Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of J. H. Thompson, of 3, Normanton Cottages, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.

Arthur had served for 8 years with the 1st Bn., The Lincolnshire Yeomanry.

He had been a Sergeant during his war service in France but had reverted to Private at the time of his death.

He fought in the Boer War, emerging unscathed,before emigrating to Australia. He  died as a prisoner of war in German hands at Mons.  A statement made by two escaped prisoners, 5163 Lance Corporal Parsons and 6214 Private Stewart said that he was captured at Reincourt. The term Prisoner of War, Germany was deleted from the report and substituted with “Prisoner of War in German hands.” He was the son of John Henry Thompson and his wife of 3 Normanton Cottages, Empingham, Stamford and was born at Geeston, Ketton, on 8 October 1881.  He had been in Australia for about six years and was about to set up his own market gardening business when he joined the 16th Battalion Australian Imperial Force in March 1916. Arthur came back to England in the early part of the following December, and was sent to France on the 2 February 1917. His battalion suffered heavy casualties when it went into action for the first time at Arras on 11 April 1917. Arthur was among 200 soldiers taken prisoner and sent to prisoner of war camps. He died in Kriegs Lazarett, (Training College, Girls School, Mons, Belgium.

 Arthur is remembered on the Stamford, Lincolnshire War Memorial, the Empingham War Memorial in Empingham Cemetery, Rutland, England, the board memorial in St Peter’s Church, Church Street, Empingham, Rutland, LE15 8PN, England and also on the Ketton and Geeston War Memorial in St Mary the Virgin Church.