Name
Arthur Thomas Holliman
1893
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
23/04/1917
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
3/7895
Bedfordshire Regiment
4th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ARRAS MEMORIAL
Bay 5.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
St Francis of Assisi Memorial, Hammerfield, Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St John the Evangelist Church Memorial, Boxmoor
Pre War
Arthur Thomas Holliman was born in 1893 in Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, the son of George Holliman, an envelope cutter, and Eliza (nee Banks), and baptised at St John the Evangelist, Boxmoor on 8 November 1893. He was one of 12 children, but two died in infancy.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 98 St Johns Road, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead where his father was an Envelope Hand at the Paper Mill (John Dickinson & Co Ltd). Arthur was educated at Boxmoor School from 1898 and left school in July 1906, having only completed two of the seven Standards. He then started work in a local greengrocer's shop in St John's Road.
By 1911 the family had moved to Cowper Road, Boxmoor where his father was working as a gardener and Arthur was working at the Paper Mill, along with siblings Ethel, Connie and Percy. He was not working there at the time of enlistment.
His parents later lived at 81 St Johns Road, Boxmoor.
Wartime Service
Arthur enlisted at Hemel Hempstead at the outbreak of war and joined the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, being sent for basic training in Felixstowe. He was then drafted to the 6th Battalion and trained on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire before being sent to France, arriving at Le Havre on 30 Jul 1915.
The rest of the year was occupied by working parties, drills and training but he first saw major action during the Somme offensive which began on 1 July 1916. He fought in battles at Bazentin Ridge in July, Pozieres in August and Ancre in November.
In February 1917 he was in action at Ancre and also fought in the Second Battle of the Scarpe (Battle of Arras) in April. Battalion War diaries record that an attack started at 4.45 am on 23 April 1917 to capture the village of Gavrelle which was successful but they were shelled very heavily during the day and counter attacked in the afternoon. Arthur was one of those killed in action on that day, aged 23. Several officers were killed or wounded along with 260 other ranks.
He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Arras Memorial.
Additional Information
His mother received a war gratuity of £12 and pay owing of £5 7s 2d.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild, www.hemelatwar.org, www.dacorumheritage.org., www.hemelheroes.com.
