Remembering William Arbery died 17th July 1918

ARBERY, William Henry

Born : Talaton (Honiton Q4/1896)

Baptised :

Parents : Henry and Ada Arbery of Grays, Colestocks.

Died : Peronne, France 7^th July 1918

Buried : Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension (See notes below)..

1901 Census : Larkbeare Dairy Farm, Talaton

1911 Census : Larkbeare Dairy Farm, Talaton

Occupations : Farm worker

Address on enlisting : 11 Chestnut Avenue, Dartmouth.

Regiment : 19^th Army Cyclist Corp. Formerly Wessex Division Cyclist Corp

Rank : Private

Service Number : 18950 (formerly 213 with Wessex Div)

Service Dates : 19^th November 1914 to 7^th July 1918

CWGC listing : Yes

Soldiers Died Listing : Yes

Devon Roll of Honour : Yes under Talaton

National Roll of the Great War : Yes

Medal Card (NA WO372) : WO372/1/30850

Service Record (NA WO363) : Yes

War Memorial : Talaton

1919 Absent Voters List :

Newspaper Listings :

Notes : He is listed in ‘Soldiers Died’. He was a Territorial in the Wessex Division Cyclist Corp (number 213) and signed his attestation papers to serve anywhere for the duration of the war on 19^th November 1914. He was enlisted into the Army Cyclist Corp, 58^th Divisional Cyclist Company on the same day taking service number 18950. He joined the 19^th Cyclist Battalion on 1^st February 1917 was posted to France on the 15^th March 1917 with the battalion. He was posted as missing on 5^th April 1918 during the German spring offensive. His father is later informed via the Red Cross that he was a prisoner of the Germans – he writes to the War Office regarding this on 7^th May 1918. In January 1919 the Germans report that he died from pneumonia in a field hospital on 7^th July 1918 while he was a POW and that he was buried in Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension. An official record is received at Hanwell Cyclists Corp HQ 11^th May 1919 confirming this. A further note is received there on 18^th March 1920 saying the body has been exhumed and reburied. It appears he was reburied in the same cemetery as there is correspondence in the records regarding it being unnecessary to inform the next of kin.