Have You a Tiger In Your Family?

Rank : Private

Army Number : 41354

Biography :

Served with Leicestershire Regiment during World War One. - e-mail received 8th May,2012 from David Dunham, Arthur E Kirton's grandson: I have recently discovered my Grandfather's "Soldiers Demobilization Account" document amongst various papers of my deceased mother's estate. It shows details of my Grandfather Arthur Edgar Kirton as Private 41354 of the Leicester Regiment apparently being "demobbed" at Lichfield on 20th September 1919. I have managed to confirm that he was a member of the Leicester Regiment and his medal entitlement. We do know that he was very badly wounded (he had an obvious entry and exit wound on both sides of his neck for example) and was taken prisoner by the Germans sometime during the Somme offensive. He came from Lincoln and we believe he initially signed on and went for his training with the Lincolnshire Regiment at the Cannock Chase training camp at Brocton, Staffordshire. He lived until he was 87 but regularly suffered recurrent problems with his health as a result of his wounds. He was very reluctant to talk about the war and very little is known by us about it. We would be very grateful if you could help us in any way with finding any mention of him in the Leicester Regiment records, diaries etc and any other possible sources of information. He was apparently listed as "missing in action" - he was a prisoner of war and spent quite some time in a German military hospital before spending some time in confinement. He received a hand-written, Buckingham Palace headed letter, signed by the King, congratulating him upon his release and return to England.

Period of Service : 1910s

Conflicts : WW1