Current Information:

Born-Westminster

Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery, France

On 19th April, 1916, 6th Royal Berkshire of 53 Brigade, 18th Division, were in the front line trenches near Maricourt on the Somme. Their main preoccupation was the weather as it was a very wet day and keeping the trenches clean and preventing them from collapsing was a priority. The Germans too must have been similarly engaged because it was a mainly quiet day but then, at 6.30 in the evening, they opened up an artillery bombardment on the section of trenches held by "C" Company. This went on for about an hour at the end of which 5 men had been killed and another 4 wounded. Among those killed was Arthur James.