No. 44679, Private, Arthur Elias CORNWELL
Aged 32
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Arthur Elias Cornwell was born in Swaffham Bulbeck (Newmarket Q4-1885 3B:537) son of William and Susannah CORNWELL (née HART).
1891 census...Aged 6, he was at Mill Lane, Swaffham Bulbeck with his father William CORNWELL [43] labourer, born Longmeadow; his mother Susanah [44]; brothers George [17] a basket maker and Alfred [12] and sister Rose [10]. All except his father were born in Swaffham Bulbeck.. 1901 census...Aged 16, a labourer, he was at Commercial End, Swaffham Bulbeck with his parents and brother Alfred (labourer). 1911 census...Aged 26 , single, farm labourer, he was at Mill Lane, Swaffham Bulbeck with his parents and brother Alfred. His mother had borne 14 children but sadly 9 had died. His mother died in 1915. Probate of his will was granted to his brother Alfred. |
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He enlisted in Newmarket.
The 4th City Pals Battalion the Manchester Regiment became the 19th (Service) Battalion. Their excellent website www.themanchesters.org tells the story:; "On the 3rd April 1917, the Battalion moved to billets in Basseux where training was carried out in preparation for the pending assault on the Hindenburg line. On the morning of the 23rd April, the Battalion was in the trenches in the Hindenburg line on the West side of the Cojeul River. At 9.15am, they were ordered to cross the river to the slopes of South East of Heninel. At 12.40pm, the Battalion moved off to occupy the left of the old British front line. D Company led the move followed by C, B and A Companies, but came under heavy artillery and machine gun fire. A certain amount of reorganisation had to be carried out on reaching the trenches.At 5.00pm, the Commanding Officer was sent for from brigade HQ and told that the attack would be renewed at 6.00pm. The objective was a line overlooking Cherisy and the attack was to be made by the 19th Battalion on the left and the 18th Battalion on the right. The Commanding Officer had little time to plan the attack and found it necessary to attack in 3 waves using 3 Platoons in each wave. The Commanding Officer called his Company Commanders together and quickly gave his orders. C company were to attack on the right, B in the centre and A on the left. D Company was to support each of the other Companies with 1 platoon each, unfortunately Second Lieutenant Purdy, who was Commanding D Company at the time, was killed on his way back from HQ, and His Company having no orders did not leave the assembly trenches. At 6.00pm, the attack was launched. The frontage was too wide for the Companies to keep in touch and the enemy trenches were only penetrated in a few places. During the advance, a good many casualties were suffered from our own artillery barrage. When the men came under machine gun fire, they doubled forward and the Officers and Sergeants were unable to hold them back. The companies reached the enemy trenches and found them still full of Germans and there was no sign of the Battalion which the Commanding Officer had been told would mop up behind the Battalion. A great deal of machine gun fire poured from the enemy second line trench, causing many casualties. All the Officers of both Companies had become casualties and the N.C.O's decided to hold on to what they had already gained. The men held the position until midnight, when the 2nd Yorkshire's moved up in support." Only six of the battalion's 26 dead have an identified grave. Elsewhere that day the Regiment lost over 250 more men.
Arthur found here and re-interred in Wancourt in 1921 (www.tmapper.com) photo; Rodney Gibson click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
