William David Arthur

William David Arthur was born in Bridgwater, Somerset, around 1896, the son of George Arthur and Hannah Doming.

George Arthur and Hannah Pople
marriage certificate
St John the Baptist Church, Eastover, Bridgwater

His parents had married in 1872 at St John the Baptist Church, Eastover, Bridgwater. Hannah had previously been married to a man named Pople and was a widow at the time of her marriage to George Arthur.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Arthur family was living at 12 Mary Street, Treharris, Merthyr Tydfil. George, aged 50 and born in Bridgwater, Somerset, was employed as a colliery repairer. By this time he was recorded as a widower, indicating that Hannah had died before the census was taken.

George had a large family. Those recorded in the household included his married daughter, Mrs Phipps, aged 28, who was acting as housekeeper; Herbert W., aged 24, who worked as a coal miner and shearer; Frederick G., aged 22, a colliery repairer; Maggie, aged 12; May, seven; William D., five; Dorothy, three; and Richard, aged two.

Also present in the household was a boarder, Phillip Walden, aged 22 and born in Devon, who was employed as a colliery repairer. George's cousin, Mabel Evans, aged 20 and born in Cardiff, was also living with the family.

1911 Census

A decade later, the 1911 Census found the Arthur family still residing at 12 Mary Street, Treharris. George, now aged 60, was employed underground as a coal-mine labourer.

Four of his children remained at home. Maggie was aged 21, while William, recorded as aged 17, was already working underground as a collier's boy. Dorothy, aged 15, was employed as a dressmaker, while Richard, aged 12, was still attending school.

William's early working life was therefore spent in the coal-mining industry of South Wales. Like many young men from the mining communities of the valleys, however, the First World War was to take him away from his home and ultimately to the battlefields of France.

William entered the British Army and initially served with the South Wales Borderers. He was later transferred to the 14th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, popularly known as the Swansea Battalion, with which he served as a Private.

William was killed in action on 4 September 1918, during the final months of the First World War. His body was either not recovered or could not subsequently be identified, and he therefore has no known grave.

William David Arthur
Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France
credit - findagrave

Private William David Arthur is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France.

There is, however, a notable discrepancy concerning William's age. The census records indicate that he was born around 1895–1896, which would have made him approximately 22 or 23 years old when he was killed. In contrast, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records his age as 30.

The reason for this difference remains uncertain. Discrepancies in ages and dates of birth are not unusual in records from this period, and further evidence would be required to establish why William's official commemoration records him as being several years older than the census evidence suggests.

William David Arthur's life began in Somerset but became firmly rooted in the South Wales mining community of Treharris. As a young man, he worked underground in the coal industry before entering military service, first with the South Wales Borderers and later with the 14th Battalion, Welsh Regiment.

He was killed on 4 September 1918, little more than two months before the Armistice brought the fighting to an end. With no known grave, William's name is preserved on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial as a lasting record of his service and sacrifice.