Arthur’s story is a tragedy before you even begin to look at his family history. 

 

Arthur was the son of Edward and Emma Fisher, who had ten children. One of their daughters went on to marry Noah Armstrong, who died after being injured in the Battle for Hooge in August 1915. Five of their sons, plus their son in law Noah Armstrong would go to the front, but sadly only three sons would return; Noah, Arthur and Joseph would be killed. 

It was Arthur’s brother Thomas who wrote to his parents to tell them of his brother Edwin  having been hit, and Noah’s death in August 1915;

 

 

“On 9 August, about 1.30 in the morning, we were told to prepare to make a charge. We shelled the German trenches for half an hour, and a little later we charged the trenches, and it was not long before we were in them. The fighting was desperate and “Jack Johnsons” were flying all over the place. Edwin (brother) and myself were carrying bombs from our trenches to those we had taken. I lost sight of Edwin and was told he had been hit. I nearly went mad. I was very pleased to find him quite all right during the afternoon. Then I heard that Noah Armstrong had been wounded in the arm, and that he had gone down in the ambulance. Subsequently, the officer told me that poor Noah had been blown up in the ambulance.”

 

 

Edwin had been wounded in the head, and was later reported to be suffering from shell shock.   Arthur himself had enlisted into the 10th (Service) Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment. 

 

Arthur was born in around 1898 to Edward – a coal miner - and Emma Fisher. He was one of ten children born to the couple. He had five elder brothers, two elder and one younger sisters. Father Edward was around 41 when Arthur was born and he and all of Arthur’s working-age elder brothers were coal miners in 1901. It appears that the family had moved around a little; the eldest child Mary was 21 years older than the youngest Sarah, and the children had been born in a variety of locations over the years. In 1901, the family are living in Greasley, Nottinghamshire.Arthur’s female siblings were named Mary, Maud and Sarah and so it must be assumed that one of these (most likely Maud or Sarah due to Mary being significantly older) were the ‘Betsy’ who married Noah Armstrong.By 1911 the family had moved to 30 Adwick Street, Denaby Main and just Maud, Edwin and Arthur are still living at home. The census shows that the family had a total of eleven children, with one having died already.  Arthur is listed as a school boy. His elder brother Edwin – who would later suffer from shell shock having been affected by shell fire – was working as a pit pony driver. Although Arthur is only 12, Edward and Emma are already in their mid fifties. The battalion war diaries have no entry for the 5th June 1916, however on the 4th June, there is a poignant entry;

 

“Grenade accident. 3 O.R. (other ranks) wounded.”

 

It can be assumed (as there are no significant actions in the precending days, that Arthur was one of those three, and died from his wounds at the age of 18. He is buried in Corbie Communal Cemetery Extension. It can only be imagined how it felt for a couple in their late fifties to lose two sons, a son in law and have another with a serious illness (shellshock).

 

Lest We Forget.