Withernsea WW1 Memorial, Queens Street. The memorial was erected in 1923 at a cost of £451, the funds for which were collected through public subscription. A service of dedication was held in 1924. Inscribed in four columns are the names of sixty-four men killed in World War I.
BORN HULL 1890. SON OF GEORGE CARR ARKSEY (1865-1924) & EMMA HAGGITT (1860-1926), AT 21 WAXHOLME ROAD, WITHERNSEA (1911 CENSUS). BROTHER TO THOMAS, ROBERT, GEORGE AND HAROLD. SISTERS, MINNIE, IDA AND ANNIE.
HE WORKED AS A GROOM AND WAGGONER.
HE MARRIED ROSE ANNIE OVERFIELD (1889-1973), AT DRIFFIELD CHURCH, ON 05/10/1914. THEY LIVED AT 57 QUAY ROW, BRIDLINGTON. THEIR SON SYDNEY KENNETH ARKSEY, WAS BORN ON 29/01/1916. HE ENLISTED BEVERLEY, ON 24/06/1916, AGED 24 YEARS AND 7 MONTHS. HE JOINED THE 3RD EYR RESERVES AND WAS POSTED TO THE 7TH EYR. HIS ARMY RECORDS DESCRIBE HIM AS 5 FOOT, 7 INCHES TALL, 125 LBS WEIGHT, 34.5 INCH CHEST SIZE, ‘GOOD’ PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT. HE ARRIVED IN FRANCE, ON 22/10/1916. TRANSFERRED TO THE 13TH EYR (HULL PALS), ON 10/11/196. KILLED IN ACTION AT OPPY WOOD, ON 04/05/1917. HE IS COMMEMORATED AT THE ARRAS MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING. HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE WITHERNSEA WW1 MEMORIAL.
HIS ARMY EFFECTS WERE LEFT TO HIS WIDOW, ROSE ANNIE. ARKSEY. SHE RECEIVED AS WEEKLY WAR PENSION OF 18 SHILLING AND 9 PENCE FOR HERSELF AND CHILD. HIS BROTHER, PRIVATE, THOMAS EDWARD ARKSEY (1895-19180, 38285, EYR, WAS KILLED IN ACTION, ON 14/07/1918, AGED 23.
The attack on Oppy Wood, part of the Battle of Arras, was a significant battle for the East Yorkshire Regiment and particularly for the city of Hull. All four Hull Pals battalions were involved on 3 May and all suffered heavy casualties, with 40% of those present killed or injured. 2nd Lieutenant Jack Harrison, a local teacher and rugby player with Hull FC, won a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery in rushing a machine gun position to protect his platoon. His body was never found.The village of Oppy in France had been in German hands since October 1914 and was part of a formidable defensive system including trenches, dug-outs and thick barbed wire defences. During the Battle of Arras, which began in April 1917, the British tried to take Oppy. The first attack was a failure. A second attack was partially successful. The third attack on 3 May, known officially as the Third Battle of the Scarpe, was again unsuccessful with significant loss of life. The troops were ordered to attack at 3.45am, rather than at dawn, and the defending Germans could easily see the line of British soldiers clearly lit by the full moon. The British continued to attack Oppy and were finally successful the following year. The City of Hull Memorial at Oppy was unveiled in 1927 and commemorates the men of the Hull Pals who were killed on 3 and 4 May 1917.
Withernsea WW1 Memorial, Queens Street. The memorial was erected in 1923 at a cost of £451, the funds for which were collected through public subscription. A service of dedication was held in 1924. Inscribed in four columns, are the names of sixty-four men killed in World War I.
