Ernest George Arnold was born on 26 April 1889 in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, the second of the six children of Thomas Arnold (1859-1928) and Ellen Arnold née Pateman (1861-1934). The birth of Ernest Arnold was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1889 in the Edmonton registration district, Middlesex. On 22 May 1889 he was baptised in Waltham Cross. His father was a brass filer in the Royal Small Arms factory, Enfield, Essex.
In the 1891 census he was shown as living in four roomed property at 17 Park Lane, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, with his parents, his elder brother Tom Arnold (1886-1917), who would be killed in action serving in the 11th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment in France on 15 September 1917, and a maternal uncle William James Pateman (1867-1924) who was listed as a fern grower.
The 1901 census shows him residing at 33 Eleanor Road, Cheshunt, with his parents and his four siblings: Tom; Harry Joseph Francis Arnold (1891-1955); Sidney William Arnold (1894-1917) who would be lost at sea on 4 May 1917, when the Hired Transport "Transylvania", proceeding with reinforcements to Salonika (now called Thessaloniki), Greece, was sunk by torpedo off Cape Vado, Italy, whilst he was serving in the 907th M.T. Coy of the Army Service Corps and Emily Kate Ellen Arnold (1899-1979).
In the 1911 census he is recorded as an auxiliary postman living in a five roomed property at 8 Lawrence Villas, Swanfield Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, with his parents and his five siblings: Tom, a wood sawyer's mate; Harry, a grocer's assistant; Sidney, a butcher's assistant; George Charles Arnold (1895-1956) who was listed as 'at home' and Emily was shown as 'at school'.
He was appointed on 7 January 1912 as a postman in the Watford, Bushey Heath Sub Office, Hertfordshire and on 2 June 1914 he was transferred to the Western District Office, London, on a pay scale of 19/- to 43/- per week. After the outbreak of World War One he enlisted in 1914 as a Rifleman in the 8th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles), service number 2915 which was changed on 1 January 1917 to 370950 and entered France on 4 February 1917. He was serving as a Lance Corporal in ‘B’ Company of the 2nd/8th Battalion of his Regiment when he was killed in action, aged 28 years, on 1st June 1917. As he has no known grave he is commemorated on Bay No.10. Course C, Stone No.1 of the Arras Memorial to the Missing in the Faubourg-d’Amiens Cemetery, Arras, Department du Pas-de-Calais, Nord Pas-du-Calais, France.
On 12 October 1917 his army effects totalling £10-3s-6d were sent to his father who also received his £12-10s-0d war gratuity on 21 October 1919. It was not until 21 May 1925 that probate was granted to his father and this confirmed that he had lived at 55 Swanfield Road, Waltham Cross. His effects totalled £167-10s-6d. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
He is commemorated as 'ARNOLD, E. G'. on the Western Postal District war memorial that is now located in Mount Pleasant, London, WC1; on page 14 of The Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance's Book of Remembrance 1914-1920; on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website; on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website and on the A Street Near You website.
All three brothers are commemorated on the Cheshunt war memorial at The Almshouses, 105-141 Turner's Hill, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, EN8 9BE.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
