No.16427, Private, Arthur BENSTEAD
Aged 21
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Arthur Benstead was born in Swaffham Prior on 24th December 1897( Newmarket ), baptised St Mary's Swaffham Prior on 3rd April 1898, son of Frederick
and Fanny BENSTEAD (née COUSINS).
1901 census...Aged 4, he was at High Street, Swaffham Prior with his uncle Lewis MARTIN [58] farm labourer born Swaffham Prior and his aunt Isabella MARTIN [48], also born in Swaffham Prior. At another address in High Street, Swaffham Prior were his father Frederick BENSTEAD [27] labourer; his mother Fanny [23] born Bottisham and his sisters Florence [4] Rosa [3] and Nellie [2 months]. It appears that Arthur and Florence were twins. All except his mother were born in Swaffham Prior. 1911 census...Aged 14, a farm labourer, he was at High Street, Swaffham Prior with widow Isabella MARTIN (now recorded as great aunt). His parents had moved to Granham Road, Great Shelford with his sisters Rosa May, Nellie and Ruth [4] born in Swaffham Prior and brother George [1] born in Great Shelford. CWGC have his parents at Station Road, Longstanton, as does the pension card. His mother died 6-4-1924 |
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He enlisted in Cambridge. He was wounded in the face on the Somme on 1st July 1916, recovered, and was killed in action on 28th April 1917. From "History of the Suffolk Regiment" by Lt Col CCR Murphy we learn that; April 28th 1917, at 4:27 am the 11th Suffolks forming the left battalion of the 101st Brigade, attacked the chemical works north of Roeux and immediately south of the railway . It was soon held up, and then driven back by intense machine gun fire from a trench which appeared to have been missed by our barrage, but a few men actually got through and into a quarry to the east of the works, coming back in the evening with 2 or 3 prisoners. At 9:45 am the enemy counter attacked from the direction of Roeux, capturing Mount Pleasant Wood and part of Ceylon communications trench. Major Tuck then went up into the line again and found the battalion front intact, Ceylon trench once more in our hands and the enemy in the process of being driven out of Mount Pleasant wood. At 10 that night the battalion was withdrawn from the front to the support line trenches for two hours to enable our artillery to bombard the chemical works, which were attacked - but again unsuccessfully - by a fresh unit afterwards. The 11th Suffolks suffered 107 killed, 82 having no identified grave. Among them were James Smith from Stetchworth and Ernest Taylor from Newmarket
photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
