Arthur William Blake

A Lance Corporal with the 7th Battalion, Arthur died on 24th of October 1918 aged 22. 

Arthur was born at Hardley, near Loddon, in 1896, a son of Arthur and Laura Blake. By 1901 his family were living at Park Hill Cottages, Corton. In 1911 their address was 3 Park Hill Cottages, and Arthur was a farm boy. 

Arthur enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Royal Sussex Regiment and was posted to the 13th Battalion in France. Arthur was wounded twice during 1916 and his name appears in the official casualty list, the War Office Daily List, on 7 September 1916 and 9 November 1916. By October 1918 he was a Lance Corporal with the 7th Battalion.

From 23 October 1918 the 7th Battalion was involved in fighting near Nivelle. The next day an attack by C and D Companies failed due to heavy machine-gun and artillery fire. Artur was killed during the attack. He was one of three men of his battalion buried at map reference 57.A.J.27.d.8.2. After the war all three were buried at Valenciennes (St. Roch) Communal Cemetery. 

Arthur’s brother-in-law, Benjamin Smith, served with the Royal Naval Reserve and died in 1918.