Private Arthur Clayton

Royal Scots, 2/9^th Battalion, Service no. 351783

Born: 17^th June 1887.  Died: 27^th May 1970.

Story

Arthur was the son of William Clayton (1856-1931) and Esther Goodall (1862-1903).  He had three other siblings, but his youngest sister Amy passed away in 1901, and his mother died young at 41.  With financial pressures, on 2nd September 1913, Arthur was imprisoned at Wakefield Prison for 8 days for debt.  He was living at Shillito’s Yard.  Arthur enlisted on 17^th April 1916 at Pontefract.  He was 5 ft 3 inches tall, a coal miner, and was living at Canal Street, Wortley whilst working at Ledston Luck Colliery.  Arthur was not fit enough to serve overseas, as he had defective teeth.  He was discharged from the Army on 31^st January 1919 with a rupture, but this was a pre-existing condition which he stated wasn’t caused by Service.  After the War, Arthur returned to coal mining, and in 1939 he was living in Castleford with his wife Mary (née Reed), and her parents who were incapacitated.  Arthur was working as a Watchman Labourer.  He passed away in 1970, aged 82.

<< Thomas Byers
Ralph Crossland >>
Soldiers discharged as Unfit Home Page
Home Page