Biography of Private Arthur Newton, (201449)
2nd/4th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
Died 2nd October 1917
Soldier
- Name: Arthur Newton
- Date of birth: 1899
- Place of Birth: Morton, Lincolnshire, England
- Date of Birth Registration: April – June 1899
- Place of Birth Registration: Bourne, Lincolnshire, England
Father
- Name: Robert Newton
- DOB: 12th December 1858
- Place of Birth: Morton, Lincolnshire, England
- Occupation: Agricultural labourer
Mother
- Name: Elizabeth Haresign
- DOB: 18th December 1865
- Place Of Birth: Gosberton, Lincolnshire, England
- Marriage: 1886 Bourne District
Siblings: (Name), (DOB), (POB)
- Unnamed Female Newton, 1887, Morton (Died 1887)
- John George Newton, 1892, Morton (Died 1892)
- Edwin Newton, 1895, Morton (Died 1912)
- Florrie Newton, 1897, Morton (Died 1898)
- Arthur Newton, 1899, Morton (Died 1917 WW1)
- Willian Newton, 1902, Morton
Census
- 1901: Arthur is living with his parents in Morton, Lincolnshire.
- 1911: Arthur is living with his parents in Haconby Lane, Morton, Lincolnshire. The census gives him an age of 12 and he is listed as being at school.
Relatives in services
- None found
Marriage
- No marriage for Arthur has been found and because of his age we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.
Newspaper Mentions
- Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 1st November 1917
OFFICIAL LOCAL CASUALTIES.
KILLED
DIED OF WOUNDS
LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT
Newton, 201449 Pte. A. (Lincoln)
- War Office Weekly casualty List November 6th 1917
DIED OF WOUNDS
LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT
Newton 201449 A. (Lincoln)
- Grantham Journal saturday 10 November 1917
MORTON
THE MEMORIAL SERVICE to Pte. A. Newton, at the Baptist Chapel, was attended by the Rev. W. T. Barling, who mentioned that Pte. A. Newton was killed in France, on Oct. 2nd, and also read a letter he had received from him, a few days before he was mortally wounded, in which he gave a graphic account of religions work at the front. Great sympathy goes out to Mr. and Mrs, Newton in their loss.
Military Records
Attestation Papers
- None found
Soldier’s Died In The Great War
- These records show that Private Arthur Newton, 201449, 4th Bn Lincolnshire Regiment was killed in action on 2nd October 1917 in the Western European Theatre in France and Flanders.
Pension Records
- Available
Effects Left To
- Father Robert
Medals
- The British Medal
- The Victory Medal
Memorials
- UK:
- Morton, Roll of Honour in St John the Baptist Church
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
- In memory of Private A Newton, 201449, 2nd/4th Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 2 October 1917
- Remembered with honour, Mendinghem Military Cemetery
- Grave VII. B. 11.
© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials
© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials
Military Service Timeline
-
Arthur’s war office records are yet to be uncovered and may be part of the burnt records that were destroyed by fire.
The Medal Rolls show a Arthur was not eligible for the 1915 Star and this coupled with the fact that he was in the 2nd/4th Battalion and his age would indicate that he enlisted quite late into the war.
From the Commonwealth War Graves Commission we know that Arthur was serving in the 4th Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment, when he died of wounds on 2nd October 1917 during the Battle of Ypres.
From the history of the Lincolnshire Regiment we can piece together the following information.
Operations near Ypres between the 20th and 25th September have the British line the whole of the Menin Ridge. The next battle was due on the 26th and was devised to push the line further east to a position that would allow a direct attack on the ridge between Noordemdhoek and Broodseinde.
On the night of the 25th/26th, the 4th and 5th Lincolnshire Battalions formed up behind the Leicester battalions and at 3:50am the British guns started their bombardment.
At 5:50am the Leicesters took their first objective and at 7:25am the 4th battalion Lincolnshire Regiment went through the Leicester’s line and formed a line about 50 yards to the rear of the barrage with small assaulting columns in file a distance behind.
After taking three pill boxes with little resistance the line dug in behind the barrage with deep narrow trenches allowing patrols to be pushed out and more prisoners taken.
At about 5:30pm the enemy put down a heavy barrage that fell mainly on the support line causing many casualties. An attempted enemy counter attack was broken up. Throughout the night of the 26th/ 27th the shell fire was continuous although the 4th Battalion passed a comparatively quiet night.
The day of the 27th saw heavy enemy shell fire although very few casualties were reported.
The 4th battalion held their positions until the night of the 29th when they were relieved by New Zealand troops and marched back to Red Rose Camp.
Although the Lincolnshire territorials captured their positions without a great deal of opposition the 4th battalion lost 1 officer and 36 other ranks, 10 officers and 144 other ranks wounded and 18 other ranks missing. The losses of the 5th Battalion were even heavier.
The battalion diary shows that out of 21 officers and 563 other ranks who went into action on the 26th only 10 officers and 275 other ranks marched out of the trenches.
Mendinghem was one of the names given to the cemeteries around the casualty clearing stations at Proven, Flanders and so it can be assumed that Arthur was wounded at Polygon Wood and taken to Proven where he succumbed to his wounds on 2nd October 1917.
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