John Henry Atkin

John Henry Atkin was born in York, Yorkshire. Unfortunately, very little information has so far been discovered about his early life, and details concerning his family, childhood and occupation before the First World War remain uncertain.

During the First World War, John entered military service and served as a Private with the 14th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, popularly known as the Swansea Battalion.

John Henry Atkin
Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France
credit - findagrave

By the summer of 1918, the battalion was taking part in the final series of Allied offensives on the Western Front. John was killed in action on 27 August 1918, during this period of intense fighting.

His body was either not recovered from the battlefield or could not subsequently be identified, and consequently he has no known grave.

Private John Henry Atkin is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France.

Although much of John Henry Atkin's personal story remains unknown, the surviving record of his military service ensures that his sacrifice is remembered. His name, preserved on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, stands alongside those of thousands of other servicemen who lost their lives during the final Allied advances of 1918 and who have no known grave.