Private Arthur Barraclough, 238014
2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Last Veteran to be wounded three times in the Great War.
One of only 23 surviving veterans of the war and was presented with France's highest military honour, the Legion d'Honneur.
Arthur Barraclough was born in Bradford on January 4, 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children and relatives of family doctor, Dr Paxton.
He left school to work as a barber in an older brother's shop before joining the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1916 at the age of 18.
The keen swimmer and boxer was in the Army for two years before returning to Bradford to rejoin his brother's barber's shop in Thornton.
Arthur began work as a hairdresser in the town before receiving notice of his conscription into the army in January 1916 although he was not called up until September. After training, he was posted to France the following January, joining his battalion, 2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment in the field.
Arthur was wounded in the arm in March 1917 but was sent back to his battalion to take part in the Battle of Arras, and went over the top. He was wounded again, more seriously, in November that year and returned to England and hospital where he remained until mid March 1918.
He went back to France in April to serve with the Regiment until the end of the war. He remained overseas for several weeks after the Armistice working with German prisoners to clear the battlefields of unexploded ammunition, a dangerous job that cost the lives of two comrades in one tragic incident that affected Arthur badly.
Early 1919 when he returned to Britain and resumed his career in hairdressing. He married and had one son, and eventually retired to Morecambe. Aged over 100, he was interviewed about his experiences by the BBC, appearing in the final tribute to the Great War Generation, 'The Last Tommy'. He died in 2004 aged 106.
Private Arthur Barraclough died, age 106, at Morecambe on Wednesday August 25. He served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment and went to the Front in January 1917. He was wounded three times. Many of you will remember that he was interviewed at length about his experiences for the BBC television series The Trench.
obituary appears in Daily Telegraph. Aug 30th 2004 Private Arthur Barraclough
(Filed: 30/08/2004)
Private Arthur Barraclough, who has died aged 106, was a lively Yorkshireman interviewed at length about his experiences on the Western Front for the recent BBC television series The Trench, in which a group of young men re-lived the hardships of a platoon in France 85 years earlier.
Interspersed between scenes of the youngsters, Barraclough was the most vigorous of all the veterans in his recollections of what was expected of a soldier on a shilling a day. Drawing on his experiences from the moment he arrived at the Front in January 1917 after only four months' training, he explained how the German dugouts, some of which had beds and electric light, made their British equivalents seem "like pig sties".
He recalled how men were "almost put on a charge" if they allowed themselves to develop trench foot, and explained why mules, with smaller hooves than horses, were best for carrying supplies.
One of the most moving scenes in the programme was when Barraclough explained how he prepared to go "over the top". He was not especially religious, but declined the customary rum ration to steady the nerves. Instead, he stood by himself for a minute, saying: "Dear God, I'm going into great danger. Would you please guard me and help me to act like a man. Please bring me back safe."
He explained: "I used to go out there without a fear, and here I am. I didn't say it out loud. My pals got to know, and they did all sorts of daft stuff to get drunk. Well, I didn't need it because I trusted, you know, in my prayers."
Arthur Barraclough was born at Bradford on January 4 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children. On leaving school he worked in his older brother's barber shop before enlisting on his 18th birthday, despite weighing under eight stone and having flat feet.
During his time on the Western Front, first with the 2nd/4th and later the 1st/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment, he was wounded three times, badly enough to be twice sent back to England. "Shrapnel killed more folk than the rifle, more than anything," he said. "I had quite a piece of calf blown off the third time."
He narrowly escaped bleeding to death when he was wounded in the arm at Arras. And at Cambrai he was walking with an officer who took a bullet through both his cheeks, leaving a hole in each; they were so anxious to escape that they kept going.
Barraclough recalled that sewn inside every soldier's tunic was a bandage and a bottle of iodine, which were to be applied to prevent a wound going septic. But the best life-saver was the tin hat - "I'd two or three bumps in mine."
On one occasion, after being wounded, he was treated at Wigan, and was overwhelmed by the comfort of the hospital, and by the generosity of Wigan Town Council; it presented him with a blue uniform which acted as a kind of "pass": "When you come out of hospital you put that blue uniform on and everything were free, I mean not money, but all theatres, pictures and any amusement. All you had to do were walk in a blue uniform and you were all right."
In all his time in action, he never knowingly killed an enemy.
As a man with a job to go to, Barraclough was discharged early. He remained a hairdresser (serving in the Home Guard in the Second World War) and continued to work after he had retired to Morecambe, Lancashire, in 1962.
In retrospect he had no feelings of bitterness, and had nothing but praise for his officers: "They were striking men, they weren't running away from anything. They just mixed in."
Arthur Barraclough and his wife Mary always coped politely with film crews and journalists as each First World War anniversary came around; he always made a point of being smartly turned out.
He died on August 25, and is survived by his wife and their son, Gordon Barraclough, 54; Wife Mary 92
2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Last Veteran to be wounded three times in the Great War.
One of only 23 surviving veterans of the war and was presented with France's highest military honour, the Legion d'Honneur.
Arthur Barraclough was born in Bradford on January 4, 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children and relatives of family doctor, Dr Paxton.
He left school to work as a barber in an older brother's shop before joining the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1916 at the age of 18.
The keen swimmer and boxer was in the Army for two years before returning to Bradford to rejoin his brother's barber's shop in Thornton.
Arthur began work as a hairdresser in the town before receiving notice of his conscription into the army in January 1916 although he was not called up until September. After training, he was posted to France the following January, joining his battalion, 2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment in the field.
Arthur was wounded in the arm in March 1917 but was sent back to his battalion to take part in the Battle of Arras, and went over the top. He was wounded again, more seriously, in November that year and returned to England and hospital where he remained until mid March 1918.
He went back to France in April to serve with the Regiment until the end of the war. He remained overseas for several weeks after the Armistice working with German prisoners to clear the battlefields of unexploded ammunition, a dangerous job that cost the lives of two comrades in one tragic incident that affected Arthur badly.
Early 1919 when he returned to Britain and resumed his career in hairdressing. He married and had one son, and eventually retired to Morecambe. Aged over 100, he was interviewed about his experiences by the BBC, appearing in the final tribute to the Great War Generation, 'The Last Tommy'. He died in 2004 aged 106.
Private Arthur Barraclough died, age 106, at Morecambe on Wednesday August 25. He served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment and went to the Front in January 1917. He was wounded three times. Many of you will remember that he was interviewed at length about his experiences for the BBC television series The Trench.
obituary appears in Daily Telegraph. Aug 30th 2004 Private Arthur Barraclough
(Filed: 30/08/2004)
Private Arthur Barraclough, who has died aged 106, was a lively Yorkshireman interviewed at length about his experiences on the Western Front for the recent BBC television series The Trench, in which a group of young men re-lived the hardships of a platoon in France 85 years earlier.
Interspersed between scenes of the youngsters, Barraclough was the most vigorous of all the veterans in his recollections of what was expected of a soldier on a shilling a day. Drawing on his experiences from the moment he arrived at the Front in January 1917 after only four months' training, he explained how the German dugouts, some of which had beds and electric light, made their British equivalents seem "like pig sties".
He recalled how men were "almost put on a charge" if they allowed themselves to develop trench foot, and explained why mules, with smaller hooves than horses, were best for carrying supplies.
One of the most moving scenes in the programme was when Barraclough explained how he prepared to go "over the top". He was not especially religious, but declined the customary rum ration to steady the nerves. Instead, he stood by himself for a minute, saying: "Dear God, I'm going into great danger. Would you please guard me and help me to act like a man. Please bring me back safe."
He explained: "I used to go out there without a fear, and here I am. I didn't say it out loud. My pals got to know, and they did all sorts of daft stuff to get drunk. Well, I didn't need it because I trusted, you know, in my prayers."
Arthur Barraclough was born at Bradford on January 4 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children. On leaving school he worked in his older brother's barber shop before enlisting on his 18th birthday, despite weighing under eight stone and having flat feet.
During his time on the Western Front, first with the 2nd/4th and later the 1st/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment, he was wounded three times, badly enough to be twice sent back to England. "Shrapnel killed more folk than the rifle, more than anything," he said. "I had quite a piece of calf blown off the third time."
He narrowly escaped bleeding to death when he was wounded in the arm at Arras. And at Cambrai he was walking with an officer who took a bullet through both his cheeks, leaving a hole in each; they were so anxious to escape that they kept going.
Barraclough recalled that sewn inside every soldier's tunic was a bandage and a bottle of iodine, which were to be applied to prevent a wound going septic. But the best life-saver was the tin hat - "I'd two or three bumps in mine."
On one occasion, after being wounded, he was treated at Wigan, and was overwhelmed by the comfort of the hospital, and by the generosity of Wigan Town Council; it presented him with a blue uniform which acted as a kind of "pass": "When you come out of hospital you put that blue uniform on and everything were free, I mean not money, but all theatres, pictures and any amusement. All you had to do were walk in a blue uniform and you were all right."
In all his time in action, he never knowingly killed an enemy.
As a man with a job to go to, Barraclough was discharged early. He remained a hairdresser (serving in the Home Guard in the Second World War) and continued to work after he had retired to Morecambe, Lancashire, in 1962.
In retrospect he had no feelings of bitterness, and had nothing but praise for his officers: "They were striking men, they weren't running away from anything. They just mixed in."
Arthur Barraclough and his wife Mary always coped politely with film crews and journalists as each First World War anniversary came around; he always made a point of being smartly turned out.
He died on August 25, and is survived by his wife and their son, Gordon Barraclough, 54; Wife Mary 92
Private Arthur Barraclough, 238014
2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Last Veteran to be wounded three times in the Great War.
One of only 23 surviving veterans of the war and was presented with France's highest military honour, the Legion d'Honneur.
Arthur Barraclough was born in Bradford on January 4, 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children and relatives of family doctor, Dr Paxton.
He left school to work as a barber in an older brother's shop before joining the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1916 at the age of 18.
The keen swimmer and boxer was in the Army for two years before returning to Bradford to rejoin his brother's barber's shop in Thornton.
Arthur began work as a hairdresser in the town before receiving notice of his conscription into the army in January 1916 although he was not called up until September. After training, he was posted to France the following January, joining his battalion, 2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment in the field.
Arthur was wounded in the arm in March 1917 but was sent back to his battalion to take part in the Battle of Arras, and went over the top. He was wounded again, more seriously, in November that year and returned to England and hospital where he remained until mid March 1918.
He went back to France in April to serve with the Regiment until the end of the war. He remained overseas for several weeks after the Armistice working with German prisoners to clear the battlefields of unexploded ammunition, a dangerous job that cost the lives of two comrades in one tragic incident that affected Arthur badly.
Early 1919 when he returned to Britain and resumed his career in hairdressing. He married and had one son, and eventually retired to Morecambe. Aged over 100, he was interviewed about his experiences by the BBC, appearing in the final tribute to the Great War Generation, 'The Last Tommy'. He died in 2004 aged 106.
Private Arthur Barraclough died, age 106, at Morecambe on Wednesday August 25. He served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment and went to the Front in January 1917. He was wounded three times. Many of you will remember that he was interviewed at length about his experiences for the BBC television series The Trench.
obituary appears in Daily Telegraph. Aug 30th 2004 Private Arthur Barraclough
(Filed: 30/08/2004)
Private Arthur Barraclough, who has died aged 106, was a lively Yorkshireman interviewed at length about his experiences on the Western Front for the recent BBC television series The Trench, in which a group of young men re-lived the hardships of a platoon in France 85 years earlier.
Interspersed between scenes of the youngsters, Barraclough was the most vigorous of all the veterans in his recollections of what was expected of a soldier on a shilling a day. Drawing on his experiences from the moment he arrived at the Front in January 1917 after only four months' training, he explained how the German dugouts, some of which had beds and electric light, made their British equivalents seem "like pig sties".
He recalled how men were "almost put on a charge" if they allowed themselves to develop trench foot, and explained why mules, with smaller hooves than horses, were best for carrying supplies.
One of the most moving scenes in the programme was when Barraclough explained how he prepared to go "over the top". He was not especially religious, but declined the customary rum ration to steady the nerves. Instead, he stood by himself for a minute, saying: "Dear God, I'm going into great danger. Would you please guard me and help me to act like a man. Please bring me back safe."
He explained: "I used to go out there without a fear, and here I am. I didn't say it out loud. My pals got to know, and they did all sorts of daft stuff to get drunk. Well, I didn't need it because I trusted, you know, in my prayers."
Arthur Barraclough was born at Bradford on January 4 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children. On leaving school he worked in his older brother's barber shop before enlisting on his 18th birthday, despite weighing under eight stone and having flat feet.
During his time on the Western Front, first with the 2nd/4th and later the 1st/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment, he was wounded three times, badly enough to be twice sent back to England. "Shrapnel killed more folk than the rifle, more than anything," he said. "I had quite a piece of calf blown off the third time."
He narrowly escaped bleeding to death when he was wounded in the arm at Arras. And at Cambrai he was walking with an officer who took a bullet through both his cheeks, leaving a hole in each; they were so anxious to escape that they kept going.
Barraclough recalled that sewn inside every soldier's tunic was a bandage and a bottle of iodine, which were to be applied to prevent a wound going septic. But the best life-saver was the tin hat - "I'd two or three bumps in mine."
On one occasion, after being wounded, he was treated at Wigan, and was overwhelmed by the comfort of the hospital, and by the generosity of Wigan Town Council; it presented him with a blue uniform which acted as a kind of "pass": "When you come out of hospital you put that blue uniform on and everything were free, I mean not money, but all theatres, pictures and any amusement. All you had to do were walk in a blue uniform and you were all right."
In all his time in action, he never knowingly killed an enemy.
As a man with a job to go to, Barraclough was discharged early. He remained a hairdresser (serving in the Home Guard in the Second World War) and continued to work after he had retired to Morecambe, Lancashire, in 1962.
In retrospect he had no feelings of bitterness, and had nothing but praise for his officers: "They were striking men, they weren't running away from anything. They just mixed in."
Arthur Barraclough and his wife Mary always coped politely with film crews and journalists as each First World War anniversary came around; he always made a point of being smartly turned out.
He died on August 25, and is survived by his wife and their son, Gordon Barraclough, 54; Wife Mary 92
2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Last Veteran to be wounded three times in the Great War.
One of only 23 surviving veterans of the war and was presented with France's highest military honour, the Legion d'Honneur.
Arthur Barraclough was born in Bradford on January 4, 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children and relatives of family doctor, Dr Paxton.
He left school to work as a barber in an older brother's shop before joining the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1916 at the age of 18.
The keen swimmer and boxer was in the Army for two years before returning to Bradford to rejoin his brother's barber's shop in Thornton.
Arthur began work as a hairdresser in the town before receiving notice of his conscription into the army in January 1916 although he was not called up until September. After training, he was posted to France the following January, joining his battalion, 2/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment in the field.
Arthur was wounded in the arm in March 1917 but was sent back to his battalion to take part in the Battle of Arras, and went over the top. He was wounded again, more seriously, in November that year and returned to England and hospital where he remained until mid March 1918.
He went back to France in April to serve with the Regiment until the end of the war. He remained overseas for several weeks after the Armistice working with German prisoners to clear the battlefields of unexploded ammunition, a dangerous job that cost the lives of two comrades in one tragic incident that affected Arthur badly.
Early 1919 when he returned to Britain and resumed his career in hairdressing. He married and had one son, and eventually retired to Morecambe. Aged over 100, he was interviewed about his experiences by the BBC, appearing in the final tribute to the Great War Generation, 'The Last Tommy'. He died in 2004 aged 106.
Private Arthur Barraclough died, age 106, at Morecambe on Wednesday August 25. He served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment and went to the Front in January 1917. He was wounded three times. Many of you will remember that he was interviewed at length about his experiences for the BBC television series The Trench.
obituary appears in Daily Telegraph. Aug 30th 2004 Private Arthur Barraclough
(Filed: 30/08/2004)
Private Arthur Barraclough, who has died aged 106, was a lively Yorkshireman interviewed at length about his experiences on the Western Front for the recent BBC television series The Trench, in which a group of young men re-lived the hardships of a platoon in France 85 years earlier.
Interspersed between scenes of the youngsters, Barraclough was the most vigorous of all the veterans in his recollections of what was expected of a soldier on a shilling a day. Drawing on his experiences from the moment he arrived at the Front in January 1917 after only four months' training, he explained how the German dugouts, some of which had beds and electric light, made their British equivalents seem "like pig sties".
He recalled how men were "almost put on a charge" if they allowed themselves to develop trench foot, and explained why mules, with smaller hooves than horses, were best for carrying supplies.
One of the most moving scenes in the programme was when Barraclough explained how he prepared to go "over the top". He was not especially religious, but declined the customary rum ration to steady the nerves. Instead, he stood by himself for a minute, saying: "Dear God, I'm going into great danger. Would you please guard me and help me to act like a man. Please bring me back safe."
He explained: "I used to go out there without a fear, and here I am. I didn't say it out loud. My pals got to know, and they did all sorts of daft stuff to get drunk. Well, I didn't need it because I trusted, you know, in my prayers."
Arthur Barraclough was born at Bradford on January 4 1898, one of a wool-comber's 13 children. On leaving school he worked in his older brother's barber shop before enlisting on his 18th birthday, despite weighing under eight stone and having flat feet.
During his time on the Western Front, first with the 2nd/4th and later the 1st/4th Duke of Wellington's Regiment, he was wounded three times, badly enough to be twice sent back to England. "Shrapnel killed more folk than the rifle, more than anything," he said. "I had quite a piece of calf blown off the third time."
He narrowly escaped bleeding to death when he was wounded in the arm at Arras. And at Cambrai he was walking with an officer who took a bullet through both his cheeks, leaving a hole in each; they were so anxious to escape that they kept going.
Barraclough recalled that sewn inside every soldier's tunic was a bandage and a bottle of iodine, which were to be applied to prevent a wound going septic. But the best life-saver was the tin hat - "I'd two or three bumps in mine."
On one occasion, after being wounded, he was treated at Wigan, and was overwhelmed by the comfort of the hospital, and by the generosity of Wigan Town Council; it presented him with a blue uniform which acted as a kind of "pass": "When you come out of hospital you put that blue uniform on and everything were free, I mean not money, but all theatres, pictures and any amusement. All you had to do were walk in a blue uniform and you were all right."
In all his time in action, he never knowingly killed an enemy.
As a man with a job to go to, Barraclough was discharged early. He remained a hairdresser (serving in the Home Guard in the Second World War) and continued to work after he had retired to Morecambe, Lancashire, in 1962.
In retrospect he had no feelings of bitterness, and had nothing but praise for his officers: "They were striking men, they weren't running away from anything. They just mixed in."
Arthur Barraclough and his wife Mary always coped politely with film crews and journalists as each First World War anniversary came around; he always made a point of being smartly turned out.
He died on August 25, and is survived by his wife and their son, Gordon Barraclough, 54; Wife Mary 92
Gravesite Details
Monday, 30 Aug 2004, at Morecambe and Lancaster Crematorium
