Arthur Stone was born in 1885 in Boxmoor the oldest child of George Stone and Mary Ann Harriet Odell who had twelve children in total, two of whom died young. Arthur’s five sisters who lived were: Louisa, Emily, Elizabeth, Hilda and Milly. His four brothers were: William, Alfred, George and Fred. His brother Alfred also fought and died in the Great War. He was killed on the 13th July 1916 only three months after Arthur. His biography is also on this site.

When Arthur was born his parents lived at 34 London Road in the Two Waters area of Boxmoor in the home where all eleven children grew up. Arthur attended nearby Two Waters British School and in April 1890 his teacher recorded the fact that “..the Guardians have discontinued to pay the Fees for Thomas Kitchener, Arthur Stone…” and naming five other pupils. When a parent could not meet the school fees, the Attendance Officer of the School Board could make an application to the Board of Guardians for the fees to be paid by them. It is unclear why the Guardians had stopped paying Arthur’s fees, but the result would have meant his exclusion from school. Arthur’s father George worked as a General Labourer so may not have earned enough to pay for his son to stay in school.

In 1890 a school like Two Waters would charge approximately 12d per year (equivalent to sixty-two pence today) for each pupil which perhaps does not sound like a lot. But given that Arthur’s father George worked as a General Labourer on about three shillings per week and with a wife, three young children (two at school) and his mother-in-law to support, his meagre wage probably did not stretch far enough to afford the school fees.

By 1901, Arthur aged sixteen and his younger sister Louisa, had started work with John Dickinson & Co. Ltd. as an Envelope Packer and Black Borderer respectively. This would have helped supplement the income of George’s growing family which had now reached a total of nine.

In 1911 Arthur and four of his younger siblings worked at Dickinsons and the family of eleven lived in a two up two down house still on London Road, Boxmoor. It seems that Arthur left Dickinsons sometime after 1911 and before war was declared, although it is not known where he went to work.

On the outbreak of war Arthur enlisted with the Bedfordshire Regiment, attesting in Watford in September 1914 and was posted to the 8th Battalion (the "Hungry 8th" as it became known). He was sent with the Battalion to Woking where basic training was carried out and after a long wait, Arthur was eventually mobilised in August of the following year.

He disembarked at Boulogne-sur-Mer on the 30th August 1915 and less than a month later saw action in the Battle of Loos. Arthur survived Loos and the first use of poison gas by the German’s in December. Between January and April 1916 he was with the Battalion in a sector of the Front Line close to Ypres beside the Yser Canal.

The Battalion War Diary records events on the 19th and 20th April as follows: "20 Apr 1916 - Battalion moved back in support in dugouts on YSER CANAL - *On night 19/20 Apl. after 2 hours heavy bombardment Germans attacked and gained a footing in trenches D20, WILLOW WALK and S18a - D21, B17a and B16 still held by battalion and line VICARS LANE - CLIFFORD TOWER - GANTHORPE ROAD strengthened and reinforced. Killed - Capt Quilter, 2Lt Cartwright, 2Lt.McMichael. Wounded 2Lt Vipond, 2Lt Player, 2Lt Charles. Missing 2Lt Squier. O.Ranks - Killed 32, Missing believed Killed 97, Wounded 65."

Arthur was one of the ninety-seven men missing believed killed and his death date was officially recorded as Wednesday, 19th April 1916.

The following month a fellow soldier, H.J. (Harry) Radford, wrote to Arthur’s parents to give them the tragic news and this was reported in the Hemel Gazette. Harry Radford would also suffer the loss of his youngest brother Colin who was killed in July 1917. 

Arthur is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 33 .

He was 31 years old when he died. 

Arthur was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.