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Pte. Arthur Leslie Atkins
British Army 7th Btn Middlesex Regiment
from:London
Arthur Atkins signed up on 11th of September 1914 aged 16. He lied about his age as so many did and was sent to the Battalion HQ of 7th Middlesex Regiment at Hornsey. His last home leave was on 26th of December 1914 and one night towards the end of January 1915 the battalion was told that they were to proceed to Gibraltar. He disembarked on 8th of February 1915 after a very rough voyage with many men being extremely poorly. They left Gibraltar on 22nd July 1915 and on Sunday 25th July they saw the French coast.
There is a long story of trench warfare including the Somme, with only 9 men out of a platoon of 45 being left at one point. When at the front line at Fouquevilliers his age was discovered but he was still given necessary asses, railway warrants and was put in charge of a party being the senior soldier, aged 18. He dodged death on many occasions, even at Passchendaele and after being wounded was sent home on 21st of March 1918 from Rouen. He then joined the 5th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps for a hardening course then back to France and Ypres. On the morning of 11th of November 1918 they were cleaning rifles and refilling ammunition belts when a runner from HQ arrived to tell them that an armistice had been signed.
