Family :

Education & Career :

Educated at Uppingham Public School, which he left in August, 1894.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.

Detail :

An excellent biography to Arnold compiled by Andy Barber is located at the Holy Trinity Church.

Yorkshire Evening Post 05 October 1917 "THE YORKSHIRE ROLL OF HONOUR - FORMER HUNSLET FOOTBALLER IN THE CASUALTY LIST. Captain Arnold SYKES (22) York and Lancaster Regiment, killed in action, was the younger son of Mr. J.H. Sykes, of Edgerton, Huddersfiedl. He was a member of the firm Mssrs. Edward Sykes and Sons, Gosport Mills, Ousland, and he lived at Netherleigh, Huddersfield. Captain Sykes had long association with the Volunteers, and had attained the rank of captain. He joined his regiment at the Front in July, and had been highly commended for his work. Captain Sykes was prominently connected with local amateur theatricals and was the author of "The Merry Monarch" and "The Squire of Harlington," two comcic operas which were performed by the Huddersfield Amateur Operatic Society. Capt. Sykes was a Freemason. He leaves a widow and three children."

See also Huddersfield Exposed.

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