The following words appeared in the Yorkshire Gazette on 8th July 1916:

Information has been received by Mr Andrews of Mowbray-place, Sowerby, that his son, Pte Arthur Andrews has died of wounds. Deceased has been in France for about 15 months.

George Andrews worked as a coachman groom and later a gentleman’s servant and he was married to Sarah, a dressmaker. They had at least eight children, the youngest being Arthur who was baptised at Sowerby on 23rd October 1887.

Arthur was admitted to Sowerby Infant School at the age of six, on 18th September 1893 and he followed on to the Juniors on 21st May 1894. By 1911, he was living as a boarder at Spring Gardens, Doncaster and employed as a manager in the clothing trade. Arthur enlisted into the Coldstream Guards at Barnsley and went to France on 12th October 1915. He died of wounds on 25th June 1916 and lies in plot 1.D.4 at Ferme Olivier Cemetery, Elverdinghe near Ypres, Belgium.

George survived his youngest child by little more than three years, he died in 1919 at the age of 71 and was buried in St.Oswald’s graveyard.

Note 1. Arthur’s family name appears as either Andrew or Andrews in various records.

Note 2. The medal roll shows that Arthur had been overseas for only 8 months when he died, although the Yorkshire Gazette indicates he had been there for 15 months.

The information on this page was compiled by Steve Billings.