Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Arras Memorial, Faubourg d'Amiens | Bay 3 | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 2D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Born 1878 in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, he was the son of Charles and Eliza Jane Arnold, and the husband of Jessie Arnold.The 1881 census records Charles Arnold, head of the family and a Labourer, and his wife E.J. The children were Frederick Charles, a Schoolboy, born 1872 in Fratton Hampshire, Frank, a Schoolboy, born 1878 in Market Harborough, Leicestershire and Edwin R. The family were residing in High Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
The 1891 census records Charles Arnold head of the family and a Factory Labourer, and his wife E.J. The children were Frederick Charles a Stay Warehouseman, Frank an Errand Boy, Edwin R., a Schoolboy, Rodney, a Schoolboy, Ernest W., a Schoolboy and George E., a Schoolboy. The family were residing at Highfield Street, Great Bowden, Leicestershire.
The 1911 census records Frank Arnold, married 12 years and head of the family, an Assistant with the Prudential Insurance Company Limited, , and his wife Jessie, a Housewife, born 1877 in Shenley, Hertfordshire. The children were Gladys Jessie, a Schoolgirl, born 1900 in Battersea, London and Agnes Muriel, born 1911 in Leatherhead, Surrey. The family were residing at Copthorne, Road, Leatherhead, Surrey.
Education & Career :
Insurance Agent (1913)
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers |
1st Battalion August 1914 : in Kinsale. Part of 17th Brigade, 6th Division. Landed at St Nazaire in September 1914. |
| Action : The Arras Offensive and associated actions |
9 April - 16 June 1917. The Arras Offensive consisted of a series of linked attacks starting with the Anglo Canadian assault on the dominant Vimy Ridge feature through the battles in the Scarpe River valley and up to the assaults on the Hindenburg line in the summer of 1917.
Detail :
42530 Private Frank Arnold, 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. A Company.
In a letter, probably to Gladys, dated 18th February 1917, he writes, "My Dear Daughter, [...] a little present for your 17th birthday, it is the best I could do, I wish you many happy returns & please God I hope to be with you & give you a good one next year, look after mum and Ba.. for me, thank for chocs etc, fondest love and kisses from Your Ever loving Dad."
"Killed in Action Battalion were acting as carrying parties to the front lines under heavy shelling. 5 OR KIA 1 OFF and 4 OR wounded."
Harborough Mail "There is news of an even more recent death on April 14. Private Frank Arnold of Gladstone Street, Market Harborough, was ‘killed in action by a shell’. The story says poignantly: "This is the second son Mrs Arnold has lost in the war.""
He is commemorated at the Faubourg D'Amiens Cemetery, on the Arras Memorial Bay 3
His younger brother Edwin Richard also fell.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Vitruvian No. 87 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
10th September 1913 | 8th October 1913 | 12th November 1913 |
Discrepancies (Require checks, clarity or further research) :
Resident in Leatherhead in 1913 at the time he was initiated into Freemasonry. Records at United Grand Lodge for Vitruvian Lodge show that he was "Killed in Action - 1917"
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