Early Life :

Family :

Education & Career :

Eastman's School, Stubbington.

Eastman's Royal Naval Academy, originally in Southsea and later at Winchester, both in England, was a preparatory school. Between 1855 and 1923 it was known primarily as a school that prepared boys for entry to the Royal Navy. Thereafter, it was renamed Eastman's Preparatory School and continued until the 1940s. According to Jonathan Betts, it was "considered one of the top schools for boys intended for the Navy".

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

19 October - 22 November 1914. Following the failure of the German Schlieffen Plan in August and September 1914, both sides engaged in a series of linked battles as they sought to outflank each other. The climax of these manouvres was at Ypres in November 1914 when the might of the German Army attempted to break the much outnumbered British Expeditionary Force. The political importance of Ypres, being the last town of any size in Belgium that remained in allied hands, established its importance for both sides and ensured a series of battles over four years.

The First Battle of Ypres in 1914 is characterised by a series of linked heroic stands by outnumbered British soldiers in conditions of confusion and weary endurance. The Germans never knew how close they had come to winning - at one point just the clerks and cooks were the last line of defence for the BEF. By the end of the battle the magnificent original BEF, composed of professional regular soldiers, had been all but destroyed and already the Territorial battalions were called into battle. From the end of 1914 a 'Regular' battalion was in terms of its compostion little different to a Teritorial or later Service Battalion. The professional soldiers had all but vanished.

Detail :

Captain Puzey was killed in action near Ypres on 11 November 1914 during the Attack of The Prussian Guard, whilst serving with the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. They were facing the 2nd and 4th Guard Grenadiers, of the Prussian Guard Division. These were the elite of the Imperial German Army and it is said that the Kaiser wept when he heard of their destruction on 11th November. The 4/Royal Fusiliers were astride the Menin Road and under intense pressure succeded in halting the advance of the 4th Guard Grenadiers. However the ground north of the Menin Road offered a re-entrant in the line and this was exploited by the 2nd Guard Grenadiers to expose the flank of the 4/Royal Fusiliers. It was at this point that the 4/Royal Fusilier casuaties mounted and the Divional Commander (Shaw) moved the 1/Royal Scots Fusiliers to assist but the Germans retained the original British front line trenches despite desperate counter atacks. The Official History explains that The casuaties in the close fighting in the Herenthage Wood were considerable. In addition to their Colonel the Royal Fusiliers lost all their officers except two subalterns and had only a hundred other ranks left. Captain PUZEY was one of the officers who was killed in action.

The notice of his death appeared in the Isle of Wight County Press on the 21st November, 1914, amongst other publications: "DEATH OF CAPTAIN A.K. PUZEY - FORMER ISLAND TERRITORIAL ADJUTANT KILLED IN ACTION. - The announcement made on Tuesday that Capt. A.K. Puzey, of the 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers, had been killed in action with the Expeditionary Force on November 11th (the same day as that on which Brig.-Gen. McMahon was killed), was received in the Island with widespread regret. Capt. Puzey was formerley stationed in the Island with the 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers, and later he returned as adjutant of the I.W. ("Princess Beatrice's) Rifles, an appointment which he held with conspicuous success, winning the esteem and real affection of the battalion. He was undoubtedly one of the most popular adjutants our Island Rifles ever had. In August, 1910, he married Miss Olive Hunter Pearce, younger daughter of Mrs. William Pearce, of Blackwater House, and one child has been born to them. Capt. Puzey won the highest respect and esteem of all whith whom he came into contact. He was a true type of officer and gentleman; one who never expected his men to do more than he himself was prepared to do. A keen sportsman and a skilful boxer, before he sustained an injury in the ring, he was a prominent competitor as a light-weight in the Army and Navy boxing championships. During his adjutancy of the I.W. Rifles he did a great deal to encourage boxing among the men, giving an inter-company challenge cup and numerous other prizes. Unfortunately towards the close of his period as adjutant of the I.W. Rifles he suffered from ill health, and it was only a few weeks ago that he was able to go to the Front, so soon to meet a noble end. He was 34 years of age. The deepest sympathy is felt with his young widow in her irreparable loss. Capt. Arthur Kenneth Puzey was the only son of the late Major Arthur Robert Puzey, R.I. He entered the Army from the Militia in 1900 and got his company in 1909."

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley