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My latest find during my travels.

Arthur Hart

Circa 1870 - 1958

Arthur Hart was apparently born in April 1870 in the Parish of Fressingfield near the town of Framlingham in the County of Suffolk, England.

This birth date is an approximate date as according to his attestation papers for the Royal West Kent Regt, he was 22 years and 2 months old on the 27th June 1892 at the time he attested. However, his attestation papers for the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (WW1) show his birth date as 19thOct 1873.
There is a birth registered in the Parish of Mutford in 1870 and also a birth in Woodbridge during 1873 for an Arthur Hart. Both of these towns are not to far from Fressingfield. !!! (Which one is he???)

His Personal details upon attestation were:

Age: 22 years and 2 months
Trade and Calling: Butcher
Marital Status: Single
Height: 5 Feet 6 ¾ inches
Weight: 140 lbs.
Complexion: Fresh
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Brown
Marks: Scar above left eye, left knee and left thumb
Religious denomination: Church of England
NOK: Is noted as his Mother, Mary Ann

Arthur Hart also stated that he had previous service with the 4th Royal West Kent Regiment. This was a Militia Battalion and had previously been known as the 2nd Battalion of the West Kent Light Infantry.

Arthur attested for “Short Service” (7 years with the colors and 5 years in the Reserve) on the 27th June 1892. He was placed on strength of the 1st Battalion as a private with the Regimental number 3382.

He was to spend the next 15 months in the UK until being posted off to India on the 29th September 1893. Arthur was to spend the next 5 years in India.

The regiment fought against Pashtun tribesmen on the unforgiving Northwest frontier of the Punjab in 1897-98.

The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1881-1914, by Lieutenant-Colonel H. D. Chaplin gives the following:

‘It was now clear that the enemy were in strength on the spurs on either side of Agrah and Ghat, and that these must be captured before the villages could be destroyed. While the cavalry continued to block the re-entrant, the brigade advanced into action. The Guides Infantry and the 1st Battalion [Royal West Kent Regiment] attacked the spur on the left of Agrah. The 31st Punjabis (from the 1st Brigade) made for the spur on the right of Ghat. The 38th Dogras were in reserve.

The 1st Battalion advanced at a quick pace with The Guides Infantry prolonging the line to the left. The tribesmen opened fire from stone sangars, on which banners were fluttering in the wind. But when the troops got within a hundred yards of them and fixed bayonets, only a dozen ghazis stood to resist the assault. The rest retired up the rocky slope, and the position was taken without a single casualty. On the right, the Punjabis captured their spur after a sharp fight. The 38th Dogras remained in rear to protect No. 7 Mountain Battery, which, firing over the heads of the troops, shelled some sangars on the higher slopes.

The brigade stayed in these positions for about an hour, during which the Sappers and Miners destroyed the two villages. When the time came to withdraw, the Punjabis could not disengage without support. To assist their retirement, the 1st Battalion was ordered to move down the slope on its right and up to the spur above the village of Ghat.

As each company arrived on the spur it came under the fire of the tribesmen, who had moved down the hill to harass the withdrawal. The troops were hampered by the terraces, and the sub-units became separated. Part of C Company, led by Lieutenant Browne-Clayton, stormed a sangar, driving the occupants up the slope. About 15 men entered the post. But after four or five of them had been hit by bullets fired from higher ground, they were ordered to withdraw. At that moment Browne-Clayton was shot dead. Before his body could be passed over the rock wall, the tribesmen suddenly charged. Major Western, who was nearby, told A Company to advance, re-take the sangar and recover the body. Captain Style was the first to reach the post; he was closely followed by Second Lieutenant Jackson and Lance-Corporal McGee. Colour-Sergeant Willis supervised the evacuation of the dead and wounded down the slope.


The 1st Battalion and the Punjabi's then retired by alternate companies to the plain below, a steady fire being maintained as they fell back. Several times the tribesmen rushed within 20 yards of the rear company, but they invariably withdrew again on being charged with the bayonet.’

Arthur Hart was granted good conduct pay in 1894,96 and in 1898. On the 1st August 1898 he elected to come under regulations governing issue of messing allowance in accordance with provisions of para 5 Army order 65 of 1898.

Several months later on the 6th June 1899 Hart was on his way back to the UK. On the 27th June 1899, which was exactly 7 years after having joined the regiment, he was transferred to the reserves. His time in the reserves was short lived as events in South Africa had by this time escalated into a full-blown war. Hart found himself being recalled to army service under special army order of the 7th October 1899. He rejoined as a Private on the 26th December 1899.

Two and a half months later after a period of preparation and training had been carried out the regiment sailed to South Africa. They left the UK on the 16th March 1900. They sailed aboard the “Bavarian” and arrived in Cape Town on the 6th April 1900. Here with the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment, the 1st Worcestershire Regiment and the 2nd Manchester Regiment formed the 17th Brigade under Major General Boyes, which was part of the 8th Division under General Sir Leslie Rundle.
At Biddulphsberg, 29th May, the Royal West Kent had about 12 men wounded.
In his evidence before the War Commission General Rundle said: "The men responded to every appeal made to them. One battalion, the Royal West Kent, marched forty-five miles in forty-eight hours and fought a successful action at the end. That was at Prinsloo's surrender when we joined hands with General Hunter".
The opportunities, which the 8th Division had of distinguishing themselves, were very few. After Biddulphsberg they had no big engagement, but no troops had a harder time or did more conscientious work.
In the sphere of the 8th Division small fights were constantly occurring, although these were not always so successful as the one Lord Roberts describes thus in his telegram of 13th October 1900: "A satisfactory little affair took place near Frankfort on the 11th, when Colonel Grove, Royal West Kent Regiment, surprised a Boer laager at dawn. Seven of the enemy were killed, 9 wounded, and 18 taken prisoner. Sergeant Canty of the Royal West Kent Regt was severely wounded".
Thirteen officers and 18 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in Lord Roberts' final despatch.
The 2nd battalion remained about Frankfort till the close of the campaign where it was involved in drives against the famous Boer commando leaders Christiaan De Wet and Louis Botha.
In Lord Kitchener's final despatch 5 officers and 5 non-commissioned officers were mentioned.
Arthur Hart forfeited 1days good conduct pay on the 14th May 1902 and with the rest of the regiment remained in SA until the end of Hostilities. He returned to England on the 11th September 1902. He was transferred to the army reserves on the 6th May 1903 and finally discharged on the 26th June 1904.

Little is known of Hart’s life in the UK after the Boer War but at some point he did marry and leave the UK for Canada. We find him attesting into the 169th Overseas Battalion of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force on the 31st January 1916.

His attestation papers into the CEF shows him now as being born on the19th October 1873. He is still a Butcher by trade and living with his wife Clara at 63 Medcalfe Street, Toronto, Canada. They also show that he had a Son, Joe Hart who was 16 months old. The papers do also confirm previous service in the Royal West Kent Regiment. He was given the Regimental number 678332 and with the rank of Private was attached to the 169th Battalion.

Hart spent the next 8 ½ months training before he embarked per the “SS Metagama” on the 17th October 1916 destined for England. He arrived in England on the 28th October 1916.

Arthur Hart was destined not to ever reach France and perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. The Canadians were, as were the rest of the allies, under heavy pressure and had been suffering severe losses in battle along the front. He was appointed to the rank of acting corporal on the 8th November 1916 whilst stationed at the Bramshott Military Camp in Hampshire. Camp Bramshott was one of three facilities in the Aldershot Command area established by the Canadian Army. Although his military papers from the Canadian Archives do not state his post/job at all it can be assumed that he, being approximately 46 years old and a butcher was put to good use in the camp kitchens??

Hart was on the 24th January 1917 transferred to the 5th Reserve Battalion and he remained in Bramshott until the 5th September 1917 when he was struck off strength and posted to the 1st C.O.R.D (Central Ontario Regimental Depot) attached to the 5th Reserve Battalion in West Sandling situated close to Folkstone.

Hart remained in West Sandling but on the 5th February 1918 he was attached to the 12th Reserve Battalion and he remained on strength of the 12th until the 19th November 1918. The war was over by now and he was again posted back to the 1st C.O.R.D and attached to the Depot Company. At the same time he was reverted back to private and was now based at the Witley Camp situated on the Witley Common in Surrey. He remained here for just on a month and was then struck off strength for transfer to the CEF in Canada. He sailed on the “Olympic” leaving the UK on the 7th December and arrived in Halifax on the 14th December 1918 and was finally discharged from the Exhibition Campon the 14th January 1919.

His discharge form states the reason for his discharge as being found medically unfit for service suffering from debility. It is also interesting to note that his medical report prior to discharge has his DOB as 19th October 1867!!

As he never left the UK his WW1 entitlement is the BWM only and his Canadian “MIC” document confirms this.

Arthur Hart passed away on the 31st August 1958 in Canada.

His full entitlement is the:

India general Service Medal 1895-1902 with clasp Punjab Frontier 1897-98
Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps, CC, Tvl and Wittebergen
King’s South Africa with both date clasps
British War Medal

It is fascinating to read such a full biography and to be able to follow each move he made whilst in the UK during the Great War. Excellent picture of the group too.