Soldier Record
Arthur J Whitsey
Contributed by: Mark Denton, on 2008-11-08
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | Arthur J |
| Surname | Whitsey |
| Year of Birth | Unknown |
| Year of Death | 1914 |
| Regiment | Dorset Regiment |
| Place of Wartime Residence | London, Other |
Arthur J's Story
Private AJ Whitsey of 1st Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment was my grandfather's half-brother. He had served before the war as a regular soldier and was discharged to the reserve in 1911, and returned to London, where he married and had a son, born in March 1914. On the outbreak of war, he was immediately recalled to the colours, and joined his regiment which was sent to France from garrison duties in Dublin.
On 12th October 1914, he was killed near Soissons, and his name is listed in the battalion war diary alongside others who lost their lives that day. Sadly, he has no known grave, and his name is recorded alongside his comrades on the memorial to the missing at Le Touret Commonwealth War Cemetry, a place I have visted and will return to.
A tragic story, leaving a wife without a husband and a son without a father, but it is not unique and is repeated many times over throughout the whole of the country. His name is on a cross in the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey and also in the field of Poppy crosses planted at the Menin Gate.
No additional memories have been submitted