Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Actions in Spring 1916 covers a number of non specific actions on the Western Front in the period February to the end of June 1916. Much of this period concerned the build up to the Battle of the Somme, particularly the acclimatisation of the Service Battalions (Kitchener Volunteers) to trench routine. As the Battle of the Somme occupied the plans for 1916 no significant efforts were made in other sectors. Many of the casualties could be considered 'routine'. During the period December to June 1916 5845 British soldiers died in 'minor trench operations'.

Detail :

Joined from 1st University Battalion July 28 1915. Died of wounds received near Kemmel on 18th Feb 1916 WAR DIARY Feb. 15. Relieved 49th in Kemmel trenches. Feb. 18. Wet. Artillery quiet. Considerable sniping from Peckham and other points along the line. Put out a considerable amount of wire in front of front line trenches. One man wounded on covering party. Feb. 19. Sniping very active. One corporal killed and man slightly wounded by snipers located at Peckham. Our men cannot reach the enemy at this point and their fort which is very strong, needs smashing up with big guns. Hear that the man wounded last night has died of wounds.(That would be Arthur Parlett) The attached photo shows the Spanbroekmolen crater. The German fire trench ran roughly along the track in the foreground and up to Spanbroekmolen. The snipers who did for Private Parlett wold have been firing from that high ground down towards the Kemmel - Wytschaete road which is to the right in the valley floor (out of picture). The other picture is the crater at Peckham created when the Messines mines were blown in June 1917. and is looking back towards Wytschaete where you can see the church tower. Its one example of being able to tie in the story to within a few yards and if you go there you can see how the Germans dominated the area and why the PPCLI were so vulnerable to sniping. His Attestation papers are attached. Interesting that he had 3 years previous with the Northumberland Fusiliers and was still a student at 24. Also second name Edgar, or another transcription error? Sources; PRINCESS PATRICIA'S CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY 1914-1919 Published 1923

Masonic :

Listed as Arthur Edgar Parlett in the register of the Lodge of St. Hilda in 1912. He is a 22 year old Clerk, resident at South Shields. The contribution record betray confusion to his status as he was in arrears between 1913 and 1914. The columns for 1914 and 1915 have had the arrears erased and overwritten with w.s. (war service) and a note that Arthur had been Excluded under Rule 175, is struck-through and replaced by "Killed in action at Ypres about Feb 26. 1916." In his masonic career he advanced no further than that of Entered Apprentice.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley