Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William Arnell was the youngest of 10 surviving children, (4 deceased), 6 sons and 4 daughters, born at Heworth, County Durham in 1887. His father was born 1842 in the village of Oxclose, near Washington, County Durham and his mother Dinah Porter, native of Windy Nook, near Gateshead was born 1844. They were married in the district of South Shields in 1884.
By 1871 they had moved to Heworth Colliery where James was employed as a colliery engine wright. Ten years later, now a mechanical engineer, he and the family were living at Engineers House, Heworth. Their son Thomas (15) was an apprentice joiner.
Aged 25 years in 1891 Thomas was fully qualified, his brother John (16) was a blacksmith’s apprentice, Robert (15) worked for a butcher, the younger children were scholars, William was only 4 years old.
Whilst living at Office Square some of the older members of the family had returned to live with their parents. Ruth (31) was a school mistress, Eleanor worked for her own account from home as a dressmaker and Bartholomew was a clerk at the colliery.
On March 10th 1906 James Arnell died aged 64 years. He left his effects in the sum of '1594 pounds 17 shillings 3 pence' to his son Thomas Arnell, engineer and spinster daughter Mary Arnell.
In the census of 1911 his widow Dinah was listed as a widow of “private means”. William now 24 years was an assistant Master employed by the County Council. They were now living at High Heworth, Felling. Dinah Arnell, nee Porter, died during the 1st Qtr. 1914 at Gateshead.
William Arnell enlisted at Felling July 10th 1915, assigned as Private 27631 20th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. After initial training close to home, they moved to Wensleydale in August and then to Barnard Castle in October. On January 1916, they joined the 123rd Brigade, 41st Division at Aldershot and departed to France, May 5th 1916 landing at Le Havre where the division concentrated between Hazebrouck and Bailleul. In 1916 they were in action at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette and the Battle of the Transloy Ridges on the Somme. In 1917 they fought in Belgium on the salient during the Battle of Messines, the Battle of Pilkem Ridge, the Battle of the Menin Road and took part in the Operations on the Flanders coast.
Having risen through the ranks Lance Corporal 27631 William Arnell, Durham Light Infantry, was killed and was reported by the Army as having died on or about July 3rd 1917, his whereabouts were unknown. After Armistice, in 1921, when the battlefields were being cleared, his remains were found in the Zillebeke area map ref. J.20.d.65.50. and identified by means of a spoon inscribed with his service details. He was brought into Bedford House Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, near Ypres, Belgium for reburial with all honour and reverence, along with 13 others of whom only 3 (including L/Cpl. Arnell) could be identified by name. He is at rest, enclosure 4, grave IV. E. 16. Of the 5,139 burials at Bedford House, enclosure 4 contains 3,324, almost two thirds of which are unidentified. Lance Corporal Arnell at the time of his demise was 30 years old and single.
All monies due to him were divided in equal parts between his 5 brothers and 4 sisters in the sum of 9 shillings 8 pence each. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Paula Arnell, living in London, has submitted the following:
Lance Corp. William Arnell was my Great Great Uncle, his nephew James Pearson Arnell (John Arnell's son) born 1898 was my grandfather.
James was with William at the battlefront and lost his uncle on the battlefield. He travelled with us to Ypres in 1971 to search for the grave of his uncle, but he and his son Frederick Arnell (my dad in 1921) weren't able to find it. My cousin Gerard Ward (son of Irene Arnell) has since found it and we have photos. He was also remembered on the family tombstone in Gateshead.
We are very proud of Uncle William and although granddad never spoke about the war, we know that losing his uncle in the battle was very hard on him.
My dad Frederick was in Burma in WW2 and was awarded the Burma Star which has since been lost.
I remember them both hugging and crying in the cemetery at Ypres. The only time I ever saw them so emotional. Two ordinary working men whose lives were forever changed by war.
William Arnell is remembered at Heworth on H92.03, H92.04 and H92.07 and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page 199
