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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Pte. Arthur Bannard Bester
British Army 4th Btn. Royal Fusiliers
from:London
(d.16th June 1915)
Arthur Bester found himself on the front line near Ypres in Belgium with the 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers. The Regiment's war diary speaks of the appalling conditions the soldiers face, but Arthur never mentions these in his letters home. Presumably he doesn't want his wife to fret. With three children to care for she has enough to worry about.
He's probably been there for about four months when, on a summer's day in 1915, he and his colleagues find themselves doing unexpectedly well during a push. It appears he and his comrades are so eager to move forward when attacking, and so successful in doing it, that they advance quicker than predicted. They reach the second and third line German trenches ...and, tragically, are hit by friendly fire artillery that lands where British soldiers are not expected to be.
Arthur died of his injuries on 16th of June 1915, he is only 30 years old. It clearly happened during an intense period of fighting. The following day, the Regiment's war diary tells of 50 men dead, 205 wounded and 114 missing. Perhaps in the confusion and immediacy of war - perhaps, to be honest, because the extent of injuries made identification difficult - Arthur is buried in the German section of Menin Communal Cemetery, close to the Belgian French border.
It is on 28th of June 1915 that a letter reveals Arthur has been killed in action at Ypres. Pay due to him is sent in October - one pound, 15 shillings and three pence with stipulation that one-third must be spent for the benefit of the children, according to authorities.
Arthur's death isn't the only wartime tragedy his own parents must endure. His sole brother, William, is killed a couple of weeks before Christmas 1917 and is buried in France.
In 1928 Bella, Arthur's wife, receives a letter from the War Graves Commission to tell her that Arthur's body has been exhumed and moved to Harlebeke New British Cemetery. His name is on a plaque in the church, among about 20 other men who were reburied. Today the Commission says Menen (it used to be Menin) was in German hands for much of the First World War until being taken in the autumn of 1918. Over the years there will be chatter within the family that the military dogtag sent to his widow couldn't be Arthur's because his had little Elizabeth's (his daughter) teethmarks on it. But who knows the truth?
Taken from East Anglican Daily Times - Saturday, June 18th 2016
Our great grandfather Arthur Bannard Bester, born 1885 in Northamptonshire, England.
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