WW1, stretcher bearer who suffered shell shock and injury before being dishcarged to Labour Corps. Had a checkered history after the war including a spell in prison

1. Rank: Private
Service Number: 9528 and 607867
Date of Birth: July-Sept 1882
Battalion: 12th Battalion
Early Life
Arthur was born in Bromley, Kent in 1882. His father George was a Compositor originally from Clerkenwell,
his Mother hailing from Suffolk. Arthur had four siblings, one of whom George was serving in the Royal
Navy by 1891. Arthur married Sarah Casey at the Parish Church in Sydenham on the 9th June 1901. By 1911
they had four children and Arthur was working as a Builders Labourer.
Military Life
Although the Army Records survive they are difficult to follow. This is a resume of the records.
Arthur voluntarily enlisted with the Royal Fusiliers on the 16th November 1914. At that time he was living
at 68 Porthcawl Rd., Sydenham.
Arthur was posted to France on the 1st September 1915 and served most of his service in the 12th Battalion
but with brief spells in the 11th and 14th following injuries. He is listed as a Battalion Stretcher Bearer.
During his time on the Western Front the 12th Battalion was engaged in the following major battles in
which Arthur may have taken part:
The Battle of Loos 25th September to the 13th October 1915.
The Battle of the Somme 1st July to the 27th November 1916.
The Battle of Messines 7th to the 14th June 1916.
The 3rd Battle of Ypres 31st July to the 10th November 1917.
Arthur Henry Whitwell, Croix de Guerre (Belgium)

2. He was admitted to hospital with Shell Shock on the 15th February 1916 (on this day the Battalion diary states that at ‘’About 4 p.m.it was
judged that about seventy shells per minute were exploding’’ and Neurosis on the 9th June . He was wounded again on the 22nd April 1918
with bleeding from perforated inner ear due to shell fire and was discharged his duties with the Regiment on the 15th July 1918, transferring
to the Labour Corps, Service
No.607867 as not fit for front line service.
After his transfer Arthur gets into trouble for various misdemeanours such as overstaying his pass, being absent from parade but on the 23rd
February 1919 whilst still in France and in Army service Arthur was tried and found guilty of stealing public money an offence that took
place on the 23rd January 1919. This included stealing a cash box containing 732 francs, a cheque book and sundry documents. So, in spite
of over two and a half years front line service he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour and his pay was stopped until
he had made good the sum of 477 francs. He was sent to Preston Prison on the 21st March 1919 but appears to have served only six months
being released and discharged from the Army on the 5th September 1919.
During his service Arthur had been awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre. This was announced in the London Gazette of 15th April 1918 and
confirmed by the Belgian Ministry of War on the 23rd June 1919. We are currently unable to find details as to why he received this award.
However it was not issued to him until 1926 possibly due to his prison record. This is probably also the reason that he was not issued with
his British service medals.
Later Life
We have no information about Arthur after his discharge from the Army other than that he died during June 1943 in Greenwich, London.