Arthur Demery – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Able Seaman Arthur Demery – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Arthur Demery was born in 1897 in Swansea, the son of Robert Demery and Annie Weaver.

Family Background and Early Life

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Demery family were living at 59 Courtney Street, Swansea. Robert Demery (49) was employed as a stone mason, while his Bristol-born wife Annie (47) managed the household. Their children were Henry (24), a stone mason; William (20), a haulier; Eliza Ann (16), a dressmaker; Francis (15), an errand boy; Rose (12); Leyland (10); Emily (8); and Arthur (4).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved next door to 58 Courtney Street. Robert (59) continued working as a mason and Annie was 57. The children still at home were Annie (26), a dressmaker; Frank (25), a mason; Rose (22), a tailoress; Leyland (20), a clerk; Emily (18), a tailoress; and Arthur (14), who was employed as a tinhouse boy.

Military Service

Arthur enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and served as an Able Seaman with the Howe Battalion, Royal Navy Division. Like many men of the division, although naval in origin, he fought as infantry on the Western Front.

Death and Circumstances

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records 

The British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records confirm that Arthur Demery was killed in action on 22^nd July 1917.

At the time of his death, Howe Battalion was engaged on the Arras front, during the prolonged and attritional fighting that followed the main Battle of Arras earlier that year. The battalion operated in the sector around Athies, Rœux, and the Scarpe Valley, areas subjected to persistent German artillery fire and frequent harassing bombardments.

The battalion’s duties included holding front-line trenches, carrying out patrols, repairing damaged defences, and maintaining positions under constant threat. Losses were often caused by artillery shelling rather than major assaults, with men killed while occupying trenches or moving through communication routes.

Arthur Demery was buried close to where he fell and now rests at Point-du-Jour Military Cemetery, Athies, Pas-de-Calais, France, a cemetery established by front-line units during the Arras fighting.

Arthur Demery’s service and sacrifice reflect the heavy losses sustained by the Royal Navy Division during the demanding campaigns of 1917.