Two Men in the 2nd Battle of Ypres. King's Own Lancasters and Hampshire Regiment

CONTENTS
‣ LOST OLD CONTEMPTIBLES
‣ PRIVATE 8290 ARTHUR BELL: PRE-WAR SERVICE
‣ PRIVATE 3/2802 SIDNEY HERBERT JOHNSON: PRE-WAR SERVICE
‣ BRITISH ARMY 4TH DIVISION IN 1914-15
‣ SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES
‣ COMMEMORATING SIDNEY AND ARTHUR
‣ SIDNEY JOHNSON AND CASUALTIES FROM THE 1ST HAMPSHIRES
‣ ARTHUR BELL AND CASUALTIES FROM THE 1ST KING’S OWN
‣ SEEKING ARTHUR AND SIDNEY IN 2016
‣ SIDNEY JOHNSON’S FAMILY
‣ ARTHUR BELL’S FAMILY
‣ THE GERMAN PERSPECTIVE
‣ MORE FROM BATTLEFIELD SLEUTH
Special thanks to Stuart Higbee for introducing Sidney Johnson as his Nan’s brother – great uncle.
Also thanks to Alice Bell, the editor of the Battlefield Sleuth Series.
August 2016

LOST OLD CONTEMPTIBLES
Great War research is regularly focussed on family members, or men from a particular location or
Regiment. Quite commonly, experienced researchers jump in to help friends with their own family
history. This research concerns a quest to find more information on my distant relative and a
strangely coincidental connection with a close friend’s great uncle. The intertwined themes help
extend the knowledge of both men. The eMagazine also provides an interesting example of routes
for researching WWI, particularly men with no known resting place.
Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing
Private 8092 Arthur Bell of the 1 st Battalion King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment and Private 3/2802
Sidney Herbert Johnson of the 1 st Battalion Hampshire Regiment are the subjects of this research.
They represented the vanguard of the British Army and are proudly commemorated as Old
Contemptibles 1 . It is more than 100 years since Arthur and Sidney were killed in the same Flanders
trench, in May 1915, during the 2 nd Battle of Ypres. Both men have no known grave and they are
commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres – now Leper.
1 The term arose because the Kaiser had referred to the original British Expeditionary Force as a “…contemptible little army.”

PRIVATE 8290 ARTHUR BELL: PRE-WAR SERVICE
Arthur Bell enlisted for three years in the King’s Own Royal Lancaster
Regiment (King’s Own) on 7 th July 1904, aged 21 years and 7 months. 2
He attested in Manchester and reported his trade as a painter. His place
of birth was St Stephens, Manchester. Medical Records show Arthur was
5’5” tall, 117 lbs, with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and light brown
hair. Arthur joined the Regiment in Lancaster on 9 th July and remained
there until he was posted to 2 nd Battalion in Blackburn on 1 st September.
On 17 th December 1904, Arthur embarked on S.S. Sicilia; and then S.S.
Canning on 10 th January 1905, arriving in India on 20 th January. He was
posted to 1 st Battalion in Calcutta, with whom he was granted a Good
Cap badge of King’s Own Royal
Lancaster Regiment
Conduct Badge on 7 th July 1906. Medical records show he was hospitalised in Darjeeling and Bhamo
during his Indian Service.
On 6 th March 1907, Arthur returned to England on S.S. Classy. He was posted to 2 nd Battalion in
Colchester on 28 th March. Arthur forfeited his Good Conduct Badge on 17 th May; reprimanded for
being Absent Without Leave at Colchester from 7 th May for 8 days. He was sentenced to 10 days
Confined to Barracks. Arthur’s disciplinary record sheet was otherwise unblemished. On 6 th July
1907 Arthur had been transferred to Army Reserve at Colchester; after completing 3 years’ Service.
The Transfer papers identify 88 Derwent Street, off Woden Street, Salford as Arthur’s intended
residence. In May 1910 Arthur was found drunk & disorderly by Salford City Police. He was tried
and completed 14 days hard labour.
As a former Regular Army soldier, Arthur was required to serve nine years in the Army Reserve. This
required compulsory training. He attended a firing range in Stalybridge in October 1913 (Score 52),
under the stewardship of the Manchester Regiment Depot. Arthur had earlier attended ranges in
Fleetwood in 1909 (Score 68) and 1911 (Score 72).
The 1 st King’s Own were posted to Shaft Barracks, Dover on 4 th August 1914 when War was declared
and the British Army were mobilised. As a Reservist, Arthur was called up for duty and posted back
to 1 st Battalion on 5 th August. The War Diary notes a draft of 100 reservists arriving from Depot on 6 th
August 1914, with a further group of 400 arriving the next day.
The Battalion served in coastal defences; before their Brigade training in North West London. The
men left for France at Southampton, on board SS Salamanca, arriving in Boulogne at 6am on 23 rd
August 1914. Arthur embarked with 1 st Battalion 22 nd August. Their strength was exactly 1,000 men;
26 Officers and 974 Other Ranks.
Crown Copyright. National Archives
2 Born 24 th November 1884

PRIVATE 3/2802 SIDNEY HERBERT JOHNSON: PRE-WAR SERVICE
Sidney Johnson’s Service Record was burned in the London Blitz, so
the detailed information on his military career is less extensive that
Arthur Bell. Nonetheless, there are some surviving records that
permit a picture to be built on Sidney’s background.
Sidney was entitled to a 1914 Mons Star because he arrived in
France with the 1 st Battalion on 20 th September 1914. Both Sidney
and Arthur qualified for the rose emblem as Old Contemptibles,
because they went overseas prior to 22 nd November 1914.
Cap badge of Hampshire Regiment
The first members of the 1 st Hamphires had arrived in France on 23 rd August 1914. Sidney was held
back at Home for final training, before he joined the British Expeditionary Force.
The 3/ prefix in his Regimental Number 3/2802 denotes Sidney was originally a member of the 3 rd
(Special Reserve) Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. Prior to hostilities many of the County
Regiments had Territorial Battalions; as part time soldiers who attended annual camps and weekend
training. Most of these Regiments also had Special Reserve Battalions. Men in the Special Reserve
trained full time, for a six month period; and then continued their training, on a part time basis, for
three to four weeks per year, for a total of six years. In this period they committed to serve in one of
their Regiment’s Regular Army Battalions if called up in time of need. 3
The 3 rd Battalion generally issued batches of Regimental Numbers in chronological order and analysis
of these numbers can be gleaned from surviving records. 3/2695 Samuel Seabrook’s Service Record
shows he attested in Winchester on 5 th October 1909 and Silver War Badge records show 3/2849
James Woodhouse enlisted on 13 th October 1909. As such, Sidney probably enlisted in early October
1909.
The Service Record for 3/2629 Albert Martin shows disembarkation as a member of 1 st Battalion in
France on 11 th November 1914. Sidney disembarked in September as part of an earlier draft of
reinforcements for the Battalion. Sidney may have been more recently trained, prepared and suited
for active service than some other members of the Special Reserve.
Sidney’s arrival in France on 20 th September 1914 would be consistent with his arrival with the 1 st
Battalion as part of the fourth recorded draft of 174 Other Ranks reinforcements on 23 rd September.
It is suggested this draft arrived from the Isle of Wight with Lieutenant E F Lane; who disembarked
on 19 th September, but is not mentioned in the War Diary’s schedule of Officer Reinforcements.
Lieutenant C H F Twining is reported as part of the fourth draft, having disembarked on 12 th
September.
The War Diary shows the Battalion were serving in a relatively quiet sector near La Montagne Farm,
north of Bucy-Le-Long and the River Aisne at Soissons. In addition to the reinforcements of men, the
Battalion also received fresh clothes and equipment at this time.
3 http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/british-army-reserves-and-reservists/

BRITISH ARMY 4TH DIVISION IN 1914-15
© IWM (Q 51499) Troops of the 1st Battalion, The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), in the front trench at St. Marguerite, 22nd
September 1914.
The 1 st Hampshires were part of the 4 th Division and 11 th Infantry Brigade. 11 th Brigade was formed
from the 1 st Battalions of the Hampshires with the East Lancashire Regiment, Somerset Light Infantry
and Rifle Brigade. The 1/5 th London (Rifle Brigade) Regiment joined in November 1914.
Arthur Bell’s 1 st Battalion King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment was also part of 4 th Division, in 12 th
Brigade. This Brigade also comprised the 2 nd Battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers, Royal Irish (May
1915) and Essex Regiments. The 1/5 th South Lancashire Regiment joined in February 1915.
Prior to Sidney Johnson’s
arrival as a reinforcement,
Arthur Bell in the King’s
Own, members of the
Hampshires and the
infantry of 4 th Division, had
arrived in France on 28 th
August 1914, very quickly
entering the fray in the The
Retreat from Mons and the
Battle of Le Cateau. In early
September they had also
played their part in the The
Battle of the Marne. When
© (IWM Q 56726) Lieutenant-Colonel Ross-Johnson, 14th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
with Major Jackson, 1/KORLR near Le Touquet (Frelinghien) November 1914.

Sidney arrived with reinforcements in late September the Division was holding the line following the
The Battle of the Aisne. By 20 th September, the 1 st King’s Own and 1 st Hampshires had suffered
ninety two and forty three casualties (CWGC) respectively, with numerous men wounded or missing.
For example, the 1 st King’s Own War Diary records 443 men killed, wounded and missing in their first
engagement at Haucourt on 26 th August. This was almost fifty per cent of the active Battalion
strength.
© IWM Q 56706 Capt WC Garsia 1 Hants near Ypres April 1915.
Sidney and Arthur went on to fight with their
Battalions in The Battle of Armentières , when
the Division had moved north to Belgium. The
overlapping experiences of the two men are
found in the War Diaries. The King’s Own War
Diary notes the Battalion were relieved by the
Hanmpshire Regiment in trenches at Le
Touquet cross roads on 22 nd October 1914.
The Hampshire’s War Diary notes that the
Battalion lost their way and arrived after day
break “…and had a heavy rifle fire opened on
it by the Germans.”
The King’s Own occupied billets in the village
of Le Bizet on Christmas day 1914. The 1 st
Hampshires were less fortunate; manning the
flooded trench line near Ploegsteert Wood
and La Gheer. The famous Christmas truce on
the Western Front is noted in the War Diary
“On Xmas Day an informal truce began with
the 133 rd Saxons, XIX Corps, opposite us, &
continued till the New Year.”
The 4 th Division remained in the Armentieres area until April 1915. The King’s Own marched to Ypres
in late April and took over trenches north of Ypres, from the 13 th Light Brigade on 30 th April.
© (IWM Q 56727) Ypres Square, May 1915

SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES
The 1 st Hampshires arrived in the Ypres salient on 26 th April 1915, their War Diary recounting “We
passed the blazing ruins of the City…where the 17” shells were still crashing and destroying
everything.”
The men were entering the fray of the Second Battle of Ypres and dug in at a position near
Zonnebeke. The Battalion then suffered assaults by German infantry; but the withering fire from
surrounding artillery for eight days and nights caused the greatest casualties, in an advanced
position on the Salient. The Hampshires withdrew behind the Yser canal on the night of 3 rd May.
One hundred and two men were killed in the period, with two hundred and nineteen wounded. The
War Diary notes “Our killed were buried near the remains of a small farm, about a mile north of
Zonnebeke and the graves marked as carefully as possible.” Sadly this war cemetery was lost during
subsequent action, consistent with many other graves on the Western Front.
Crown Copyright. 12 th Brigade Line 1 st -9 th May 1915. King’s Own occupied the central trenches throughout. The Hampshires
moved up to the Support Line at Wieltje Farm on 8 th May and relieved the King’s Own in the fire trench on 10 th May.
The 1 st King’s Own held the Wieltje line, between Shell Trap Farm and Canadian Farm from 1 st May.
The French infantry occupied the line to the left with 12th Brigade on the right.
At about 4.30pm on 2 nd May, the Germans launched a gas attack on Wieltje. The King’s Own held
their positions, but suffered many casualties. The German infantry then made a “half hearted”
assault on the British line, stopped by rifle and machine gun fire; but made progress to hold Listening
Patrol Farm, from where they were later ejected by a charge from the King’s Own. The Germans
returned to this Farm during the night and a patrol failed to dislodge them the next morning.

The German artillery bombardment continued heavy spells of fire and there were numerous
casualties. The War Diary entries for 6 th & 7 th May described an artillery bombardment for most of
each day.
View from the position of the centre of 4th Division along the front line to the position of
Canadian Farm in the middle ground and the 2 nd Essex Positions beyond. Taken from pond.
On 8 th May the 1 st King’s
Own remained in the Shell
Trap / Canadian Farm Line.
The War Diary described a
“Very heavy bombardment
of whole line began at 7am
and continued until 4pm.
The German assault to the
south of the Brigade made
some progress and it was
reported the village of
Wieltje was lost. Men from
East Lancs Regiment (11 th
Brigade) then took back
Wieltje and occupied
trenches north of the
village.”
Arthur Bell was killed in action on 8 th May. It is likely he was killed by the German shell fire in the
front line. Arthur was one of ninety three fatalities for the Battalion in the first two weeks of May.
Wieltje Farm Cemetery. Position of 4 th Div Support line and 1/Hants on 8 th May 1915
On the night of 10 th May,
the 1 st King’s Own were
relieved and withdrew to
dugouts at La Brique. By
strange coincidence, it was
the 1 st Battalion Hampshire
Regiment that took over
their positions; with Sidney
Johnson and his Battalion
moving up from Wieltje
Farm. The Hampshires had
been holding the 4 th Support
Line since 8 th May. The
German bombardment that
killed Arthur Bell also
caused significant casualties
on the Battalion.

The 1 st Hampshire’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel
Hicks, was fatally wounded on 8 th May 4 , with Major Pack taking
Command. There were also eighty men killed on the 8 th /9 th
May, and a further 80 wounded, with two missing. Six more
men were wounded on 10 th May when the Hampshires relieved
the King’s Own.
The German artillery continued to take its toll on 11 th and 12 th
May; when the War Diary notes enemy activity with rifle
grenades, which they silenced with trench mortars. The next
morning the bombardment began at 4am, with the War Diary
noting that the barrage moved to the second line at 5.50am, but
the heavy fire returned to the Hampshire’s positions at 6.05am.
Small parties of Germans advanced, but “half-heartedly”.
© IWM (HU 123325) Lt Col Hicks
fatally wounded 8 th May 1915 and died
in Guys Hospital in June 1915
“Shelling increased till 6.15 when for ¾ hour it was terrific. It continued, but in decreasing violence,
till 2pm when it gradually died away. D Company which suffered the most heavily was relieved by C
Company from Support trench. “
Sidney Johnson was amongst thirty four men reported in the 1 st Hampshire’s War Diary, as killed on
13 th May. He was probably killed by artillery fire, in the front line, or possibly the support trench at
Wieltje Farm. There were also fifty seven men wounded and three missing. The Battalion was
relieved on 16 th May with the Diary noting that Shell Trap Farm had changed hands twice with the
Hampshire’s knowledge.
Courtesy National Library of Scotland. Superimposed May 1915 trench line on 1917 trench map and modern satellite image.
4 The CO of 1 st Hampshires, Lt Col Frederick Richard Hicks, was fatally wounded on 8 th May 1915. He died in Guys Hospital, London on 12 th
June.

COMMEMORATING SIDNEY AND ARTHUR
The Soldier
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven
Rupert Brooke wrote this poem in 1914; and may have anticipated the ranks of Portland Stone war
graves that provide stark reminders of events in the Great War. It’s less likely Brooke envisaged the
extent of casualties that grace the Commonwealth Memorials to the Missing. The Thiepval
Memorial 5 commemorates more than 72,000 men who have no known grave in the battlefields of
the Somme. In Flanders, it is the Menin Gate that represents the casualties with no identified
resting place. Almost 54,400 men lie in unknown graves in Flanders; with their names inscribed on
the Memorial, forming the eastern entrance to the city they were defending. Sidney Johnson and
Arthur Bell are members of this multitude of men lying in that rich Belgium earth, but very much
remain “...some corner of field that is forever England.”
Every grave for an unknown
soldier tells a tale; and every
soldier commemorated on a
memorial to the missing has
their story. With the detailed
release of information to the
public, there are instances
where casualties and graves
become identifiable, or
connections can be made. At
the very least, the combination
of records can build a picture to
perpetuate the memory of
these men.
Looking along the line towards the ne Shell Trap Farm. Arthur & Sidney were killed
near here in May 1915 and may still be buried close by today
5 http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/80800/THIEPVAL%20MEMORIAL

SIDNEY JOHNSON AND CASUALTIES FROM THE 1ST HAMPSHIRES
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery. Graves of Pte C Williams & C Cooke with four Soldiers of the Hampshire Regiment. Known Unto God
CWGC records show thirty eight members of the 1 st Hampshires died on 13 th May. This compares
with the War Diary record of thirty four men killed on this day, with three men identified as missing.
The final casualty may have been Private 3/3981 Frederick Arthur Johnston. Frederick’s Medal Roll
shows he died of wounds on 13 th May, most likely wounded in earlier action. CWGC records confirm
he was originally buried a long distance behind the front, to the west of the City. His remains were
relocated to New Irish Farm Cemetery in the 1920s.
It is possible Sidney was one of the three men posted missing on 13 th May. There could be a range
of explanations for a missing notation on the Battalion Roll. A man may have been captured in the
“half-hearted” German attack, but there is no indication of this happening in the War Diary. 6
Courtesy CWGC Concentration records for 1 st Hants, Ypres Reservoir
Alternatively a soldier may have been
killed in a position where the unit had
passed through an area, or withdrawn
from a line, with no witness noticing
the casualty. It is most likely the
missing men were killed in the front
line and buried in the subsequent
bombardment or their bodies could not
be distinguished during the desperate
defence and withering bombardment.
Such a casualty may also have been
found later and buried with his
comrades, or elsewhere.
6 Seven members of the 1 st Battalion Hampshire Regiment died In Germany; and other Prisoners of War may have died captive in France,
Belgium, Holland etc. A number of concentration records have been found for Prisoners who died in German captivity in May 1915.

In addressing the CWGC records for 13 th July 1915, most men are commemorated on the Menin
Gate, with unknown resting places. There are only four members of the 1 st Hampshires killed in
action 7 on this day who have defined graves. These are all situated at Ypres Reservoir Cemetery and
relate to casualties who were relocated from the battlefields to be concentrated in the City.
The front line crossed this photo 100 yds short of the Hampshire Farm hedge line. 1st Hants battlefield burials
were to the left, in line with the flyover.
Concentration records were only recently published in 2014 and provide an excellent research
resource. The records identify the place where casualties were originally buried and the surrounding
schedules identify the burials and original grid reference of Unknown Soldiers. The combination
sometimes allows extrapolation for other conclusions.
Privates Wheeler, Cooke and Williams are identified on the same concentration sheet and re-buried
in the same row as each other at Ypres Reservoir Cemetery. The intervening five graves are marked
as Unknown Soldiers of the Hampshire Regiment, concentrated from the same grid reference at 28C.
22.a.7.8. This provides strong evidence that all eight men were killed on the same date, at the same
place and buried together by their Battalion. Private Harry Thatcher is buried nearby, relocated from
the same grid reference. The four identified men were relocated from graves 100m east of
Hampshire Farm in an area where Battalion Headquarters and the aid post may have been
positioned. It is notable that Harry Thatcher’s neighbouring grave is occupied Private Shergold from
the 1 st Hampshires, killed on 27 th April and also relocated from the Hampshire Farm area. The
Battalion was not close to this position on this date and it is a little surprising to find an early
casualty buried there. The anomaly also implies that some of the other Unknown Hampshire
Regiment men, concentrated at Ypres Reservoir Cemetery from Hampshire Farm, may not
necessarily have been killed on 13 th May.
7 Excluding Frederick Johnston, who died of wounds as above.

There are a total of twelve men relocated
to Ypres Reservoir Cemetery from the
same Grid Reference close to Hampshire
Farm and they are all identified as the
Hampshire Regiment 8 . It has been seen
that these men were killed on 13 th May or
other dates in the month. This means
Sidney may occupy one of the Unknown
Graves, but this is only a small possibility.
A Soldier of the Hampshire Regiment. Known Unto God
1916 British shell fuse from Listening Patrol Farm. Confirmation of
continuing hostilities in Wieltje
The adjoining Shell Trap Farm was
acknowledged as changing hands twice on
13 th May and this pattern continued in the
area and Ypres salient for a sustained
period. The continuing fighting explains
why the identifying markers on the
majority of graves were lost. With the
Identity tags being removed when the men
were buried, this solely left the wooden
crosses, which were vulnerable to the
continuing ravages of war. Private
Williams’ Regimental Cross was the only
one remaining near Hampshire Farm when
the graves were concentrated in 1921. A
section of cross was left for Private
Wheeler, but Privates Cooke & Shergold
were identified by the numerals stamped
on spoons they had kept in their pockets.
Harry Thatcher was identified by his comb.
It is noted that other graves were
relocated from Hampshire Farm to
Sanctuary Wood and Bedford House
Cemeteries, including an identified group
of 1 st Hampshires and a member of the
Lancashire Fusiliers of 12th Brigade. This
confirms that the Grave Registration Units
couldn’t identify all burials in the first or
second attempts.
8 1 st Battalion is assumed, but not confirmed, creating a further caveat.

ARTHUR BELL AND CASUALTIES FROM THE 1ST KING’S OWN
A Soldier of the King’s Own. Known Unto God, Courtesy
http://www.britishwargraves.co.uk/
Seventy five members of the 1 st Battalion King’s
Own Royal Lancaster Regiment died in the fortnight
commencing 1 st May 1915. In this group, sixty
three men are commemorated on the Menin Gate,
including all sixteen casualties killed in action in the
period the 1 st Battalion were in the line to 10 th May
1915. 9 The absence of known graves prevents
assessments of concentrated war graves,
equivalent to the Hampshires analysis.
Consideration of earlier casualties provides no
further assistance, but the subsequent death of
Private Henry Allen offers a possible connection.
Henry died on 13 th May 1915 and he is the sole
member of the 1 st King’s Own who was killed in
action in the first two weeks of May and has a
known resting place. Henry’s grave is situated in La
Brique Military Cemetery No. 2, close to the place
where the Battalion withdrew on 10 th May. La
Brique also provides graves for numerous
‘Unknown’ soldiers. However; concentration records provide no group of Unknown graves of King’s
Own men.
Evidence that the King’s Own men were properly buried, is provided in Service Records for a number
of individuals from the 1 st Battalion. Arthur Bell’s Service Record, together with at least three other
casualties in the period, shows they originally had military burials. These graves are all noted as
being 2 miles N.E. of Ypres with narrative for War Grave Commission Sheet 634/5.
CWGC have confirmed
they do not have Sheet
634, so we have no
indication where these
burials may have been
located. The graves or
markings may have been
destroyed by shell fire,
with the men remaining
beneath the Flanders
fields. Otherwise the
graves were relocated in
the 1920s, with none of
the men being identified
© National Archives. Arthur Bell Killed in Action & buried 2 miles NE of Ypres
9 Pte 3683 John Mulcahy died of wounds on 7 th May and Pte 2722 R Holt died of wounds in Boulogne on 8 th May 1915.

at that time. As such the group would be commemorated in one of the concentration cemeteries as
“A Soldier of the Great War”, possibly noting the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, if the
regiment had been identifiable from the remains.
It has been possible to review records from a series of concentration cemeteries – see
http://cefresearch.ca/wiki/index.php/The_Unknown. Ypres Reservoir Cemetery was the first place
to look, because there was a possibility that the Hampshires men had been buried after the King’s
Own men near Hampshire Farm. This was not the case.
Concentration records for New Irish Farm, Bedford House, Poelcapelle, have been considered, along
with a number of other cemeteries. These show burials for other members of the 4 th Division have
been concentrated to these locations, from the immediate area of the battlefield. Original burial
groups for the period were identified in Wieltje and Shell Trap Farm. South Lancs men and a group
of unknown Soldiers were buried in a May 1915 mass grave in the centre of the King’s Own trench
line. These were concentrated to Bedford House Cemetery in 1934.
Eight burials of known 1 st Hants men, killed on 11/12 th May, were relocated from the Hampshire
Farm area to Sanctuary Wood in 1931. Their names must have been etched in the Menin Gate,
when it was unveiled in 1928; although the current panels do not include this group. The later
exhumations confirm that the original removals from the battlefield cemetery in 1920/21, did not
include all graves in the area. It is quite reasonable to anticipate other King’s Own or Hampshire
men may remain beneath these fields.
Courtesy CWGC Concentration records for 1 st Hants, Sanctuary Wood
As yet, it has still not been possible to identify a group of unknown graves for King’s Own men.

SEEKING ARTHUR AND SIDNEY IN 2016
Military research can become tenuous; so clear focus is needed on limited interests and quests at
any one time. On the anniversary of their deaths, I hadn’t discovered Arthur as a relative and failed
to recall Sidney’s details from the plethora of other private research quests.
Arthur and Sidney’s names are inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing. Every
evening, at 8pm, the Last Post is played to commemorate the men on the Memorial and I witnessed
the ceremony for the first time in June 2015. Irrespective of personal connections, a visit to Ypres,
Flanders and battlefield sites is thoroughly recommended for visitors with an interest in history. The
first visit is always memorable, but the next was even better.
My second trip to Ypres on 1 st July 2016 was simply overpowering. At 8.30am that morning, we had
stepped forward in the Somme battlefield of Montauban 10 . With friends and family, we walked
forward in the footsteps of Grandad, exactly one hundred years after him and the 2 nd Manchester
Pals. We had a quiet commemoration of the First Day of the Battle of the Somme, but the personal
connection renders the morning’s events deeply memorable to all concerned 11 .
Heading north on my own, I decided to take advantage of the free time across the Channel and
popped in to see the Battlefield of Arras, walking in the steps of Grandad’s Pals 12 . After jousting with
the traffic near Lille, I arrived at the excellent campsite in Ypres just before reception closed. I then
rushed to pitch the tent before rushing over to the ramparts and briskly strolled alongside the moat
towards the Menin Gate.
With minutes to spare I found a spot to stand and
see the Last Post ceremony; and then found a
brief time to catch my breath with two minutes to
spare. I turned round to view the huge wall of
names looming over me and found Arthur Bell’s
inscription, immediately behind, eight feet above
my head. The haunting tones of the Last Post
became a private ceremony for two young men
who were killed two miles from the Menin Gate
one hundred and one years earlier. I found
Sidney’s name at first floor level when the drama
of the ceremony had subsided and a more calm
commemoration was possible.
Mixed in with a Belgium international football
game being broadcast throughout the City, I had
dinner and some incredibly strong lager. I also
The King’s Own Panel inside the Menin Gate. Arthur Bell’s
inscription is highlighted
10 https://17thmanchesters.wordpress.com/the-big-push/
11 https://17thmanchesters.wordpress.com/2016/07/03/centenary-of-the-liberation-of-montauban-1st-july-2016/
12 https://17thmanchesters.wordpress.com/afterwards/arras-hindenburg-line-heninel-23rd-april-1917/

visited Ypres Reservoir Cemetery 13 to pay respects to the members of Sidney’s Battalion, who were
killed on the same day. I then photographed some graves for Unknown Soldiers of the Hampshire
Regiment. It is possible Sidney was one of these, although the research indicates this may not
necessarily the case. 14
The Menin Gate from the Cloth House Bell Tower
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery
13 http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/9500/YPRES%20RESERVOIR%20CEMETERY
14 There is a firm recommendation for the British public to visit the sites of the Western Front. Perhaps advice should be extended to
avoid too many locations in one trip, also suggesting that visitors hold back from too many casualties in one go. The 1 st July Centenary was
excessive for one exhausted man in a tent in Ypres.

SIDNEY JOHNSON’S FAMILY
Sidney was born in Mile End,
East London on 18 th April 1889.
He was baptised in May 1889
with the name Sidney Leopold
Johnson and there is no
explanation for the alternative
name as Herbert which was
universally used on Military
records. His parents, George
and Elizabeth had at least nine
children, including the youngest
Frances, born in 1900 and eldest,
George, born 1885. The family
lived in West Ham in 1901.
George had married Elizabeth
Chaney at St Dunstan & All
Saint’s Church in Stepney on 17 th
September 1883. George and his
father, William, were rope
makers. By 1911 the family had
moved to 11 Dale Road, Canning
Town. Elizabeth lived there with
her five youngest children.
Hampshire Regiment panel inside the Menin Gate. Sidney Johnson’s inscription is
highlighted
Sidney’s third brother was
Spencer Alfred Johnson, who was
born in 1896. Spencer enlisted in
Pte Spencer Johnson in Egypt
1916. Courtesy Stu Higbee
Death Penny passed to sister Frances and her
grandson Stu
1/3 (Territorial) East Anglian Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) on 5 th June
1913, aged 17. He worked for Messrs Abram, Lyle & Sons in Silvertown and was still resident with his
mother at 71 Dale Road. His Regimental Number was 1874; later 477069. Spencer served as a Cook
in the RAMC and volunteered for Overseas Service on 3 rd September 1914. His medal records
indicate arrival in Egypt on 18 th December 1915, although Service Records suggest he arrived in
August 1915. The December date may relate to disembarking in Gallipoli. The 54 th East Anglian
Division had arrived at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli in August 1915, withdrawing to Cairo in February 1916.
Spencer received a Good Conduct Badge on 5 th August 1916. The Division moved on to fight in
Palestine and later served in Egypt again and then Lebanon 15 . Spencer embarked Home on 19 th
March 1919, arriving 4 th April. He may have contracted Malaria, but his Pension request was
rejected and he was disembodied on 5 th May 1919. Correspondence shows Spencer remained
resident at 71 Dale Road, Canning Town in July 1920. Spencer became a Policeman after leaving the
Army.
15 http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/54th-east-anglian-division/

Youngest brother, Stanley Oliver Johnson was born in August 1899 and enlisted in the Royal Navy on
19 th February 1917, aged 17 years 6 months but claiming 18 years. He trained at HMS Pembroke I
and went on to serve on HMS Grafton, Edgar, Europa, Egmont and Vivid I. During Stanley’s service
on HMS Edgar, the ship was damaged off Tunisia, by an attack from an Austro-Hungarian submarine,
SM U-29. Following repair the ship returned to Service.
No Military History has been found for older brothers, George William or Bertie Edwin Johnson.
Stanley Johnson 1916. Courtesy
Stu Higbee
HMS Edgar IWM Q 21207
Family records indicate this is
Sidney. He has a Grenadier Guards
cap badge. Courtesy Stu Higbee
Courtesy National Archives and http://maps.nls.uk/index.html War Diary plan with 1917 Trench Map and current satellite
view.

ARTHUR BELL’S FAMILY
Arthur’s sister Mrs Agnes Piggot acknowledged receipt of his medals in June 1921. This included the
1914 Star, with Clasp; Victory Medal and British War Medal. The Victory Medal is now held in the
Regimental Museum in Lancaster.
Arthur Bell’s inscription on the Menin Gate
The medals had previously
been posted to brother J W
Bell in April 1919 at 86
Church Street, Chester Road,
Hulme. This is where Arthur
lived when he was arrested
in 1910 and for the 1911
Census. Arthur was then a
wheelwright’s labourer.
Agnes was the eldest sister,
claimed to be next of kin and
received his Effects. This
amounted to a Letter, Photo,
Pocket Wallet and a Medal.
Soldiers Effects records show
the four sisters and brothers
received an equal share of
his estate.
Arthur’s father was George Bell, who was born in Manchester in 1848 as the youngest son of William
and Jane Bell. George’s eldest brother (21 years his senior) was my great, great grandfather, Andrew
Bell. Hence, George was my grandfather’s great uncle. My grandfather was also named Arthur; and
nine years younger than his cousin Arthur.
There are other resources 16 to find out
more about both Arthur Bells’ extended
family and Service in the Great War. Their
relatives Herbert Bell and Alf Ridge, were
casualties of the Machine Gun Corps and
Manchester Regiment respectively. Unlike
Arthur and Sidney, Herbert and Alf have
known graves in Palestine and Flanders. All
four men are not forgotten and we can still
pay respects to the lost casualties at the
Menin Gate.
Alf Ridge & Herbert Bell © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL
RIGHTS
16 https://17thmanchesters.wordpress.com/about/

THE GERMAN PERSPECTIVE
Langemark German Cemetery
Losses on the other side of the wire in Ypres
were also significant. German casualties
from 21 st April to 30 th May were recorded as
34,933 by the Official historians of the
Reichsarchiv. Many of these men have no
known grave, although a large number are
interred at Langemark German Cemetery 17 .
More than 44,000 men are buried here
including 25,000 in a mass grave. Just like
the Menin Gate, the extent of loss is hard to
envisage. To see a personal perspective, we
have photos of graves for men killed on the
days Arthur and Sidney were lost. It can be
seen that groups of men were interred in
each marked grave.
The Grave of Ludwig Pertchen, Willy Ritter & Ernst Benningr. Died 8 th May 1915 in the same battle as Arthur Bell
17 http://www.langemark-poelkapelle.be/toerisme-en/590-www/592-www.html

The Grave of Joseph Wilhelm, Karl Kolle & Willi Pfaff. Died 13 th May 1915 in the same battle as Sidney Johnson
Langemark Memorial inscriptions for Ernsst & Friederich Bell who are buried in the ‘comrades grave’

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