160370 Sapper Frank Aldworth, Royal Engineers

A Military History of the Aldworth Family
With Special Accounts of the Service of

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MInstRE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
June 2022

The accounts of the lives of the Aldworth brothers, Frank and Arthur, were written using information obtained from members of their family, and from military historical sources, both official and unofficial. As is not uncommon with research of this type, attempts to obtain military service records from the Ministry of Defence met with that all too familiar response: “Unfortunately, a large proportion of the records of soldiers who served during the period 1914-20 were totally destroyed by enemy air action in 1940 and it is very probable that those of the above named were among them".

Since much needed details could not be obtained from the service records of the Aldworth brothers, it was necessary to reconstruct their actions during the war from the service records of their units and from much valuable information provided by family members.

Family members were able to provide a number of personal details about Frank and Arthur, especially during the early years of their lives. In addition, the many photographs supplied by their nieces Elizabeth Aldworth and Molly Darling provided clues to some of their activities prior to joining the Royal Engineers. However, the bulk of the information presented in this account is based on the service of the companies to which Frank and Arthur were assigned.

The reconstruction of Frank Aldworth's military service was somewhat easier and more comprehensive than Arthur's. This is due in great part to the fact that the 56th Field Company to which Frank was assigned was a Regular Army unit, and therefore, in the minds of the historians of the period, deserving of more attention. The month to month and battle to battle experiences of the 56th Field Company have been documented to a much greater extent than those of Arthur's unit, the 11th Divisional Signal Company. Additionally, due to the nature of their work, the Field Companies generally received more attention than the Signal Companies, since there seemed to be more glamour associated with field engineering than with communications work.

Finally, it is the author's feeling that this narrative would not be complete if some attention were not given to the Aldworth family itself, and the sacrifices which it made for King and Country during the difficult years between 1914 and 1918. While the work essentially concerns itself with the lives of Frank and Arthur, it should be made clear that the Aldworth family of Abingdon, Berkshire sent six sons off to that terrible war. Although Frank and Arthur made the supreme sacrifice, the service of William, Richard, Osman, and Tom cannot be forgotten. As much as is known of their military service will be presented as well.

Figure 1. William and Charlotte Ann Aldworth and their 10 Children in 1914.
(Photograph courtesy of Roger Gittins)

The photograph above shows the Aldworth family in 1914 just before the start of the Great War. The father, William Aldworth (1854-1924), was born on 10 December 1854 in Abingdon, Berkshire. He was a baker and confectioner in Abingdon when he married Charlotte Ann Pearce (1857-1932) on 26 March 1877. The Aldworths resided at 15 West St. Helen Street in Abingdon[i] just prior to the start of the Great War of 1914-1918 and between the years 1879 and 1898 they had ten children; William (‘Bill’) (1879-1968), George (1880-1934), Richard (‘Dick’) (1882-?), Rhoda (1883-1973), Osman (1884-1974), Frank (1887-1918), Tom (1888-1952), Annie (1892-?), Arthur (1897-1918), and Elsie ‘Fanny’ (1898-1979).[ii]

As this narrative is concerned primarily with the military service of the two men who served in the Royal Engineers, Frank and Arthur Aldworth, the early years of the family will be discussed following their dates of births. Frank is the first of the two to have been born so the 1891 Census of England is the first document of interest regarding the early years of the Aldworth family.

Address: 7 Ock Street, Abingdon, Berkshire
Name and Surname	Relation	Marital Status	Age	Profession or Occupation	Birthplace
William Aldworth	Head	Married	36	Baker	Abingdon, Berkshire
Charlotte Aldworth	Wife	Married	34	Machinist	Abingdon, Berkshire
George Aldworth	Son		15	Scholar	Abingdon, Berkshire
William Aldworth	Son		11	Errand Boy	Abingdon, Berkshire
Richard Aldworth	Son		9	Scholar	Abingdon, Berkshire
Rhoda Aldworth	Daughter		8	Scholar	Abingdon, Berkshire
Osman Aldworth	Son		6	Scholar	Abingdon, Berkshire
Frank Aldworth	Son		4	Scholar	Abingdon, Berkshire
Tom Aldworth	Son		2		Abingdon, Berkshire

Figure 2. Arthur and Rhoda Aldworth, circa 1897.
(Photograph courtesy of the Aldworth family)

As shown in the table above, every member of the family had been born in Abingdon. It is interesting to note that Charlotte is shown as a Machinist, an interesting occupation for a woman during the late Victorian period. Precisely what she did as a machinist is not known. Perhaps she worked in her husband’s bakery and confectionery shop. Whatever she did, she still had time to give birth to six sons and a daughter.

Figure 3. 7 Ock Street, Abingdon, Berkshire.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)

The Aldworth home in 1891, a two-story brick building at 7 Ock Street in Abingdon, still exists today and is known as the Winsmore House.

The 1901 Census of England shows the Aldworth family living at 12 Bath Street in Abingdon.[iii] Three more children were added to the family by 1901 as shown in the table below.

Address: 12 Bath Street, Abingdon, Berkshire
Name and Surname	Relation	Marital Status	Age	Profession or Occupation	Birthplace
William Aldworth	Head	Married	46	Baker and Confectioner	Abingdon, Berkshire
Charlotte Aldworth	Wife	Married	47 ⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
George Aldworth	Son	Single	23 ⁽³⁾	Assistant Schoolmaster	Abingdon, Berkshire
Richard Aldworth	Son	Single	19	Baker’s Son⁽⁴⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
Rhoda Aldworth	Daughter	Single	18	Assistant in Confectioners Shop	Abingdon, Berkshire
Osman Aldworth	Son		16	Baker’s Son⁽⁴⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
Frank Aldworth	Son		14	Apprentice to Painter	Abingdon, Berkshire
Tom Aldworth	Son		12	Baker’s Son⁽⁴⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
Annie Aldworth	Daughter		8		Abingdon, Berkshire
Arthur Aldworth	Son		4		Abingdon, Berkshire
Elsie F. Aldworth (“Fanny”)	Daughter		2		Abingdon, Berkshire

Figure 4. Fanny and Arthur Aldworth, circa 1902.
(Photograph courtesy of the Aldworth family)

In 1911 the Aldworth family still was living in the nine room house at 12 Bath Street in Abingdon. The household consisted of William and Charlotte and seven of their children, as shown in the table below.

Address: 12 Bath Street, Abingdon, Berkshire
Name and Surname	Relation	Marital Status	Age	Profession or Occupation	Birthplace
William Aldworth	Head	Married	55	Baker and Confectioner	Abingdon, Berkshire
Charlotte Aldworth	Wife	Married	56		Abingdon, Berkshire
Rhoda Aldworth	Daughter	Single	28	⁽¹⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
Osman Aldworth	Son	Single	26	Gardener (Domestic)⁽²⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
Frank Aldworth	Son	Single	24	Plumber⁽³⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
Tom Aldworth	Son	Single	22	Elementary Teacher	Abingdon, Berkshire
Annie Aldworth	Daughter	Single	18	Dressmaker	Abingdon, Berkshire
Arthur Aldworth	Son		14	Apprentice Road Vehicle Builder⁽³⁾	Abingdon, Berkshire
Fanny Aldworth⁽⁴⁾	Daughter		12	School	Abingdon, Berkshire

Of the boys, all except George served in the Great War. The following are short sketches of the military service of each son, other than Frank and Arthur, based on information provided by family sources and by documents obtained from the Ministry of Defence.

William Aldworth was commissioned in the Army some years prior to the start of the Great War. He first saw active service in the Sudan and in South Africa near the turn of the century. During the Great War he rose to the rank of Major in the Essex Regiment and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[iv] His citation, published in the London Gazette, read as follows:[v]

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in clearing a village of a strong force of the enemy. He himself led an attack on a group of houses strongly held by the enemy, who were supported by machine-gun fire. He had only 17 men, and the operation was successful, resulting in the capture of 60 of the enemy and three machine guns. It was entirely due to his great skill and gallantry and splendid courage that the village was cleared.

The action undertaken by Captain Aldworth and his 17 men on that day truly was outstanding. For one officer and 17 Other Ranks to capture 60 German soldiers was a remarkable feat. Following the war he served in Ireland where he sometimes found his duties to be more dangerous than in the trenches of France and Flanders. Unfortunately no details of his service in Ireland have been located, but it is hard to believe that he came up against opposing forces that presented more danger to him than what is described in the citation above.

Richard served in France as a Gunner with the Royal Garrison Artillery. Little is known about his war service except for what is shown on his Medal Index Card. Unfortunately the card does not indicate the Theatre of War in which he served or when he began his active service. The fact that he served in France was provided to the author by the Aldworth family. For his service Richard was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal. Following the war Richard carried on his father’s bakery business.

Figure 5. Great War Medal Index Card of 198008 Gunner Richard Aldworth, R.G.A.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Osman served in France with the 6^th Battalion of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. His Medal Index Card indicates that he went to France on 2 October 1915. The 6th (Service) Battalion[vi] of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders was formed at Inverness in September 1914 as part of K2[vii] and came under orders of 45th Brigade in 15th (Scottish) Division. The battalion moved to Aldershot and in November went to Bramshott. It moved to Basingstoke in February 1915, then Chisledon in April and on 10 July 1915 the battalions landed at Boulogne. Osman’s Medal Index Card indicates that he joined the battalion on 2 October 1915, so the unit already was in France when he joined it.

Although he was from a Berkshire family, Osman was very proud of his kilt and his service in a Highland Regiment. Osman was very severely wounded at Bethune in 1916 and among other wounds he had a leg amputated. More details of his service are included in the Epilogue to this narrative.

Figure 6. Great War Medal Index Card of S/18960 Private Osman Aldworth,
Cameron Highlanders
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

For his service in the Great War he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He also received the Silver War Badge as a result of his wounds.

Tom Aldworth was a schoolmaster who immigrated to Canada and settled in British Columbia. He rose to the rank of Sergeant and was commissioned in the 29^th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. This battalion was raised by the Vancouver Regiment. Tom saw active service in France and was mentioned in despatches for his actions in the field. In the photograph below Sergeant Tom Aldworth is standing on the left in the front row. The first man on the right in the back row is Private James A. Clapp. The photograph was taken in France in 1915.

Figure 8. Tom Aldworth and Men of the 29^th Battalion, C.E.F.
(Photograph courtesy of Mr. Frank Clapp)

The following sections discuss the military service of the two remaining brothers; Frank Aldworth and Arthur Aldworth who both served in the Royal Engineers during the Great War, but unlike their brothers they did not survive the war. The medals awarded to both of these men for their service are in the author’s collection.

Frank Aldworth was born in Abingdon, Berkshire in December of 1886. As a young man he resided in Abingdon where he had been an apprentice painter and where he had practiced his trade as a plumber. According to family sources, Frank Aldworth was the best plumber of his day in the town of Abingdon. His skill as a plumber qualified him to enlist in the Corps of Royal Engineers as this was one of the technical trades sought after by the Corps. In fact his work as an apprentice painter probably also served him well when he decided to enlist in the Royal Engineers, as Painter was one of the Corps trades as well.

Frank Aldworth had prior military service before he enlisted in the Royal Engineers to serve in the Great War. In 1907 Frank was a member of the Territorial Force, serving as a Private in "F" Company, 4th Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire) Regiment.

Figure 9. Frank Aldworth (left) as a Private in the Royal Berkshire Regiment.
(Photograph courtesy of the Aldworth family)

Frank had spent about seven years in the Royal Berkshire Regiment training with his battalion at the battalion’s drill hall and participating in annual field exercises. When the Great War began in August of 1914, Frank had already received a considerable amount of training as an infantry soldier.

Rather than serve in the war as an infantryman, Frank probably used his civilian trades as a plumber and painter to his advantage when he enlisted for active service. In the latter part of 1915 Frank enlisted as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers after taking his discharge from his Territorial Force regiment. He was assigned Regimental Number 160370 and probably proceeded immediately to Chatham for his training as an engineer soldier.

Figure 10. Frank Aldworth (standing in the tent flap, right) on a Field Exercise with the 4th Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire) Regiment.
(Photograph courtesy of the Aldworth family)

Frank Aldworth’s training began with the basics that were required for each man to learn to be a soldier, although he probably was quite familiar with the basics after having served so many years in a Territorial Force infantry battalion. Military customs, the wearing of the uniform and insignia, military discipline and the use, care and maintenance of his weapon, the short, magazine Lee-Enfield rifle (SMLE) were already well known to him. Following a shorter period of basic training than that required for men with no previous military service, Frank then received the training necessary to make him an engineer soldier. This involved such field engineering subjects as tunnelling, trench-building, camouflaging techniques, barbed-wire entanglements, construction and clearing of obstacles, bridging, explosives and demolitions and other skills necessary to support the infantry and artillery in the field. Given that the war was well underway when he enlisted, this period of service may have been shortened in order to get him posted to a unit in the field.

Following his training period Frank Aldworth was posted to the 56th Field Company, one of the Royal Engineer units of the 3rd Division. The 56th Field Company was an old Regular Army unit. In fact, it was one of the "Old Contemptible" units which landed in France during the first days of the war. The company, under the command of Major Norman John Hopkins, R.E., had seen action at Mons and the Retreat from Mons, Le Cateau, The Marne, The Aisne, La Bassee, Ypres, Nonne Boschen and Hooge.

Figure 11. Major Norman John Hopkins, R.E.
(Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum)

Figure 12. The Medals of Major Norman John Hopkins, R.E.
(Photograph from the author’s collection).

Sapper Frank Aldworth proceeded to France with a draft of replacements. Prior to his departure from England he had a strange fore-boding. He told his sister Nancy that he felt that he would not come back from the war. His believe in this terrible premonition could not be altered or shaken by anyone. His arrival in France coincided with the 56th Field Company's preparations for the Somme Offensive in July 1916. During this period the 3rd Division (Commander Royal Engineers, Lt. Col. C.A. Elliott)[viii] formed part of II Corps (Chief Engineer, Brigadier General Charles Godby, CB, CMG, DSO). The work of the 56th Field Company during this period consisted of laying out and supervising the digging of front line, support line and reserve line trenches, the preparation of approaches, dug-outs, machine-gun emplacements, and casemates, wiring of the front line, trench marking, and reconnaissance. Such was the work that kept Sapper Aldworth busy during his first few weeks at the front.

The Battle of the Somme, the greatest battle in British history up to that time, opened on 1 July 1916. Frank Aldworth was spared most of the horrors of that battle, which claimed over 57,000 British casualties on the first day alone, as his unit made up part of the Fourth Army Reserve. As such, he did not become involved in the fiercest part of the fighting on the first day.

On 14 July Sapper Aldworth went into the line when his division attacked and captured the village and surrounding wood of Bazentin-le-Grand. Pushing northward, the 3rd Division also captured the village of Bazentin-le-Petit and a cemetery to the east of the town. Here the Germans counter-attacked twice about midday without success, and again in the afternoon. On the latter occasion they momentarily reoccupied the northern half of the village. The 3rd Division immediately returned to the attack and drove the Germans out again with heavy losses.

The 3rd Division continued to attack in a northeasterly direction from Bazentin-le-Petit, clearing Delville Wood on the morning of 18 July. Here the division resisted numerous counter-attacks by the Germans until the struggle in this sector was finally decided in favour of the British forces on 3 September.

Frank Aldworth's division did not participate in any further major actions until 13 November 1916, when it took part in the Battle of Ancre. This battle lasted until 18 November, with the 3rd Division playing a prominent part in the capture of the German trenches near Beaumont Hamel.

By this time winter conditions had set in, and along a great part of the new British front movement across the open had become practically impossible. During the remainder of the month of November 1916, therefore, and throughout December as well, Sapper Aldworth and his company were primarily involved with the improvement of trenches, roads and communications behind the trenches.

The 3rd Division took part in minor operations in the area of the Beaumont Hamel Spur during January and February of 1917. The division was then reassigned to VI Corps (Chief Engineer, Brigadier General C. Hill) under the Third Army (Chief Engineer, Major-General E.R. Kenyon, CB, CMG) in preparation for the Battle of Arras. To prepare for this battle Sapper Aldworth's company was assigned duties which included the construction of protection for bomb-stores, the making of trench ladders and trench bridges, the digging of communication trenches, and the establishment of dumps of engineer stores.

The Battle of Arras started on 9 April 1917. The first day of the battle was a shining success for the British forces. Although there was no break-through and no gap in the German lines, the depth of the advance on the Third Army front, the number of prisoners and guns captured, and the comparatively light British casualties, all marked a hopeful improvement upon the methods and results of the Somme operations. The successful infantry advances on the VI Corps front enabled the divisional engineers to carry out a large part of their program on the first day. Sapper Aldworth and his comrades built strong-points in numerous places, even during daylight hours. They carried forward trench tramways, bridged old trenches, laid out and constructed mule tracks, removed booby traps, sign-boarded captured trenches, and bombed and cleared numerous German dug-outs. To accomplish these tasks Frank Aldworth worked all through the night of 9/l0 April in a position opposite the village of Tilloy-Lez-Mofflained. The main Arras-Cambrai road was made fit for lorry traffic as far as Tilloy by midnight, and for the next three days and nights this road became densely packed with streams of traffic. Large craters had to be filled and the pavement re-laid, tree trunks cleared away, and drainage restored. By the night of 11 April, this road was restored as far as Feuchy Chapel.

In all, Frank Aldworth participated in four major actions in the Arras sector in 1917. These included three battles at The Scarpe (9 to 14 April, 23 to 24 April and 3 to 4 May) and the Battle of Arleux (28 to 29 April).

After these battles the new front line of the Third Army underwent a number of changes due to successful attacks and counter-attacks. The 56th Field Company was continuously engaged in making new switch lines, communications trenches, and overland tracks. By the end of May of 1917 the Army line became more or less stable. However, Frank Aldworth and his fellow Sappers continued working on improvements to the positions.

By the fall of 1917 the 3rd Division had been reassigned to V Corps (Chief Engineer, Brigadier General A.J. Craven) in the Second Army. Frank Aldworth was present at the Battle of Menin Road during the period of 20 to 25 September 1917, although his division was held in reserve during the battle.

From 26 September to 3 October, Sapper Aldworth took part in the Battle of Polygon Wood. The 3rd Division began this battle by attacking from a position astride the Ypres-Roulers railway, approximately one mile west of Zonnebeke. The division was successful in its attack and captured Zonnebeke Village and Church, from which it repulsed a series of powerful German counter-attacks.

The efforts of the Royal Engineers during the campaign of the autumn of 1917 were especially worthy of note by Sir Douglas Haig. In his despatch from General Headquarters British Armies in the Field, dated 25 December 1917, the Field-Marshal had this to say about the Corps:

"The prolonged period of active fighting and the vast amount of work involved by our different offensives have thrown a peculiarly heavy burden on the Royal Engineers, both preparatory to and during operations.

The Field Companies, from home and overseas, have played an increasingly important part, not only in the preparation for our offensives, but also during the latter stages of the battles. The courage and enduring self-sacrifice displayed by all ranks, whether in organization of captured positions or in the maintenance of forward communications under heavy shell fire, are deserving of the highest praise".

From 20 November to 3 December 1917, Frank Aldworth took part in the Battle of Cambrai. Although his division was not involved in the main action, he did participate in the subsidiary but very important and successful attack in the neighbourhood of Bullecourt. The Hindenburg Line at this point consisted of a front trench with a second or support trench located some 300 yards behind it, and many scattered concrete machine-gun forts. The 3rd Division's main objective was the support trench which was called "Tunnel Trench" because it had a tunnel 30 or 40 feet down along its whole length with staircase entrances every 25 yards. The 3rd Division, in cooperation with the 16th (Irish) Division, was successful in capturing portions of this trench.

During the winter months which followed the Battle of Cambrai, Frank Aldworth's company was heavily engaged in preparations to meet the threatened German Spring offensive. The men of the 56th Field Company had no rest, as they were needed to reshape and consolidate the new defensive sectors and to strengthen the support and reserve lines along the British front.

The German offensive of 1918 began in a thick fog with an intense bombardment on the morning of 21 March. The 3rd Division, at the start of the attack, was on the left of the Third Army in front of Arras. The German attack was in such strength that many penetrations were made in the British line, resulting in withdrawals by the British divisions in many sectors. During this battle, Sapper Aldworth and the men of his company fought in fierce actions at St. Quentin from 21 to 23 March, at Bapaume on 24 and 25 March, and at Arras on 28 March.

A new German offensive struck the British lines in Flanders on 9 April 1918. Sapper Aldworth's division was moved to the vicinity of Estaires on that date, and on the 10th the division moved up to reinforce the XI Corps, taking over part of the line of the 51st Division. The 3rd Division's Sappers assumed responsibility for the demolition of bridges in their sector. The operations in Flanders continued until the end of April. Aldworth's company saw action at Hazebrouck from 12 to 15 April and at Bethune on 18 April. The Germans made several heavy attacks, but their troops had become exhausted, and gradually the great battle came to an end, with the failure of the Germans to break the British line and reach the channel ports.

During the period following the breakdown of the German attacks in Flanders the British forces concentrated on filling the gaps left in their divisions and on closing the breaches which the German advances had made in their successive defensive systems. Further, the Germans had done much damage to the lines of communications in Northern France, particularly with regard to the railway lines. All available engineer resources of men and material were concentrated on repairing the lines of communications and on completing a series of new defensive lines.

From early in May of 1918, the 56th Field Company began preparing for the role it would play in the Final British offensive of the ware. It was during this period of reorganization for the final thrust against the Germans that Frank Aldworth was mortally wounded while bravely carrying out his duties as he had done so well since his arrival in France. It was reported that he was shot by a German sniper while en route to visit a nearby American unit in his company's sector. His prediction to his sister Nancy became a reality, for indeed, he would not return to Abingdon. He died of his wounds on 31 May 1918, aged .32 years, and was buried in Plot II, Row E, Grave 12 at Cemetery Fr. 10 in Pernes, France.

For his service during the Great War, Frank Aldworth was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal. The medals are named to him on the rim in impressed capital letters as follows:

In addition to his medals Frank’s parents were presented with a Memorial Plaque to commemorate his service during the war similar to the one shown in Figure 13a below. The original plaque, with Frank Aldworth’s name in the box above the lion’s head, is in the author’s collection.

Arthur Aldworth was born at Abingdon, Berkshire in January of 1896. Arthur grew up in the town of Abingdon and was active in sports, playing soccer for the YMCA during the years 1913 and 1914.

At the outbreak of the Great War, Arthur felt compelled to join up even though he was under age. He enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Reading in September of 1914, although he would not have been 18 years of age until the following January. Arthur was posted to the 11th Division Signal Company as a Sapper (Regimental Number 41471).

The 11th Division began its life at Belton Park, Grantham in Lincolnshire in August of 1914. Sapper Aldworth joined the unit at Grantham for his initial training. In April of 1915 the division moved to Frensham, Surrey in or-der to conduct divisional training exercises. These exercises completed, Sapper Aldworth and his unit proceeded to Liverpool for embarkation and transport overseas.

The 11th Division arrived at Alexandria on the 12th of July 1915 and then was transshipped to Mudros, arriving at that part on the 18th of July. The ultimate destination of the division was Gallipoli.

The 11th Division landed at Sulva in the evening of the 6th of August 1915. Sapper Aldworth and his unit took part in the action at Sari Bair during the period of the 6th to the 10th of August, as the division fought for a foothold on the beaches. On the 21st of August he and his company were present at the action on Scimitar Hill. Sapper Aldworth fought throughout the trying campaign at Gallipoli, doing good work with his company to maintain the communications of the 11th Division. He remained through the autumn fighting and into the winter months, being finally evacuated with his unit and returning to Egypt.

The 11th Division Signal Company arrived at Port Said in January of 1916. On the 15th of February the 11th Division took over the front line at Sallah and Ferdan. The division then took part in the advance to Romani, arriving there in June of 1916. At this point an urgent heed was felt on the Western Front for additional troops. As a result, the 11th Division was ordered to leave for France on the 28th of June.

After a period of time required for disembarkation and movement into the line, the 11th Division was ready to begin its period of active service in France and Flanders.

Sapper Aldworth's first exposure to combat in this theater of the war took place at Flers-Courcelette where his unit participated in the battle there from the 15th to the 22nd of September 1916. Flers-Courcelette was quickly followed by the attack on Thiepval Ridge from the 26th to the 28th of September.

Immediately following the action at Thiepval, the 11th Division was assigned to General Headquarters Reserve in the vicinity of Arras until the 9th of April 1917, when it was reassigned to the IX Corps. Sapper Aldworth and his unit had been out of the line for some time, although they had not been idle. Work in the reserve area was arduous, as the divisional signal units still had to maintain communications with both higher and subordinate headquarters.

In May of 1917 the 11th Division was transferred to the IX Corps in preparation for the Battle of Messines. This battle took place during the period of the 7th to the 14th of June. The 11th Division, however, remained in Corps Re-serve, so that Sapper Aldworth saw little of the hard fighting in this battle. The inactivity of his unit was short-lived, however, as the 11th Division was soon asked to take part in the battles at Langemarck (16th to 18th of August), Menin Road (20th to 25th of September), Polygon Wood (26th of September to the 3rd of October), Broodseinde (4th of October), and Poelcappelle (9th of October).

Following the battles of the autumn of 1917 the 11th Division went into winter quarters in the River Lys Sector of the front. Aldworth, who by now had been promoted to the rank of Second Corporal, settled down for the winter months in a defensive position in anticipation of the German Spring Offensive.

Second Corporal Aldworth survived the devastating German attacks of the spring of 1918. By late summer his unit was assigned to the XXII Corps (Chief Engineer, Brigadier-General A.E. Panet) in the First Army. The 11th Division participated in the Battle of the Scarpe from the 26th to the 30th of August. This battle was followed almost immediately by the attacks at Drocourt-Queant which lasted from the 2nd to the 3rd of September.

Shortly after the action at Drocourt-Queant, Second Corporal Arthur Aldworth was killed in action on the 11th of September 1918, aged 22 years. He was reported killed by a shell burst while talking to a friend on a road. Arthur's mother and his sister Rhoda had a most remarkable experience very close to the actual time of his death. As they were sitting at tea, both claim to have heard Arthur's voice call out the word "mother".

Arthur Aldworth is buried at Row C, Grave 1 in Orange Hill Cemetery in Feuchy, France.

Figure 14. The Final Resting Place of Arthur Aldworth. Orange Hill Cemetery, Feuchy France.
(Photograph courtesy of the Aldworth Family)

Although Arthur was 10 years younger than his brother Frank, he rose two ranks higher than Frank by the time he was killed. Frank had remained a Sapper for is entire time in the Army, while Arthur reached the rank of Second Corporal. Sadly, both men were killed near the end of the last year of the war, Frank in May and Arthur in September of 1918.

For his service during the Great War, Arthur Aldworth was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. All the medals were named to him in impressed capital letters as shown below.

In addition to his medals Arthur’s parents were presented with a Memorial Plaque to commemorate his service during the war similar to the one shown in Figure 15a below. The original plaque, with Arthur Aldworth’s name in the box above the lion’s head, is in the author’s collection.

The Aldworths were justifiably proud of the war-time record of their family. On the gravestone of William and Charlotte Aldworth their two sons are named with the places where they are buried. These inscriptions read as follows:

Also their 5th son Frank, RE Died of wounds May 31, 1918 aged 33
Interred at Pernes Cemetery

Also their 7th son Arthur, RE Killed in action Sep 11 1918 aged 21
Interred at Orange Hill Cemetery

All of the remaining Aldworth sons survived the war. Osman Aldworth, however, had to live with the terrible wounds which he received. His daughter, Miss Elizabeth Aldworth, describes her father's wounds as follows:

"He had gunshot wounds in the upper part of both arms. There was also a scar on the left knee and in later years it affected the leg a little so that he wore an elastic bandage for support. The right leg was amputated in France. It was a very high amputation - a little more and he would not have been able to wear an artificial leg. I believe the leg had to be amputated because gangrene had set in.”

My father always remembered the day he was wounded and the day he lost his leg. As he lived to old age, he would recall, 'Forty years ago today' or 'Fifty years ago today'.

My father told me that he was wounded just before the Battle of the Somme. He was in a field hospital and he remembered that they moved out most of the wounded (he could not be moved) because there were heavy casualties coming down the line. He also told me how, a year or so later, he was examined by an army doctor in England who stood back and said, 'You know, old chap, you ought to be dead'. He was within a month or two of his 90th birthday when he died".

The War Office, in 1918, coolly gave as Osman Aldworth's Cause of Discharge as "Ceasing to fulfill Army Medical requirements".

The Aldworth family continued to serve in the Army Forces during World War 2. Both Annie (Nancy) Aldworth and Fanny Aldworth served in the Women’s Royal Air Force.

Figure 16. Annie (left) and Fanny (right), circa 1940.
(Photograph courtesy of Frank Clapp)

Figure 17. Commemorative Information for Frank Aldworth.
(Image courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Figure 18. The Gravestone of Frank Aldworth.
(Photograph courtesy of the Aldworth family)

Figure 19. Commemorative Information for Arthur Aldworth.
(Image courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Figure 20. The Gravestone of Arthur Aldworth.
(Photograph courtesy of the Aldworth family)

The following is an abstract of the military service of Osman Aldworth as presented to his daughter Elizabeth F. Aldworth in a letter from the Ministry of Defence dated 4 November 1981.

Osman Aldworth enlisted in the 3^rd Battalion of The Cameron Highlanders on 29 June 1915 as a Private, Regimental Number 18960. His was a Short Service Enlistment in the Regular Army for the duration of the war. He joined his battalion at Inverness on 2 July 1915. He was transferred to the 6^th Battalion of The Cameron Highlanders on 2 October 1915.

Private Aldworth served with the British Expeditionary Force in France from 2 October 1915 to 23 July 1916. He was seriously wounded in action on 2 July 1916, suffering wounds to the left arm, scrotum, right hand and right tibia (fractured). As a result of these wounds he was evacuated back to the U.K. on 23 July 1916 and was discharged from the Army on 7 August 1918 because, as a result of his wounds, he could no longer fulfill Army medical requirements.

For his service during the war Osman was awarded the 1914-15 Star (issued 26 May 1920), the British War and Victory Medals (issued 4 July 1941) and the Silver War Badge.