Pte 235231 Arthur Harwood

• Age: 38
• From: Darwen, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Arthur Harwood was born on November 25th 1878 in Pickup Bank, Lancashire, the son of James Harwood and Martha Walsh who were married in 1868. 

Arthur’s mother Martha died in 1895 at the age of 48 after having borne twelve children, six of which had died in infancy. His father James remarried to Alice Ann Southworth in 1896 and had three more children, Francis(1897), Martha Alice(1900), another died in infancy.

The village of Yate and Pickup Bank is three miles from Darwen, and five miles from Blackburn. It was a close knit community based around farming, some coal mining but the major employer was the cotton industry. When Arthur’s father was young some of the weavers would have been handloom weavers who operated from home, but mechanisation and the large mills took over but not without slumps and highs. Indeed the year before Arthur was born, in 1878 there were riots in Darwen and Blackburn when the mill owners cut wages by 10%. The cotton industry went into decline in Lancashire in the 1960s, until its almost none existence today. The village has a Congregational Church which was built as an Independent School in 1834 and consecrated as a chapel in 1860

Arthur is 2 years old at the time of the 1881 census.

His father James is 32 years old and is a cotton weaver, his mother Martha is 33 and recorded as unemployed. Arthur has four siblings – John aged 10, Christopher 6, Livingstone 4 and 2 month old Nanny. The family’s address is given as Top Oth Field. All the family are recorded as having been born in Yate and Pickup Bank.

By 1891 the family’s address is 26 St Pauls Terrace, Hoddlesden which is on the outskirts of Yate and Pickup Bank. The row of houses was built in 1887. Arthur has two more siblings – Herbert aged 8 and Maud aged 5. The 12 year old Arthur is recorded as working as a cotton weaver like his father and his older brothers, John, Christopher and Livingstone. Baby Nanny had died in 1882.

Arthur married Lavinia Harwood just before the 1901 census, they’re both 22. Lavinia must have been a relative somewhere along the line, as her father was a Harwood and her mother was a Walsh, the same surnames as Arthur’s parents. The 1901 census shows the newly weds back living at Top Oth Field, they’re both working as cotton weavers.

Lavinia gave birth to their first child in December 1901, a little girl called Jane Ann, a second daughter in December 1902 called Martha probably named for Arthur’s mother. A third daughter called Edith Alice was born in June 1909, and a fourth in 1915 called Betsy.

The 1911 census records Arthur and Lavinia both working as cotton weavers and living with their first three daughters at Treacle Row, Pickup Bank.

Arthur enlisted in Darwen and originally served as Private 203612 in the Yorkshire Regiment. Following a transfer he was serving in the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 235231 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917 aged 38 on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

The 19th Battalion started the day in Divisional Reserve but were called forward in the early morning of 31st July and reached Maple Copse in late afternoon. It was originally detailed to

continue with the morning’s attack but this was cancelled and they eventually relieved a Battalion of the 53rd Brigade in the newly captured line, sustaining casualties from shell fire.

The Battalion was relieved on the night of 3rd/4th August.

Although not actively engaged in the assault the Battalion lost 26 men were killed or died of wounds with four officers and 101 men wounded.

Arthur has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres in Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

Local Press 1917
PRIVATE A. HARWOOD

Unofficial intimation has been received by Mrs L. Harwood of 18 Queen Square, Hoddleston, late of Pickup bank that her husband, Private Arthur Harwood of the King's Liverpool Regiment, who was reported missing on June the 31st, is now reported wounded on missing. Private Harwood who is was 35 years of age, joined the Army in September of last year, and was transferred to France on June 9th. Prior to commencement of hostilities he was employed as a weaver at Messrs. Carus's, Hoddlesden, and attended the Independent Chapel. He has two brothers on active service in France.

Lavinia did not receive official notification of Arthur’s death until November 1917, but she was still seeking information and contacted the International Red Cross to be told in September 1918 that they had no information. She received a pension of 26s 3d a week from April 19th 1918. Her address at the time was Treacle Row, Pickup Back, Darwen but in the course of the pension she moved to 18 Queens Square, Hoddlesden, poignantly a house that overlooks the small square that houses the Hoddlesden War Memorial built in 1921 where her husband’s name is recorded.

Lavinia is recorded in the 1939 Register living in Hargreaves Street, Hoddlesden with her daughters Jane and Betsy, both girls are working as cotton weavers, as are most of their neighbours. Her other two daughters are married.

The war hit hard in the scattered village of Yate and Pickup Bank. The tiny Congregational Chapel has a memorial with twelve names of young parishioners who did not return. Including Arthur, his half brother Frank Harwood aged 21 number 23427 of the East Lancashire Regiment who died of wounds on January 22nd 1918, his cousin Hubert Harwood 20 years old number 60278 of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers who was killed on June 22nd 1917 and Lavinia’s brother Edmund Harwood aged 35 40093 of the Lancashire Fusiliers who was killed on August 16th 1917. The memorial also remembers Hubert Wood another Liverpool Pal 25235 from the 18th Battalion. Hubert lived next door but two to Arthur in the 1911 census record. All the mens names are also duplicated on the Queen Square monument in Hoddlesden.

He is also remembered on the Pickup Bank Congregational Chapel Roll of Honour.


Widow Lavinia died aged 85 in 1964.

Arthur's half-brother Francis died of wounds on the 22^nd Jan 1918 serving as Pte 23427 with 7/East Lancs Regt. 

We currently have no further information on Arthur Harwood, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.