Have You a Tiger In Your Family?

Rank : Captain

Unit : 5th Bn, 3/5th Bn, 1/5th Bn

Biography :

Arnold Barrowcliff was educated at Loughborough Grammar School, Morgan College, and London University (where he took a BA in architecture and was a Cadet Sergeant in the OTC. He was commissioned into 5th Bn The Leicestershire Regiment on 10.1.1914. When the Battalion went to the front in the Autumn 1914 he was left in charge of the depot at Loughborough and was then transferred to the 3/5thon the formation of the new Battalion. He then had charge of a company and was also musketry officer, having passed the course at Strensall with distinction. Entering France as a 2Lt on 24.10.1915, and joined 1/5th Bn. After some months he was attached to a tunneling company of the Royal Engineers, for which work he had qualified by a course in which he gained a certificate for life saving in mining. He was awarded the M.C. for his work on 10.8.1916, a deed described by a fellow Officer as " one of the pluckiest actions yet done by any officer in the company. He was working in my section. The Huns blew up a mine in front of our trenches in the early morning. He went up to see what damage had been done to our saps, and found the infantry in the trenches opposite the mine. He promptly took charge and called for volunteers, and went over the parapet with some men to dig a trench in broad daylight up to the crater made by the mine, and in trying to do this got hit. It was not really his work at all, but he knew it was correct, and did it.” The LG citation (L.G. 26.9.1916) reads "For conspicuous gallantry. When the enemy exploded a mine, he at once collected six infantrymen, went over the parapet in broad daylight, and worked at consolidating the crater till he was wounded in three places and forced to withdraw."). He died in 1974, aged 84 years.
His Military Cross and three World War One campaign medals are in the collection of Leicester City Museums Service.
Note the inscription spells the name as Barrowcliff, and not Barrowcliffe as found in other sources.

Date of Birth : 12.8.1891

Date of Death : 1974

Civil Occupation : architect, Messrs, Everard, Son and Pick

Period of Service : 1914-18

Conflicts : WW1

Places Served : France and Flanders