Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Liverpool (Anfield) Cemetery | S13.2075 | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
The majority of this legend is courtesy of Geoff Cuthill of the Province of West Lancashire, to whom the project is grateful.Louis was born in 1884 at the Curragh Camp, Ireland to Thomas and Annie (nee McGuckin), with his father in the Commissariat and Transport Staff (later in 1888 renamed as Army Service Corps). His mother also came from a service family being born in 1852 to Michael McGuckin and Mary (nee Murphy), Michael serving with the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers |
| Action : Natural Causes |
Natural causes is attributed those deaths due to causes that were not directly associated with the war. Included in this are wartime deaths resulting from, for example, theSpanish Influenza pandemic and its associated pneumonia problems and other attributions such as age and exhaustion. It also groups those who through Post Traumatic Stress committed suicide as a result of their experiences.
On 12th November, 1904 Louis extends his service for 8 year and goes out to South Africa for the period 24 December 1904 until 7 December 1910. This equates to service of 5 years 349 days in South Africa. While there he passes his certificate of education on 16th March, 1905 and is awarded his first good conduct badge the same year. With promotion to Lance Corporal on 1st March, 1907, his second good conduct badge is awarded on 12th March, 1908, and on 24th June 1908 still in South Africa, he is transferred to the 9th (The Queen's Royal) Lancers and allocated the service number 1208.
On return to Great Britain 7 December 1910 he is officially transferred into the Army Reserve on 11 March 1911. A few weeks later he is found on the census return taken on 2 April 1911 back in his old trade as a butcher, residing at 6 Palmerston Road, Southport with his parents and younger sister Catherine. On 7th April, 1914 Louis marries at St Cyprian Church, Edge Hill, Liverpool to Edith Beverley Lewis. He is described as a 30 year old bachelor of 42 Milroy Street, employed as a Commissionaire, the son of Thomas Arrowsmith, pensioner, deceased. His bride is age 27, of 40 Milroy Street, the daughter of Thomas Lewis, a printer.
Detail :
With the outbreak of the war in 1914 Louis is mobilised on 5 August and returned the following day to the 9th Lancers. Louis was discharged through sickness on 17 May 1915, and awarded a pension having served 12 years and 67 days with ‘The Colours’.
Louis died age 34 on 24 May 1918, living at 1 Smith Street, Kirkdale, with pulmonary tuberculosis which had been aggravated by active service. Buried at Anfield Cemetery in Liverpool on the 29 May 1918 in section 13, grave number 2075, he is also commemorated on the war memorial at the Church of England St Mary with St Athanasius, Fountains Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Hamer No. 1393 E.C. | West Lancashire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
23rd February 1917 | - | - |
Louis William Arrowsmith was initiated into Hamer Lodge 1393 Liverpool on the 23 February 1917. Numbered as 688 in the lodge registration book he is described as age 33, a manager residing at 1 Smith Street, Liverpool. (This would be the Brittania Hotel). The Grand Lodge record has his name as Lewis, rather than Louis, and shows no further degrees were taken after becoming an entered apprentice. He was proposed by James Black and seconded by John McQuair senior warden, and was one of three initiated on that date, the other two being Frank Alfred Norman Knock and Gwilym Roberts. It notes he died in 1918.
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