  Bates, 5865 Sergt. A. Lincolnshire Regiment

• Evening Star Friday 16th October 1914
  N.C.O.’s AND MEN
  The following casualties amongst non-commissioned officers and men of the Expeditionary Force are reported from the Base, under date September 18:-
  KILLED
  Bates, 5865 Serg. A. Lincs. Regt.

• Hull Daily MAil Friday 16th October 1914
  LOCAL CASUALTIES
  A LONG LIST
  LINCOLNSHIRE HARD HIT.
  Lincolnshire Regiment
  Killed
  Sergeant A. Bates 5865.

• Leeds Mercury Friday 16th October 1914
  The following casualties amongst noncommissioned officers and men of the Expeditionary Force are reported from the base under date September 18th:-
  KILLED
  LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT
  Bates (5865), Sergt. A.

• The Times Friday October 16th 1914
  N.C.O.’s AND MEN
  The following casualties amongst non-commissioned officers and men of the Expeditionary Force are reported from the Base, under date September 18:-
  KILLED
  Bates, 5865 Serg. A. Lincs. Reg

• Western Mail Friday 16th October 1914
  N.C.O.’s AND MEN
  The following casualties amongst non-commissioned officers and men of the Expeditionary Force are reported from the Base, under date September 18:-
  KILLED
  Bates, 5865 Sergt. A. Lincolnshire Regiment

• Grantham Journal Saturday 17th October 1914;
  MORTON.
  A MEMORIAL SERVICE was held on Sunday afternoon, conducted by the vicar, Rev. J. H. Boldero in the memory of Sergeant Bates, a native of this district, killed in action in France. This service was well attended, and was most impressive.

• Lincolnshire Echo Wednesday 21st October 1914
  ROLL OF HOMOUR – Five Bourne district men have now shed their blood and died for their country in the present war.  They are: Private J. H. Cannell (Dowsby), Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry: Lce Corpl Tuckwood, a native of Langtoft, Lincolnshire Regiment: Sergt Bates, of Bourne, Lincolnshire Regiment: Private E. Head, a native of Billingborough, ambulance section Grenagier Guards; Able Seaman Tom Knowles of Morton, torpedo boat No 7 drowned. Those who have answered the call of their country from Dowsby are Privates John Cannell (killed in action), Arthur Hill, Bert Taylor, Ted Markham, Ernest Featherstone, Sam Jackson, Elma Pateman and Fred Beehoo.

• Grantham Journal Saturday 24th October 1914
  THE WAR – IN addition to the names of those already mentioned in this making of soldiers’ and sailors’ garments are to be added Mrs Wright, Mrs. H. R. Taylor., Mrs. E. A. Hampton, Mrs. W. Wyles, Mrs. A. Barnard, Mrs. A. Daff and Miss Ada Coddington.  Five Men from this district have now died for their country, viz:- Pte. J.H. Cannell (Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry), Sergt. Bates, of Bourne (Lincolnshire Regiment), Lance Corporal Tuckwood, native of Langloft (Lincolnshire Regiment), Pte. E. Head, native of Billingborough (Ambulance Section, Grenadier Guards),  Able Seaman Tom Knowles, of Morton (No. 7 Toredo Boat), drowned.

Military Records

Medals

• The British Medal
• The Victory Medal

Memorials

• UK:
• Morton, Roll of Honour in St John the Baptist Church
• Bourne, Roll of Honour in Bourne Abbey Church
• Bourne War Memorial in the Memorial Gardens

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
• In memory of Lance Serjeant A Bates, 5865, 1st Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 24 August 1914
• Remembered with honour, Frameries Communal Cemetery
• Grave I. A. 6.

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

Military Service Timeline

• No attestation papers can be currently found for Arthur Bates and so the date of his enlistment is not known. The earliest records that have been uncovered are on the 1911 census.

  On April 2nd 1911 Arthur Bates is listed as a Lance Corporal serving with the 1st Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment in India. The exact location is not listed but from other notes on the census and research it is believed that they may be south of Poona. The 1st battalion had been serving in India since November 1898 and did not return to England until 1912.

  Because Arthur’s age was given as 29 and he was a lance-corporal it would be logical to deduce that he had been in the army for a long period of time.

  In 1912 the 1st battalion were back in England and stationed at Portsmouth.

  The 1st Battalion was a regular army battalion and at the outbreak of the great war were in Portsmouth as part of the 9th Infantry Brigade.

  The battalion had a large proportion of young soldiers with experience ranging from two weeks to two years when it was mobilised on the 4th of August. On the 8th of August the ranks were joined by over 500 reservists from the depot at Lincoln.

  After a few days of training to prepare them for foreign service, the 1st battalion was fully mobilised, with those men not deemed as sufficiently trained sent to the 3rd battalion (reservists).

  Arthur along with the 1st battalion caught a train to Southampton and embarked on the SS Norman for France on the 13th August 1914. The Battalion eventually disembarked in Havre at 2:30 in the morning of the 14th August becoming part of the 9th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Division, British Expeditionary Force.

  The 14th and 15th in France suffered from violent storms and eventually on the evening of the 15th the battalion was entrained for Landrecies and the battle of Mons.

  Over the next few days the British Expeditionary force pushed north and was in involved in the first shots fired by a British force in France on the 22nd August. By 10am on the 22nd the 1st Lincolnshire had marched into Frameries and onto their positions at Cuesmes by 12 noon. By the evening of the 22nd the British Expeditionary force had heard that the French had been pushed back by the enemy, leaving the British 9 miles ahead of the French main line.

  The morning of the 23rd saw the Lincolns holding off the enemy from their forward positions and by 6pm on the 23rd they had orders to retire back to Frameries where they would form the rear guard for the brigade to withdraw from the area.

  Overnight the Lincolns had taken over an orchard in the Nothwest of Frameries and reinforced the defences with their trenching tools.

  Daylight on the 24th brought an artillery barrage onto the town and eventually the Lincoln’s positions were under heavy attack from an enemy force that were surprised by the resistance that was put up both the Lincolns and the South Lancashire battalions.

  Eventually after 3 or 4 hours of heavy fighting in which the Lincoln’s machine guns did a great job in holding up the enemy, the positions were eventually lost, but not before the two brigades of the British Expeditionary Force were able to have enough time to withdraw to Genly.

  The losses of the 1st Lincolnshire numbered 4 officers and 130 other ranks over the days of the 23rd and 24th August 1914.

  Lance Sergeant  Arthur Bates was killed holding the corner of the orchard in Frameries.

  In 1918 after the armistice two Captains of the Lincolnshire Regiment returned to Frameries to mark the graves of those killed in their brave action including that of Arthur Bates as can be seen in the plan below.

  The medal roll of honour shows Arthur first as a private in the 1st battalion and then as a corporal.

  It is not known when he received his promotions that ended up with him being referred to as Serjeant Bates.

  The 9th Infantry Brigade fought their way through the streets of Frameries on 24 August 1914. The village remained in German hands until retaken by the Canadian Corps at the end of the war. The graves in the communal cemetery are largely those of soldiers who fell in August 1914, most of whom belonged to the 3rd Division and largely to the 1st Lincolns. These graves, with one exception, were brought into the cemetery after the Armistice.

Picture taken from the history of the Lincolnshire Regiment

Sources

• WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
• British Newspaper Archive.
• Fold 3
• Find My Past
• Genealogist
• Forces War Records
• British Army Service Numbers
• War Gratuity Calculator
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• National Archives – Battalion War Diaries
• General Registry Office
• The History Of The Lincolnshire Regiment – C.R.Simpson