Arthur Leslie Norton (1894 - 1956)

Born 5 Aug 1894 in Truro, Cornwall, England

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothy Marie (Browning) Norton — married 5 Jun 1940 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England

Died 12 Aug 1956 at age 62 in 3 CrumpfieldsLane, Webheath Reddich, Worcestershire, England.

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bill N [send private message]

Biography

Arthur Leslie Norton (1894-1-56) was the son of William Norton and Henrietta Whitburn.

He gained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant with the D.C,L.I. on the 21st January 1916, promoted to Lieutenant on the 2nd July 1917, both whilst on active service in France during WW1.

He married Dorothy Marie Browning on the 5th of June 1940 at Bromsgrove registration office. The witnesses were Walter & Adeline Dudley.

He was a Gas Engineer at the Redditch Gas Works where he later became The General Manager.

He died aged 62 in 1956 on the 12th of August 1956 in 3 CrumpfieldsLane, Webheath Reddich, Worcestershire, England.

Sources

freeBMD Births Sep Q 1894 Truro 5c 141 NORTON Arthur Leslie

Medal Index Cards Transcription

First name(s) Arthur Leslie

Last name Norton

Year 1914-20

Service number N/A

Rank Lieutenant

Regiment Duke Of Cornwall's Light Infantry

Country Great Britain

Service record Rank: Lieutenant,

CorpsnDuke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

Date: 1914-1920

Image link : http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D4410044

Press cutting-West Briton & Cornwall Advertiser 24 January 1916-Please see image 1.

freeBMD Marriages Jun Q 1940 Bromsgrove 6c 921 NORTON Arthur L + BROWNIMG Dorothy M.

freeBMD Deaths Sep Q 1956 Bromsgrove 9d 34 NORTON Arthur L Age 62.

Census

1911 census of England
Trefusis, Agar Road Truro, Cornwall, England

1939 register of England
59 Prospect Hill , Redditch U.D., Worcestershire, England

Notes from DCLI Museum

Dear Mr Norton

Our records show that Arthur Leslie Norton was awarded a Territorial Force commission as a Second Lieutenant on 21st January 1916. He was posted to the 4th DCLI (TF), probably joining the 3/4th Reserve DCLI TF.

On 5th July 1916 he landed in France, having been transferred to the 10th DCLI (Pioneers). The 10th had crossed to France the previous month.

The 10th was an unusual battalion, having been raised in March 1915, not by the War Office, but by the Mayor and citizens of Truro. It initially had only two officers – Colonel Dudley Acland Mills who had retired from the Royal Engineers six years earlier, and Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, a renowned academic but devoid of any military experience. Neither of them was paid. Their work in raising and training a battalion for war was remarkable by any standard, but their herculean efforts appears never to have been recognised by the military hierarchy. It must have been an enormous relief to these two gentlemen when the War Office took over the 10th Battalion on 24th August 1915.

From the early days of the war it had become apparent that the requirement for field engineering in static trench operations far outstripped the resources of the Royal Engineers. Accordingly Infantry Pioneer battalions were created on a basis of one per infantry division. These units were trained by the Royal Engineers and normally worked under the command of Royal Engineers field companies. Their tasks included the construction of barbed wire entanglements, dugouts, command posts, plank roads, duckboard tracks, light railways, bridges and culverts. Quite apart from their engineering skills, they were also fully trained infantrymen who were quite capable of taking their place in the line when necessary. In recognition of their skills, all ranks from the colonel to the newest joined private were paid an increment of 2d per day. Theoretically an Infantry Pioneer battalion was supposed to be made up of half skilled tradesmen and half what were known as ‘pick and shovel men’ (men used to heavy manual labour in all weather conditions).

The 10th DCLI was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division, a highly experienced formation which had been part of the original British Expeditionary Force in August 1914.

When your uncle joined the 10th DCLI was still well behind the front line, being acclimatised to operational conditions, but this was not to last for long.

Ten days after joining, your uncle would have found himself marching south towards the battlefield of the Somme. On 27th July, the 10th DCLI supported the 2nd Division in one of the many bloody attacks on Delville Wood. Delville Wood was one of the key German defensive positions on the Somme front. Both sides were fully aware of its tactical importance, and the fight for its occupation was especially long and fierce. The 10th Battalion had certainly been thrown in at the deep end, and from 27th July to 10th August 1916 was continually involved with little rest or sleep. On 10th August, the Battalion was withdrawn for rest.

From 13th November 1916 to March 1917, the 10th DCLI were in and out of the line supporting the 2nd Division in the battle of the River Ancre and its subsequent defence. Then in the Spring of 1917 the Battalion was attached to the 66th Infantry Division in the Ypres Salient. This new division attempted to hang onto the 10th DCLI. The Commander of the 2nd Infantry Division was furious and wrote to his opposite number at 66th Infantry Division stating:

“I can hardly believe that such a thing should be contemplated. In my letter through Corps, I mentioned that the Cornwalls held the line for the Division at Delville Wood to relieve the exhausted infantry and that the deepest ties exist between the Division and their Pioneers”.

They returned to the 2nd Division, remaining with them for the rest of the war.

On 2nd July 1917, your Uncle was promoted to Lieutenant.

In November – December 1917 the 10th DCLI operated throughout the battle of Cambrai, acting as infantry in the line during the German counter-attacks.

Then, on 21st March 1918, the German launched their long-expected offensive in the Somme area. They had been able to transfer a number of divisions from the Russian front giving them numerical superiority which they realised would not last as American divisions started to arrive on the Western Front. They very nearly succeeded in driving a wedge to the sea between the British and French armies. The fighting by exhausted British soldiers was confused and often chaotic. Units became split up, and men followed anybody who could show leadership. An example of the desperate fighting experienced by the 10th Battalion occurred during the withdrawal. When a company of 10th DCLI were moving up a sunken lane, unexpectantly, they met a similar party of Germans moving in the opposite direction. In the terrible hand to hand fighting that ensued the Germans were annihilated, not one remaining alive.

In the Autumn of 1918 the British launched the offensive that was to lead to final victory. The Pioneers were kept well forward in the battles moving only 50 yards behind the assault to destroy bunkers and communication trenches to prevent surviving Germans from attacking the British from the rear. Due to this policy, the Pioneers found themselves engaged in fierce fighting – their losses in these last battles were high.

After the Armistice on 11th August 1918 an Allied column demonstrated a show of strength in a semi-ceremonial march to the Rhine with bands playing, Colours flying and bayonets fixed. The 2nd Infantry Division was well to the front in this march, following the 1st Guards Division. The 10th Battalion was selected to represent the DCLI. It was a well-deserved honour, and all ranks of that tough, unspectacular Battalion must have felt immensely proud as they marched into Cologne.

Your uncle appears to have remained with the 10th Battalion until the Winter of 1920, overseeing it’s gradual demobilisation. In January 1921, he was back with the 4th DCLI (Territorial Force). The whole future of the Territorials was then in grave doubt, and, as the defence budget was cut each year, the Territorials were the most severely hit. The 4th and 5th Battalions were amalgamated and training cut to the bone. Your uncle retired in about April 1922.