William Arthur Barnes was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire on Monday, 11th April 1892, the oldest boy born to Thomas Barnes and Eliza Jane Gravestock. William had five siblings who were his older sister Dorothy, and Benjamin George, Elsie Mary and Charles Redvers who were all younger. He had another brother or sister whose name is unknown and who died in infancy.

The Barnes family moved to Hemel Hempstead not long after William was born and settled on Alma Road, which was situated between Marlowes and Bury Road where West Herts College stands today. William’s father Thomas worked in the grocery trade as a ‘Warehouseman’.

On the 1901 Census return William was not at home with his family; instead he was recorded as a ‘Visitor’ a few doors away with Philip and Sarah Reeve and their young daughter Elsie. Also staying with the Reeve family was one George Dean who worked locally as a ‘Hairdresser’ and who would later give young William his start in working life. It is not known if the Reeve family was related to William in any way and it may have been that he was just visiting a young friend, Elsie Reeve, when the Census enumerator called.

His acquaintance with George Dean however, resulted in William’s entry to the hairdressing trade when he left school in 1906 and started work in George’s business at 134a Marlowes. He stayed with George’s business until at least 1911 when he was recorded as a ‘Hairdresser (Assistant)’ on that year’s Census return and was living with his family at 16 Cemetery Hill in Hemel Hempstead. Not long after this time William left George Dean’s employ to set up his own hairdressing business on the Marlowes and ran this successfully until he was called up for service in 1916.

In January of that year William had the happy duty to serve as ‘Best Man’ at his friend Philip Beckley’s wedding, which was reported in the Hemel Gazette a few days later. William and Philip were next-door-neighbours on Cemetery Hill, and both young men were active members of Marlowes Baptist Church where William was also a member of the Church Choir. Tragically his friend Philip died only seven months before William, at the end of September 1916. Philip’s biography also appears on this site.

William closed up his business in Hemel Hempstead and went to attest at Whitehall in London in May 1916, when he joined the London Regiment. Although the battalion is not known, it may have been the 12th (The Rangers) Battalion London Regiment which his friend Philip had joined a few months earlier. Nor is it known when William went to France, although this is likely to have been at the end of 1916 or very early in 1917.

Having enlisted with the London Regiment, William was subsequently transferred to the 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment on his arrival in France and soon found himself in the trenches. The 2nd Suffolks was part of the 9th Infantry Brigade which took part in the Battle of Arras starting on the 9th April 1917. William and his colleagues made good progress on the first morning of the attack and although over one hundred casualties were incurred on the day, the Battalion reached its objectives and spent the next twenty-four hours consolidating its gains and making ready to advance for a second time.

On the 11th April the situation had changed, and the initial assembly was very slow due to ‘thick wire’ and heavy shelling from the enemy lines which the Battalion War Diary describes as “Woolly Bears”. This was a certain type of German shrapnel known as “The Woolly Bear,” from the thick white smoke emitted when it burst.

Shortly after the start of the attack the action was described as follows: “The advance was made under a considerable amount of shelling but on coming into view of GUEMAPPE down the convex slope of the ridge, the lines met heavy Machine Gun Fire from WANCOURT on their right flank as well as from GUEMAPPE.”

During these actions the 2nd Suffolks suffered 120 casualties, 13 of which were ‘Killed in Action’ and the War Diary goes on to record the following observations of that day’s efforts:

“The difficulties met with in the operations of the 11th April were:

(1) The troops were tired.

(2) No time for personal reconnaissance and formation of plan of attack.

(3) No artillery support.

(4) WANCOURT was not in our hands.

The lesson to be learnt appears to be the vital necessity of locating Machine Guns by very widely extended line of scouts who can shoot supported by one or two Lewis Guns to attract attention and engage Machine Gun while other parties work round.”

William was one of the 13 men killed and he died on Wednesday, 11th April 1917, poignantly his twenty-fifth birthday. William’s death was reported in the Hemel Gazette shortly after he was killed. Another of his friends, ‘Bugler’ J Cooley of RAMC, on hearing of William’s death felt moved to write to the Gazette expressing his sympathy.

He was commemorated on the Memorial Plaque inside Marlowes Baptist Church where he was a member of the congregation.

William is Remembered with Honour in Tilloy British Cemetery, Tilloy-Les-Mofflaines, Pas-de-Calais, France, where he is interred in Grave IV. C. 18.

He was exactly 25 years old when he died.

William was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.