No. 16451, Private, Reginald ARNOLD
Aged 20
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Reginald ARNOLD was born in Hockwold cum Wilton, registered Thetford Q3-1896 [4B:358]. He was the fourth son of William and Eliza ARNOLD (née CURTIS) of Nursery Lane, Hockwold
cum Wilton. 1901 census...Aged 4, he was living at Nursery Lane, Hockwold with his father, team man William ARNOLD [49] born Hockwold; his mother Eliza [49] born West Row; brother Walter C [14], a horsekeeper, sister Katie B [9] and brother Frank [6]. All these children were born in Hockwold. 1911 census...Aged 14, he was living in Hockwold, still with his parents and brother Frank. All the men were farm labourers but now the births are recorded as in Wilton, not Hockwold. There had been 10 children but 2 had died by 1911, one being Mabel E who died in 1893 aged 3. It appears that brother Frank was also killed in 1916, exactly 2 months earlier see here. Brother Walter had also served in the Norfolk Regiment and died of his wounds in Mesopotamia on 26th March 1916. see here. |
photo: Rebecca Burnett via Ancestry
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The 8th Norfolks were ordered on 19th July 1916 up the valley north east of Carnoy, to be ready for a counter attack on Delville Wood. Reaching the valley at 4.30 a.m.
they were then ordered to be in position to attack at 6.15. They were under orders to take the whole southern part of Delville Wood as far as Princes Street,
( the central ride East to West through the wood), whilst a barrage would be laid on the wood north of Princes Street. When that area had been cleared 8th
Norfolk would then take over the whole wood and hold it with 16 strong points round the edge. Heavy machine gun fire delayed the start to 7.15 am, so the barrage was ordered to stay south of Princes Street until that time. Their advance was constantly hampered by machine-gun fire and also waiting for their own artillery barrage to be moved forward. At 12.40 the other 3 battalions of 53rd Brigade (10th Essex, 6th Berkshire and 8th Suffolk) were sent forward to take the part of the wood north of Princes Street while the 8th Norfolks made strongpoints in the southern area. The afternoon was fairly quite in the wood, but German shells rained incessantly on Longueval. No further forward progress could be made so they all dug themselves in and had to hold on to the captured part of the wood until relieved on 22nd. 11 Officers and 282 other ranks became casualties, a total of 81 killed, 182 wounded and 30 missing. |
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