Subject

Andrew Behan has kindly provided this research: Sapper Henry Arscott was born on 31 March 1881 in Hampstead, the younger son of William and Frances Arscott. His father was a house painter. The 1881 census that was taken on 3 April 1881 shows him as a 3 days old boy living at 37 Downshire Hill, Hampstead, with his parents, elder brother William Arscott, a 14 years old female general domestic servant and a 45 years old monthly nurse. The 1891 census shows him living at 40 Downshire Hill, Hampstead, with his parents, his brother, a 14 years old female servant together with one female and two male lodgers. His mother died in early 1901 and the census of that year shows him as a Plumber's Assistant living at 44 Shirlock Road, Hampstead, with his widowed father and his brother.

In the 3rd quarter of 1902 he is recorded as marrying Ethel Pickman in the St Pancras Registration District. Her occupation on the 1901 census was a Barmaid and their elder daughter, Frances Ethel Arscott (1903-1986), was born on 11 August 1903 in Hampstead. Their elder son, Stanley Harry Arscott (1905-1962), was born in 1905 and when baptised on 2 March 1905 in the chapel of Queen Charlotte's Hospital, Marylebone Road, Marylebone, the baptismal register shows the family home to have been 16 Gardeners Road, Hampstead Heath and gave the father's occupation as a Plumber. Their younger son, Eric Arscott (1907-1976) was born on 16 January 1907 at Queen Charlotte's Hospital and his birth certificate shows his father as a Builders Labourer living at 6 Heath Villa, Hampstead Heath. Their younger daughter, Barbara Lily Marion Arscott (1909-1999), was born on 11 September 1909 in Hampstead. The 1911 census shows him as a Plumber residing with all his family at 9 New Buildings, Flask Walk, Hampstead. It would appear that in 1912 his wife left with all four children to live with another man, probably Harry Hinds whom she married in 1917 having lived with him as Mrs Hinds before the marriage.

On 9 September 1914 at St Pancras he enlisted as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers and his service number was 48778. On 8 October 1914 he was posted to their 92nd Field Company and when based at Codford St Mary, Wiltshire, he went absent without leave for 22 hours from midnight on 12 July 1915 to 10pm on 13 July 1915 and was sentenced to 4 days confinement to camp and the loss of one days pay. He was embarked on 27 July 1915 for the British Expeditionary Force in France, arriving on the following day, and was killed in action on 2 July 1916. His body was buried in Row U, Grave 34 in the Carnoy Military Cemetery, Carnoy, Somme, Picardy, France. His widow was sent his army effects totalling 15 shillings and 8 pence on 14 November 1916 and his £8-0s-0d war gratuity on 1 July 1919. He was posthumously awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.