Arthur Perceval Green

Location:
The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity and All Saints
Winterton-on-Sea
Norfolk
NR29 4GN

Details on cross:

LIEUT. A P GREEN.

7th NORFOLK REGT

Killed in Action                                       Aged 22 years                                          July 6 1916

Above is hand-written

2 x GRU tags (one illegible-painted over, other marked “I I22”

Text type: Hand-written & GRU tags

Cross dimensions (millimetres please)
Shaft Height: 1110mm
Cross beam width: 662mm
Width of wood: 92mm
Thickness or depth: 64mm

Square plate (if supported)
Width of Square arms: 49mm
Angle of arms: 45 degrees
Thickness: 61mm

Other information
Mounting to wall: Freestanding, leant against wall
Detailing: Chamfered edges to ends of main cross
Evidence of use in field:  Lower part of cross
Surface insertion depth:  73mm approx (of remaining wood-see below)
Finish: White paint
Condition: Poor. One supporting arm is missing, nails show position. One other badlydamaged. There is evidence ofwoodworm, there are various holes,notches and splinters in the wood of the main cross. There is evidence of wet rot damage at the bottom of the cross (assumed from where it has been in the ground) and it appears that the lower part of the main shaft has been lost.

Other information, notes and observations:
The cross is at the left rear of the church opposite the main entrance. It is immediately next to ‘Fisherman’s Corner’ and at the time of visit one arm was partially covered by a Red Ensign flag.

There is a war memorial outside the church that lists AP Green and others. In the graveyard there are various service graves including two from WW1.

Arthur Perceval Green

The memorial cross lists his age (to my eyes) as 22 however all other sources seem to record his age as 21.

“The memorial outside the church lists

Arthur Perceval Green Lieut. 7th Norfolk Regt.

greenA memorial plaque inside the church asks us to pray for William Arthur Green, 35 year rector of this church, who died on August 29th 1928 and of Alice Mary, his wife, who died on December 30th 1928. Remember also the souls of their sons, Arthur Perceval 1st Lt 7th Norfolk Regiment who died in France on July 6th 1916 and Thomas Cuthbert, Mercantile Marine, Awarded the D.S.M, died on May 25th 1927.

Name: GREEN, ARTHUR PERCEVAL

Rank: Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: “D” Coy. 7th Bn.

Age: 21 Date of Death: 06/07/1916

Additional information: Son of the Rev. William Arthur and Alice Mary Green, of Winterton Rectory, Great Yarmouth.

Grave/Memorial Reference: I. I. 22. Cemetery: ALBERT COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION

CWGC link

No match on Norlink

The 7 year old Arthur P. (born Winterton), can be found on the 1901 census at The Rectory, Winterton. This is the household of his parents, William, (aged 44 and a CoE Clergymman from Gadby, Leicestershire), and Alice M, (aged 34 and from Hants). Their other children are: Claude S aged 6, Dorothy M aged 8, Evelyn F aged 2, Marjorie F aged 4, Thomas C aged u/1

Alice’s sister, Dorothy K Percival, aged 28 and single, is also living with them. The family have four domestic servants, including a 17 year old Flora Larner from Winterton, (there is a George Larner below for whom I can’t find any CWGC details)

The 12th Division, of which the 7th Norfolks were part, suffered very heavy casualties in an attack on the 3rd July, and appear to have been pulled from the line, returning on the 7th July. While Lt Green may possibly have been killed while reconnoitering the trenches his men were going to take over the next day, or for a variety of other reason, the suspicion must be that he succumbed to wounds received.

7th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment was raised at Norwich in August 1914 as part of Kitchener’s First New Army and joined 35th Brigade, 12th (Eastern) Division.

They moved to Baizieux on the 30th June and went into the reserve at Hencourt and Millencourt by mid morning on the 1st of July. They relieved the 8th Division at Ovillers-la-Boisselle that night and attacked at 3.15 the following morning with mixed success. On the 7th they attacked again and despite suffering heavy casualties in the area of Mash Valley, they succeeded in capturing and holding the first and second lines close to Ovillers. They were withdrawn to Contay on the 9th July. “

Above taken from http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=6764

However the 7 Battalion war diary states Lieutenant Green was killed by shell hitting D Company HQ on 6 July.

Millencourt 6 July 2016 am.

We were again subjected to a heavy bombardment, which lasted a couple of hours. During last night 5/6 we got in more wounded and the trenchfrom Argyll St to La Boiselle was continued. This morning at 3am the enemy opened a heavy bombardment on our lines and one shell landing in the bay where D Company HQ were (sic). Killed one officer (Lt A P Green) and wounded two others all in the same company. ”

Information sourced  from Peter  Moominpappa on Flickr. The page owner has other information regarding those mentioned on the memorial and buried in the churchyard. Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the memorial plaque to William Arthur Green and family.

For anyone researching Lt Green, there are several sites offering a picture and obituary of him, but at a price.

Survey and Photographs courtesy of Mark & Janet Ratcliff
Date of survey: 1 September 2016

30-church_winterton

Click on the thumbnails below to open the gallery of images.