Arthur William Pentelow

Corporal, Royal Fusiliers

15, Class IV A Lower: 'Intellectually good.'

Arthur William Pentelow lived at 51 Kings Court Road, Stratham with his parents, Arthur and Annie, and his sister, Ethel. He was a student at Alleyn’s until 1904 and later found work as a drapes salesman. Before the outbreak of war, Arthur volunteered with the British Territorial Force as part of the Royal Fusiliers and served with the 9^th City of London Battalion. He served with the TF until 1913 and gained a considerable amount of military experience during this time. This was put to good use when Arthur decided to enlist in the TF again after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. After being found fit for service, Arthur re-joined the Royal Fusiliers and 9^th Battalion on August 31^st 1914. He left England for the Western Front in November 1914 and served in France with his regiment throughout December. After serving in France, Arthur returned home to serve in England for a brief period in 1915. During this time, he received a promotion to Corporal and by February 1917, he was overseas again in France as the British prepared for the launch of the Arras and Messines operations. As the Fusiliers prepared for the attack, Arthur was wounded in action on June 24^th 1917. He made a quick recovery and was able to continue serving on the Western Front until his regiment was transferred back to England in November 1917. He returned to France again in 1918 and served with the Royal Fusiliers overseas until the end of the war. For his wartime service, he received the 1914-15 Star and the British War and Victory Medal.