Name
Arthur William Bryant
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
17/09/1918
24
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
203268
Essex Regiment
11th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL
Panel 7.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin, Stevenage Old Town Memorial, St Nicholas' Church Memorial, Stevenage Old Town, Holy Trinity Church Memorial Roll of Honour, Stevenage Old Town, The ESA Roll Of Honour, Stevenage, Not listed on the Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Arthur was born on the 14th July 1895, the eldest son of Frederick & Elizabeth Bryant of 1 Nottingham Road, Stevenage.
He married Jane King in the Spring of 1918 and his wife, at the time of his death, was living in Breach Road, Maulden near Ampthill. Arthur worked at the ESA (Education Supply association) factory in Stevenage and had joined the Territorial’s before the war as a private with the Service Number 2213.
Wartime Service
He had served in 4 Company of the Hertfordshire Regiment with the Regimental number originally 2213. He was a pre-war Territorial mobilised at the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. His number later changed to 265338 when the army numbers were re-issued. He then transferred to the Bedfordshire Regiment, following the losses suffered by the British army in the Spring of 1918 many men found themselves being transferred to different Regiments. Later again Arthur was transferred to the Essex Regiment where he was a Lewis gunner with his battalion.
He was killed in action at St. Quentin on the 18th September 1918 and, although contemporary reports state that he was buried at the time of his death, Arthur has no known grave. His name is recorded on the Vis-En-Artois Memorial, France.
At the time that he was killed in action in France he was serving in the 11th Battalion of the Essex Regiment with the Regimental number 203268. According to ‘Soldiers died’ database he was killed on the 17th September 1918, but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records are probably more correct with the date shown as the 18th September 1918. At the time, they Essex Regiment formed part of 16 Brigade of the 6th Division of IX Corps in the 4th Army.
The 18th September was the day of the Battle of Epehy, a carefully prepared attack with well-organised and very heavy artillery support in the area north-west of St. Quentin. The attack was not a total success as retaliation, especially from mini-fortresses such as The Quadrilateral, caused many casualties until it was captured.
Additional Information
Janet Bryant later of Breach Rd, Maulden, their daughter, Rita, was born in the March 1919 and he never had the chance to see her.
Acknowledgments
Paul Johnson, David C Baines, Jonty Wild, Jonty Wild
