A book being written for Honley Civic Society will reveal what happened to villagers who lost their lives in World War One.
But it’s thrown up something of a riddle which its author, Peter Marshall, hopes Examiner readers may be able to solve.
He said: “It is curious in that the lady in the centre of the photo is Annie Newsome of Lower Fold in Honley who lost two sons, Fred and Willie, in the autumn of 1916 and she is photographed with one of the soldiers, Arthur Procter, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in August 1916. You can see his medal on his coat and it turns out Arthur was the first British soldier to be decorated with the Victoria Cross on the battlefield.
Arthur came from Liverpool and was buried in Sheffield Cathedral but what we don’t know is why the two are in the same picture, who the others are and where it was taken? It looks like a studio, but is it in Huddersfield, Holmfirth or where?”
Peter has researched Arthur and discovered that he survived the war and died in 1973.
He was born in Bootle on August 11, 1890 and educated at Port Sunlight and Exeter.
In the book Forgotten Voices Victoria Cross by Roderick Bailey which was published in 2010 the author secured the testimony of Second Lieutenant Ernest Hare who served with the 14th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment. Ernest said that Arthur was an orphan and had participated in his father’s Bible Class. He was always “religiously inclined” but it was through Ernest’s father that Arthur landed his first job in the Liverpool Provision Exchange Market as a wholesale provision grocer. He seems to have been close to the Hare family as he frequently stayed with them.
He then goes on to state that Arthur contracted pneumonia in May 1914 and when he tried to enlist in August 1914 he was turned away, but did eventually enlist three months later as a stretcher bearer with the 1/5th Battalion, the King’s (Liverpool) Regiment; Territorial Forces.
Ernest then goes on to recount what Arthur told him about that day when his actions led to the award of the VC.
“I walked up and down the trench and I heard the groans of the wounded from the shell holes and it was dreadful. I could not stand it any longer. I either had to hop it or go after them – and if he’d hopped it he’d have been court-martialled,” said Arthur.
So he climbed on the fire-step and he was through the wire and those that were alive he bound their wounds the best he could. The Germans were firing at him and at dusk he took another party and brought them in.
Arthur then recalled how he heard of the award.
About a fortnight later he was summoned to the colonel’s HQ, and in the presence of a staff officer was told to clean his buttons as he was going on a little journey with Captain Williams. He was driven 25 miles to a small village where he saw a parade. When the car stopped he saw General Haig. He walked across and “stiffly saluted him but Haig shook his hand and said “His Majesty is here Proctor, He would like to see you” Arthur went across to the King who put his hand out and said “I’m glad to meet you my boy, I’ve got something for you.”
He then pinned the Victoria Cross on Arthur’s tunic. Haig then said to the Arthur that he realised that he had undergone a terrible experience but he asked Arthur to go back to his unit and show his VC to them. He then said that the captain would then take him to Boulogne as he was going back home for a month’s leave!
In the supplement to the London Gazette dated August 5, 1916 the following citation appears, awarding Arthur the Victoria Cross.
‘The award was for his actions on 4th June, 1916, near Ficheux (south of Arras in the Pas de Calais region of France). Arthur noted some movement on the part of two wounded men who were lying in full view of the enemy about 75 yards in front of the British trenches. On his own initiative and under heavy enemy fire he ran and crawled to the two men, got them under cover of a small bank, dressed their wounds and promised that they would be rescued after dark. He left them warm clothing and then returned to the British lines again under heavy and sustained fire. The two wounded soldiers were rescued at dusk.’
After Ficheux, Arthur fought on the Somme as well as Neuve Chapelle, Festubert, Givenchy and Arras.
On his return to Liverpool Arthur received a hero’s welcome, being paraded through the streets and given a gold watch. Ernest was with him at the time even though Arthur was not supposed to travel with an officer but in addition to the watch he received a cheque for £600.
In 1918 Arthur married Hilda Codd in Birkenhead and a year later they had a son also called Arthur. He returned to his old occupation of wholesale grocer but at sometime around 1925 Arthur decided to pursue a new vocation and start practice for entry into the church. He was ordained in 1927.
During the 1930s he was vicar of St Stephens Church, Bennett Street, Hyde. In the Second World War he served as a chaplain in the Royal Air Force and after leaving the services in 1946 became Rector of St Mary’s Church in Droylsden near Manchester.
In 1951 he moved to St Peter’s Church in Claybrook, Leicester. Between 1963 and 1965 he was vicar at the parish church in Bradworthy, Devon but he finally moved to Sheffield where he died in January 1973 aged 82.
The reason for his move to Sheffield was quite simply retirement. He spent the last years of his life in a bungalow for retired clergymen.
Anyone who can help should contact Peter at pfmarshall@hotmail.com
Click here to take you back to more Lifestyle news .
To follow us on Twitter click here
