LEATHERHEAD WAR MEMORIALS - WWI

Private Henry Arthur Duffield
1st/15th Bn. London Regiment
(Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles)

Town Memorial P2.R3.C3.


Civil Service Rifles

Taken, Not Given

Pte
Arthur H Duffield
2nd East Surrey Regt [sic]
Somme
Oct 28 1916 [sic]

[Liam Sumption's rigorous checking set out below concluded that the details of Arthur Duffield's inscription on the memorial were not accurate. Further research has found it to be incorrect on unit and date]

The War Memorial places Arthur Duffield in the 2nd. Bn. However he could not have been serving with the 2nd. Bn. on the date given and on the Somme, because the 2nd. were by that date in Salonika

The May 1915 issue of the Parish magazine (1) lists him as 5th. Bn., but they had already departed for India in 1914.

The December 1916 issue of the Parish magazine attributed Arthur Duffield to the 7th, Bn. (2). However this seems improbable for a number of reasons. First his name appears nowhere on the list of casualties compiled on the disbandment of the 7th. in 1918 (see the entry regarding Pte.William Bussey, October 4 1915). Even if he had died of wounds in that unit a little earlier than 28 Oct his name remains unlisted, particularly amongst the heavy casualties of 10th October. The list is very helpful because it lists dead and wounded in chronological and alphabetical order.

Another reason is that on 28 October 1916, the 7th. Surreys were out of the line at Beaumetz-les-Loges and the War Diary states “parades and courses all day" and notes the award of decorations in the afternoon.

A check of the War Diary of the 8th. Bn. shows that they sustained no casualties that day, and his name is not given amongst those sustained by the 9th. Bn.

This leaves the 1st., 12th. and 13th. Bns. East Surreys.

The 12th. Bn. had sustained heavy losses on 7 October and had to be reorganised.
The 13th. Bn. was not an action, but the 1st. Bn. was in the line.

The War Diary places them GUINCHY and on the 23rd October refers to a morning bombardment of their positions and that two casualties had been sustained, also two the previous day. The nature of the casualties is not described. This might this might provide the answer unless wounds were sustained earlier in another battalion or else at Salonika and not France.

However the attribution of Arthur Duffield to the 7th. Bn., and the failure to mention Salonika infers that he was actually killed or died of wounds in France and the East Surreys confirm France and Flanders as the place of death (the War Diaries of the various battalions of the East Surreys are listed in Notes on sources). (3)

We know little about Arthur Duffield. Records of the Queens (4) give his full Christian names as Arthur George Robert and state that he was born in Dulwich (Kent) and enlisted at Kingston upon Thames. [This East Surreys soldier was a different Arthur Duffield. Cpl AGR Duffield 2542 was killed 27 March 1918].

Also, the Parish magazine issue records his death and that he had sung in the church choir.

Notes on sources
1. Parish magazine of St Mary and St Nicholas, Leatherhead, issue of May 1915 (courtesy of Mr L Anstee of the parish).
2. Parish magazine of St Mary and St Nicholas, Leatherhead. issue of December 1916.
3. Files W095 – War Diaries of the East Surreys
1st. Bn. Battalion 1579, 7th. Bn. 1862, 8th. Bn. 2050, 9th. Bn. 2215, 12th. Bn. 2639, 13th. Bn. 2612
4. Regimental Records of the Queens, Clandon Park, Surrey.

Further research

Private
DUFFIELD, HENRY ARTHUR
Service Number 7007
Died 22/10/1916
1st/15th Bn.
London Regiment (Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles)
Commemorated at YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Location: West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Cemetery/memorial reference: Panel 54.

According to Soldiers Died in the Great War he enlisted at Wimbledon.

The circumstances of his death were related by one of his close friends:

Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser
Saturday 04 November 1916
LEATHERHEAD AND THE WAR
PTE. H. A. DUFFIELD KILLED.
The news has also been received this week of the death in France of Pte. H. A. Duffield, a grandson of Mr. Harvey, The Crescent, Leatherhead.

A comrade wrote as follows, under date of Oct. 26th:—
“It with the keenest possible regret that I write to tell you that Arthur made the supreme sacrifice Sunday last. He, with us, was temporarily attached to the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Co., and on the morning in question we were engaged in rescuing from an exploded mine some of our fellows who were entombed. We were in a crater endeavouring to dig through the mine when the enemy attacked, and being without arms we were forced to retire, and it was while retiring that poor Arthur was killed. Mercifully the bullet struck a vital part, and he could have suffered no pain, as death must have been instantaneous. I am sorry it was impossible to rescue any his personal effects, but as you can well imagine, we were in a very tight corner.

I need hardly tell you that we mourn his loss very deeply. Dear old Duff, as he was affectionately known, was loved and respected by us all. From the time we came to France, he and I have been the closest of friends — almost like brothers, in fact — and I feel a very keen sense of personal loss. And now, not only on my behalf, but on behalf of all who knew him. may I offer you our deepest and heartfelt sympathy in your bereavement and express the hope that God will sustain and comfort you all at this very sorrowful time."

Pte. Duffield was only seventeen when he joined the East Surrey Territorials at the outbreak of war. His training was undergone at Wimbledon, Windsor, Tonbridge, and finally Reigate. On proceeding to France a short time since he was attached to the London Regiment, and afterwards to the Tunnelling Company.

Previous to joining he was employed as a clerk at Messrs. Peto and Radford's, Ashtead. Deceased was held in high esteem by a large circle of friends, being of a retiring disposition, but a very genial companion. He was a regular attendant at the evening school, and at the outbreak of the war he had won an evening school scholarship for training at a technical school. He had to throw this up when the call went out for men for the Army, but although he has not lived take it up, Mr. Burgess (the head master) had made arrangements for the scholarship to stand over until his return from the war.

Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser
Saturday 11 November 1916

PTE. H. A. DUFFIELD.

As announced our last week's issue, Pte. H. A. Duffield, the adopted son of Mr. Harvey, The Crescent, Leatherhead, was killed in action on October 22nd. He was only 17 when he joined the East Surrey Territorials on the outbreak of the war.

On proceeding to France he was attached to the London Regiment, and afterwards to the Canadian Tunnelling Company. Previous to joining he was employed as clerk at Messrs. Peto and Radford’s, Ashtead.

Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser
Saturday 30 December 1916
ROLL OF HONOUR.
BRAVE SURREY MEN FALLEN IN THE WAR.
LEATHERHEAD AND DISTRICT
OCTOBER
DUFFIELD, Pte. H. A.. London Regiment (attached to Canadian Tunnelling Company, killed in action, adopted son of Mr. Harvey, The Crescent, Leatherhead.

Leatherhead Parish Magazine, December 1916

FOR KING AND COUNTRY.
The following have given their lives for the great cause :—
Oct. 29. Arthur Henry Duffield, 7th R. Queen’s W. Surrey, killed in action in Flanders.
Nov. 6. James William Tickner, 7th R. Queen’s W. Surrey, killed in action in Flanders.

A. H. Duffield was a member of the Parish Church Choir from 1909 to 1914.

Sadly, it would seem that having been forced to leave Arthur's body in the crater, as described above, it was never recovered.

His name is on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, often referred to simply as the Menin Gate, which bears the names of more than 54,000 soldiers who died in Belgium and have no known grave. Between October 1914 and September 1918 hundreds of thousands of servicemen of the British Empire marched through the town of Ypres's Menin Gate on their way to the battlefields.

The memorial now stands as a reminder of those who died who have no known grave and is perhaps one of the most well-known war memorials in the world.

His life

The press reports above state Arthur was an adopted child and a grandson of Mr Harvey, of The Crescent, Leatherhead.

Arthur Henry Duffield was baptised on August 27 1905, not in the parish where he was living, Leatherhead, but at  St Paul's Church, Woking, Surrey. The Baptism Register entry notes he was aged 8, making his birth year about 1897. No father was recorded and the mother was simply stated as Emily, with 3 The Crescent, Leatherhead as the abode.

For his early life we need to follow his adoptive parents, Edward and Jemima Harvey, in the Census records.

Edward Milan Harvey was born in Clerkenwell, London on 19 August 1840. He was aged 7 when baptised on 7 March 1847 at St Peter's Camden Town, Middlesex. His life was as a Saddler/Harness Maker.

Jemima Opie was born in 1841 in Perranwell, Truro, Cornwall.

They married on 11 August 1863 at Perran-ar-Worthal, Truro, Cornwall, very close to Perranwell. On the entry in the Marriage Register he was 23, a Saddler, and she was 22.

The other children apart from Arthur in Edward & Jemima Harvey's households were, compiled from Censuses:

Edward M Harvey b abt 1865
Mary Ellen Harvey b abt 1866
Annie Amelia Harvey b abt 1867
Elizabeth Jemima Harvey b abt 1869
Henry Charles Harvey b abt 1871
Jane Ann Harvey b abt 1873
William James Harvey b abt 1874 b Great Bookham, Surrey
Louisa Harvey b abt 1878 b Great Bookham, Surrey
Alfred George Harvey b abt 1881
Florence Emily Harvey b abt 1884

Edith Opie Harvey baptised 21 November 1875 at St Nicolas, Great Bookham, died 1879, is buried in Leatherhead Parish Churchyard.

The Harveys were listed at the following addresses locally whilst Arthur was with them:

1901 Census: Arthur 3: 3 Romilly Cottages, The Crescent, Leatherhead
1905 Baptism Entry: Arthur 8: 3 The Crescent, Leatherhead.
1911 Census: Arthur 13: 3 The Crescent, Leatherhead
         (the others enumerated were Edward, Jemima and their married daughter, Jane Bristow aged 38)

The Electoral Registers show that Edward Harvey was registered at The Crescent from 1886. In the 1871 Census Edward (30), Jemima and five of their children were enumerated at one of the Humphrey Cottages in Church Road, Leatherhead. Possibly they also lived for a short time in Great Bookham as some of the children were born/baptised there (1875-78).

Arthur was a bright and diligent boy. In a report in the Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser of Saturday 10 October 1914, Arthur was one of four lads at the Leatherhead Evening Continuation School who successfully entered for the Surrey County Council competitive examination for art and technical exhibition, enabling them to proceed to Dorking Technical Institute for higher education. He was also one of the prizewinners for best composition essays and attendance. We also know that he sang in the Parish Church Choir for five years until aged about 17.

His adoptive parents - who were also apparently his grandparents - did not long survive him:
Edward Harvey's death at the age of 76 in December 1916 was registered at Edmonton, Middlesex.
Jemima Harvey's death at the age of 76 was registered at Epsom in September 1917.

As well as on the Ypres Memorial he is remembered on these memorials
Leatherhead Town Memorial
Leatherhead RBL Roll of Honour, Leatherhead Parish Church
Ladies War Shrine, Leatherhead Parish Church
Church Lads Brigade Memorial Tryptich, All Saints Leatherhead
Surrey in the Great War
the website editor would like to add further information on this casualty
e.g. other photos of him, his name on the Menin Gate, and any recollections of him

last updated 18 Jul 20