No. 30853, Corporal, Arthur BAILEY
Aged 24
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The clue to identifying Arthur was a piece in the Bury Free Press on 17th May 1918 which had a photograph (too bad to copy here) for four soldier sons of Mr. and Mrs.Thomas BAILEY of Castle Caercinion, Wales and grandsons of Mr & Mrs Robert COLEMAN of Lakenheath, stating that one, Corporal Arthur BAILEY of the Devon Regiment, having been wounded in Gallipoli and again in France, was later killed in action. "Soldiers Died" has him born in Brandon. His Soldiers Personal Effects entry gives father as Thomas, which all goes to make him Frederick Arthur BAILEY (Mildenhall Q4-1892 4A:754, son of Thomas and Amelia Elizabeth BAILEY (née COLEMAN) 1901 census...Frederick Arthur [9] was at High Street, Lakenheath with his father Thomas BAILEY [42] gamekeeper born Lakenheath; his mother Amelia Elizabeth [35] born Thetford; sisters Marnai? [8] born Lakenheath and Millicent [7] born Wangford; twin brother Oliver and Stanley [4] born Wangford and Thomas [1] born Wangford. 1911 census...Aged 19, single, a gamekeeper, he was at Castle Caercinion, Welshpool with his parents (father a postman); brothers Stanley (errand boy) and Thomas (scholar). All 6 siblings survived. |
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Enlisted in Worcester. From his medal index card, given the 5 preceding 'Asiatic', this would be Mesopotamia or places in the Middle East. Whether he served there with the Devonshires or Worcesters is not known. Given his date of death from CWGC and "Soldiers Died" as March 3rd, 1918, (at variance with his medal index card below) the 2nd Devons suffered only 3 deaths in a week, presumable in Reserve somewhere on the Ypres salient. |
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