No.64679, Private, Ernest Arthur PAYNE
Aged 23
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Arthur Ernest Payne was born in Isleham in 1894 (Newmarket Q4-1894 3B:507) son of Edward Joseph and Rose PAYNE (née SMITH).
Only his birth registration and the war memorial have him as Arthur , all other records have Ernest Arthur.
1901 census...Aged 6, Ernest Arthur was at West Street, Isleham with his father Edward PAYNE [41] a blacksmith, born Isleham; his mother Rose [38] born Mildenhall; sisters Ellen M. [17], Annie D. [16] and Rosie [10], and brothers Frank [7], Percy [4] and Reginald [1] and uncle Elijah Smith [51]. All except Rose and her brother were born in Isleham. 1911 census...Aged 16, a blacksmith's striker, he was still at West Street, Isleham, with his parents, brothers Frank (grocer/draper's assistant) , Percy (Labourer) and Reginald, and two additional brothers, Archibald [7] and Donald [5]. |
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Enlisted in Cambridge on 11th December 1915, stating he was from West Street, Isleham, aged 21 yrs 3 months and a blacksmith's assistant. He was 5' 5" (165.1 cm)tall, weighed 116 lbs (52.8 kg) and chest was 34.5" to 37" (87.6 to 94 cm), a Baptist. Initially 7934 3rd/1st Reserves Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment (11th Suffolks) he was placed on Reserves and mobilised on 28th August 1916. Transferred to 216 Company 13th October 1916, he was posted to the BEF and went to Le Havre via Southampton on 16/17th March 1917. Killed in Action 15th November 1917. ("Soldiers Died" have him "died of wounds" but his service records show "killed in action". Unfortunately many sheets of his record are washed out. 216 Company Machine Gun Corps were involved in the 2nd battle of Passchendaele from 5th to 10th November 1917. None were killed on 14th and only one other on 15th. However the concentration form gives three men dying that day and being buried near Varlet Farm , 2 Machine Gun Corps and one New Zealander. They were moved in 1920 to Passchendaele New Military Cemetery |
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