Private 28142 Albert Arthur Parish


Killed in Action on Monday, 2nd October 1916, age 25.
Commemorated on Pier and Face 6 B of Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.

7th Bn., Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. 61st Brigade of 20th Division.

Son of Mrs C. Parish, of 15, Bilhay Lane, West Bromwich, Staffs.
Born: Dudley Port, Enlisted: West Bromwich, Resident: Unknown.

First landed France & Flanders, post 31st December 1915.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on 'Soldiers Died in the Great War'.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/808042/


Genealogical Data

1901 Census
59 Hill Top, West Bromwich, Staffs.
Charles Parish (58, Master Butcher, born Dudley), his wife Jane (51, born Wolverhampton), and their 2 children: Charles (15, Commercial Clerk, born Walsall), and Albert A. (10, born Dudley Port).

1911 Census
162 Dudley Street, West Bromwich, Staffs.
Charles Parish (68, Butcher - retired, born Wolverhampton), his wife Jane (61, born Dudley), and 1 of their 4 surviving children of 6: Albert Albert (20, Warehouseman, born Dudley Port).


Personal Data

Arthur's outstanding army pay and allowances was paid to his father, Charles, in March 1917; this amounted to £2/2/7d (2 pounds, 2 shillings and 7 pence). His father also received Arthur's War Gratuity of £3/0/0d in October 1919 - this amount shows that Arthur had been in the army for less than a year at the time of his death.


Action resulting in his death

At the time of Arthur Parish’s death he had been in the army for less than a year; as the 7th Duke of Cornwall’s had landed in France in July 1915 he must have been a reinforcement into the battalion during 1916. The 7th Duke of Cornwall's were part of the 20th (Light) Division who were not involved on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, but had been heavily involved in subsequent phases including Delville Wood, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, and the Battle of Le Transloy which was the action where Arthur was killed.

No soldier in Arthur's battalion with his number sequence (commencing 28) was killed before October 1916; this suggests that Arthur was part of a draft which had joined the 7th Duke of Cornwall's fairly close to the date of his death.

On 27th September 1916, the 20th Division came into the line between Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs, to the east of the main Somme battlefield. They were in low ground, facing a ridge beyond which were the villages of Le Transloy and Beaulencourt. The plan was that in about a week's time they were to take this ridge. In order to get a good jumping-off place for this attack, there was to be a preliminary attack to push forward their line.

At 3.15pm on the 1st October, the 7th Somerset Light Infantry on the right and the 7th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on the left pushed forward small parties at an interval of 150 yards under an intense artillery barrage. They gained ground to an average depth of 400 yards and established strong points within 200 yards of the German trenches. While they were digging in, the Germans made several counter attacks which were driven back with rifle fire. After dark, and during the next night, these strong points were connected into a continuous line.

The operation was successful, but during the 1st/2nd October, the 7th Duke of Cornwall's had 13 men killed. Arthur was killed on 2nd October 1916, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

 

Researched by Andrew Johnson on 2nd October 2016, the centenary of Arthur's death.


Newspaper Cuttings

None.