Arthur Bradley

War Service

Arthur enlisted at Bradford soon after the declaration of war on 4 August 1914.
The 1st Battalion the Prince of Wales’s Own West Yorkshire Regiment became part of the 18th Brigade in the 6th Division, a division of the original British Expeditionary Force, which landed at St Nazaire, France on 10 September 1914. The battalion was involved in numerous actions throughout 1914-1916. At the end of July 1916 the division was withdrawn for a short period having suffered11,000 casualties. However, in September Arthur’s battalion rejoined in the Battle of the Somme by attacking the German fortification known as the Quadrilateral.
Extracts from the war diaries of the 18th Brigade 6th Division – 1st Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment indicate that they were in trenches near Ginchy on 17 September 1916. At 5:50am on the morning of 18 September, along with other battalions of the division, the attack on the German fortification started. Arthur would not see another dawn.
Extracts from Battalion diaries state:
“By 6:45 the situation was as follows “A” Coy strongly established with 1 Lewis gun and two platoon at strong point, 250 yards in front QUADRILATERAL. Patrols had been sent out and touch obtained with the 20th Division. Left flank covered by two machine guns. “D” Coy consolidated and making 4 strong points. Heavy hostile shelling took place during the remainder of the day.
Captured 1 trench mortar, 1 machine gun, 100 prisoners
Casualties Killed, 1 Captain, 2 second Lieutenants and 10 other ranks.
Wounded 4 – 2nd Lieutenants and 93 other ranks.
Missing 1 Captain, 1 – 2nd Lieutenant and 38 other ranks.
The battalion was relieved by the 5th Division at 2am 18/19th relief completed by 4am.”
Records indicate Arthur was killed in action on 18 September 1916, aged 31.
A somewhat colourful description of the action on 23 September 1916 was reported in the Times newspaper.
“Quadrilateral, How It Was Captured, Stories of Individual Fighting
“The Times” correspondent; at head quarters describes the capture of the “Quadrilateral” redoubt, at Ginchy as a tough nut, encircled by a network of trenches, masses of barb wire, a deep wooded ravine heavily fortified and filled with dugouts. Assisting the defence were machine guns commanding the open ground. The redoubt resisted the first day’s attack. The troops fell back while the artillery re-battered it. Then the troops re-attacked with tremendous impetuosity. The defenders fought stubbornly in a ferocious hand-to-hand struggle. Meanwhile another attack southwards broke in by irresistible bayoneting. One hundred and seventy prisoners were taken. Many bolted into dugouts and refused to surrender, necessitating their being bombed out. Amazing stories were told of individual fighting along the whole front. One officer tackled a great Hun and bayoneted him five times before killing him. The officer was wounded in the shoulder and had his jaw broken.”
Sergeant Arthur Bradley is remembered with honour and now lies within Guards’ Cemetery, Lesboeufs, France.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission state “There are now 3,136 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 1,643 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 83 soldiers known or believed to be buried among them.”

Family Life

Arthur was born on 11 February 1885 in Leeds, living in the Tong area around the Leeds/Bradford boundary during his childhood years.
At the age of 16 years Arthur worked underground in a coal mine employed as a hurrier. He lived with his mother Sarah Elizabeth and his older sister Kate at 25, Tong Street, Bradford. Possibly Arthur moved away from the area of his birth to live in Altofts to find work at Pope and Pearson West Riding Colliery. He also found a wife and on 20 May 1908 Arthur married Dinah Jones of Altofts at Saint Mary Magdalene Church. After the wedding they lived at 8, Charles Street, Altofts where, nearly two years later, their son Edwin was born on 1 May 1910, followed by their daughter Lucy in 1912. Sadly, during this time Arthur and Dinah also suffered the death of another child.
In 1911 Arthur worked at the coalface as a hewer. Later he joined the 1st Battalion the Prince of Wales’s Own West Yorkshire Regiment. The battalion was a regular army battalion, it is possible that Arthur had been in the regular army at some point prior to his enlisting in Bradford soon after the declaration of war on 4 August 1914.