Headstone
Arthur Higham is my fifth cousin, once removed. He was born circa 1896 in Sheffield and according to the 1911 Census was living at Hermitage Street, Sheffield. Special thanks are owed to Trevor Higgins for writing the following text:-
The 1/4th York and Lancaster Regiment (Hallamshires) of which Arthur was a member, was held in reserve at the outbreak of the battle of the Somme on the 1st July 1916. However, as things did not go too well for the Allies in the following days, the Regiment was brought forward and tasked to help ANZAC forces to take Poziers, a village situated on the Albert to Bapaume Road. This road formed a ridge and was beneficial to whichever army held it, because of surrounding views. There were several battles for Poziers in mid July, none of them of much success and at great cost to the Australians.
On the night of 23rd July, the Hallamshires , supporting other ANZAC troops carried out a frontal attack on German positions, which extended either side of the road. German machine guns killed many soldiers, and the wounded ones were removed to the 44th CCS at Puchevillers. Arthur was buried in the cemetery there. There are 1756 burials there, most of which were buried after the German advance of 1918.
This is a revised version of a post which was originally published on my WordPress Blog on 05/01/2010 and republished on Mollekin Portalite on 11/05/2011.
WEEK 42 