POOLE, Arthur John


No.294376, Stoker 1st, Arthur John POOLE
Aged 42


H.M.S. Partridge, Royal Navy
Killed in Action on 12th December 1917


Arthur John POOLE was born in Tostock on 24th March 1875 (2nd qtr 1875 Stow 4a:586), son of John William and Mary Ann POOLE (née HILL). He appears to have taken 2 years off his age when enlisting, as the Navy have his date of birth as 1877

1881 census...Age 6, he was at Norton Road, Tostock with his father John W POOLE [33] tailor born Drinkstone; his mother Mary Ann [31] born Cockfield; brothers Frederick [18] born Drinkstone and James [8] born Tostock.

1891 census...Aged 16 a farm labourer, he was at Tostock Green with his parents; brothers Frederick (platelayer), James A (farm labourer), and Gordon M [6] born Tostock.

1901 census...He was in the Royal Navy, stoker 2nd class on HMS Sans Pareil a guardship at Sheerness. His mother and brother Gordon were at Tostock Green. His father, a journeyman tailor has not been found.

1911 census...Serving in the Navy on HMS Cyclops at Scapa Flow. His mother was in Tostock with his brother James. His father was at High Street, Bildeston, working as a tailor with the PRENTICE family

The pension card has his father at Tostock Green.



He enlisted in the Royal Navy for 12 years on 23rd January 1900.

H.M.S. Partridge was a Class M destroyer, launched March 1916. Part of the 14th Destroyer Flotilla she was used in the blockade of the North Sea. In December 1917, escorting a convoy from Lerwick to Bergen in Norway they ran into a flotilla of German destroyers. Partridge was hit by several shells and torpedoes and sunk on 12th December with the loss of 97 crewmen, just 24 being rescued.



photo CWGC

Arthur Poole is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial panel 24

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


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