Arthur John Stone

Private - Service No. 13672 - 1st Battalion Norfolk Regiment

Arthur John Stone, the son of Arthur Fenton Wake Stone and his wife Clara Louisa (Gall), was born on 19th November 1895 in Swardeston. He had an elder sister, Alice Maud Stone, born 31st October 1892. Arthur and Clara married in 1891 in Swardeston, and initially lived with Clara's widowed father, Thomas Gall, in a cottage close to the Dog Inn on the turnpike. Eventually Arthur, Clara and their two children moved to a cottage at the bottom of High Common and Thomas, presumably no longer able to work, found himself in the Union Workhouse at Swainsthorpe where he died in 1913.

On 2nd September 1914 Arthur joined the 3rd Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment. On 30th April 1915 he was transferred to the 1st Battalion and left for France with the British Expeditionary Force on 1st May 1915. Just two weeks later, according to Field Punishment Report Form B2069 dated 15th May, he was "awarded" 3 days field punishment No2. for being "absent from dugout" on 14th May. This meant he was placed in fetters and handcuffs for up to 2 hours a day and subjected to hard labour and loss of pay. On 7th January 1916 he was taken ill with a fever, and hospitalised for eight days. On 22nd March 1916 he was confined to barracks for three days for insolence to an N.C.O. On 16th July 1916 he was confined to barracks for five days for disobedience of standing orders. 

On 27th July 1916 he went missing at Longueval in Belgium and on the 22nd August his father was notified that Arthur was missing, believed dead. On 27th April 1917 the army confirmed Arthur John Stone to be missing presumed dead, he was 21 years of age.

Some time between 1934 and 1939 Arthur's body was recovered and buried in the London Cemetery Extension, Longueval, plot 6, row H, grave 14, initially as an unknown soldier of the 1st Norfolks but later identified by a comb in his possessions marked "A Stone 13672". Unfortunately his father, Arthur Fenton Wake Stone, died in 1925 before his son's final resting place was resolved.

Arthur's army service records survive and we know he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal that were posted to his mother Clara together with his pay and effects.

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