Arthur Daniel Sterry

A Private with the 1/4th Battalion, Arthur died on 23rd of April 1917 at the age of 38. 

Arthur was born at Lowestoft in 1879, a son of Alfred and Mary Eliza Sterry. In 1881 his family lived at 6 Stevens Street. Arthur was baptised at Saint John’s Church on 27 October 1882. By 1891 Arthur’s father had died and the family lived at 6 Haward Street. In 1901 Arthur was a fish worker and he lodged with Samuel and Clara Smith at 2 Cook’s Buildings. 

On 15 December 1906 Arthur married Winnie Mary Annie Edwards at Saint Margaret’s Church. Arthur was a fish packer living at Whapload Road and Winnie lived at Thurston Road. By 1911 they were living at 37 Tennyson Road and Arthur was a fish packer. Later Winnie married Richard Kipps and lived at Hornchurch, Essex. 

Arthur enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 6525. He did not serve overseas before 1916. He served with the 1/4th Battalion in France and was a member of A Company. In 1917 he was renumbered 202937.

On 23 April 1917 the 1/4th Battalion took part in the assault on the German front and support trenches of the Hindenburg Line near the River Sensee. After an artillery barrage the battalion’s advance began at 4.45 a.m. They faced considerable opposition. By 6.30 a.m. B Company were within 200 yards of their objective, but were held up by granatenwerfer (grenade launcher), rifle and machine-gun fire. They held on until 9.30 a.m. when a German counter-attack forced them to withdraw. C and D Companies, with the support of one tank, were able to reach a sunken road by about 9.30 a.m. They also faced considerable opposition and, from 2 p.m. they were forced back by counter-attacks. The battalion was relived during the night. In the assault they had captured about 650 unwounded prisoners, five machine guns and a trench mortar. 

The battalion’s casualties were:
Officers: one killed, eight wounded
Other ranks: 41 killed, 160 wounded, 104 missing   

Arthur was reported missing on 23 April and later presumed to have been killed in action on that date.