GARWOOD, Arthur Henry


No.20153, Private, Arthur Henry GARWOOD
Aged 21


9 Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Killed in Action on 16th September 1916


Arthur Henry Garwood was born in Boxsted (1st qtr 1895 Sudbury 4a:792) son of Frederick John and Dianna GARWOOD (née WILLOUGHBY)

1901 census...Aged 6, he was at The Wick, Boxted with his father Frederick GARWOOD [36] hosreman on farm born Hartest; his mother Dianna [34] born Hartest; brothers George [10] born Hartest, Fred [4] and Percy [2], both born Boxted; sister Maud [7] born Hartest.

1911 census...Aged 16, he was still at The Wick, Boxted with his widower father; brothers George, Fred and Percy; sister Maud. All the men were farm labourers. His mother had died in 1909

His father's address on the pension card is The Wick, Boxted.


He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds

On the 13th September, the 9th Suffolks were part of the attack on the Quadrilateral, got through the German outpost line easily but the were checked by machine gun fire from the Quadrilateral. Several attempts were made but eventually they had to dig in only half a mile from their start point.
On the 15th the objective for the 71st Brigade was the ridge between Morval and Lesboeufs. This was the opening day of the Flers-Courcelette battle.. Zero hour was 6:20 am, but the Suffolks, in support of the 9th Norfolks were not required to move until 90 minutes later, by which time the barrage had increased and once again, withering machine gun fire from the Quadrilateral made forward movement impossible. All the senior officers were killed or wounded, leaving Lieut. Allerton in command. They were relieved around midnight.

Lt Col Murphy's "History of the Suffolk Regiment" puts the casualties as 4 officers killed and 35 O.R. - 71st Officers wounded, 99 O.R. and 2 officers and 93 O.R. missing. Many of the missing were later reported killed
CWGC has 9 killed on 15th, but 100 on the 16th of which only 21 have identified graves.



Arthur Garwood is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme pier/face 1C/2A

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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