Arthur's story
Arthur Rowland Groom
Corporal, B/200443, 10th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
Formerly, Private, 29517, 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
Born: Raunds, 16 April 1891
Died of Wounds: 9 March 1917
Arthur Groom was born in Raunds on the 16th April 1891, the second of six children of Charles and Sarah Jane Groom, whose family home was at 25 Lawson Street.
He was employed as a clerk by the Raunds Distributive Co-Operative Society. The Wesleyan Church played a big part in his life, prior to enlisting he was “Horse Hire Fund” treasurer for the church.
He enlisted with his best pal, John Brackley Higby, in the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment at Ampthill in May 1916. The boys were engaged to two of the Barnes sisters from
Woodford and to complete the trio of romantic couples, John’s younger brother, Ralph, courted Arthur’s sister, Edith (usually known by her middle name of Beulah). Although Arthur and John were soon parted after enlisting they both died within 6 days of one another. Ralph also became a casualty of the war, killed in action less than two months after his brother and Arthur.
Arthur was originally Private, 29517 but transferred to the 10th Battalion Rifle Brigade and was allocated a new service number B/200443.
A series of letters and cards, which have survived, sent home to his mother and sister between September 1916 and February 1917 reveal
he was a thoughtful, intelligent man with strong Christian principles. In these correspondents he vividly describes his feelings towards the war, the conditions he had to somehow cope with and we can establish with aid of the war diaries his movements from his first night overlooking the sea, most probably Boulogne, to where he received his fatal wounds in the front line trench at Les Boeufs. Arthur’s “Field Medical Card”shows that he arrived from the 61st Field Ambulance on Thursday, 8 March 1917. The “Wound” and “Condition” sections suggest that he had multiple gunshot wounds (GS.4 ?). On the reverse it records that he received a quarter of a gram of Morphine at 10.50pm with the added remark “will not require redressing for ? hours.” He died the next day 9 March 1917.
Corporal Arthur Rowland Groom lies buried close to the large stone “Cross of Sacrifice” in the Grove Town Commonwealth War Grave
Commission Cemetery, Meaulte, France. He is also commemorated on his parents' gravestone in Raunds Wesleyan Chapel yard and named on the Raunds War memorial.
Thanks go to Linda Groom of Wollaston, Northants for the research into Arthur's war time career and the full transcripts of Arthur’s letters can be read on The Raunds War Memorial Research Group web site (www.raundswarmemorials.org) – an excellent and very informative project.
Corporal, B/200443, 10th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
Formerly, Private, 29517, 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
Born: Raunds, 16 April 1891
Died of Wounds: 9 March 1917
Arthur Groom was born in Raunds on the 16th April 1891, the second of six children of Charles and Sarah Jane Groom, whose family home was at 25 Lawson Street.
He was employed as a clerk by the Raunds Distributive Co-Operative Society. The Wesleyan Church played a big part in his life, prior to enlisting he was “Horse Hire Fund” treasurer for the church.
He enlisted with his best pal, John Brackley Higby, in the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment at Ampthill in May 1916. The boys were engaged to two of the Barnes sisters from
Woodford and to complete the trio of romantic couples, John’s younger brother, Ralph, courted Arthur’s sister, Edith (usually known by her middle name of Beulah). Although Arthur and John were soon parted after enlisting they both died within 6 days of one another. Ralph also became a casualty of the war, killed in action less than two months after his brother and Arthur.
Arthur was originally Private, 29517 but transferred to the 10th Battalion Rifle Brigade and was allocated a new service number B/200443.
A series of letters and cards, which have survived, sent home to his mother and sister between September 1916 and February 1917 reveal
he was a thoughtful, intelligent man with strong Christian principles. In these correspondents he vividly describes his feelings towards the war, the conditions he had to somehow cope with and we can establish with aid of the war diaries his movements from his first night overlooking the sea, most probably Boulogne, to where he received his fatal wounds in the front line trench at Les Boeufs. Arthur’s “Field Medical Card”shows that he arrived from the 61st Field Ambulance on Thursday, 8 March 1917. The “Wound” and “Condition” sections suggest that he had multiple gunshot wounds (GS.4 ?). On the reverse it records that he received a quarter of a gram of Morphine at 10.50pm with the added remark “will not require redressing for ? hours.” He died the next day 9 March 1917.
Corporal Arthur Rowland Groom lies buried close to the large stone “Cross of Sacrifice” in the Grove Town Commonwealth War Grave
Commission Cemetery, Meaulte, France. He is also commemorated on his parents' gravestone in Raunds Wesleyan Chapel yard and named on the Raunds War memorial.
Thanks go to Linda Groom of Wollaston, Northants for the research into Arthur's war time career and the full transcripts of Arthur’s letters can be read on The Raunds War Memorial Research Group web site (www.raundswarmemorials.org) – an excellent and very informative project.