More than a century after falling in combat during the Great War, a Nottingham-born warrior has finally been properly honored. The previously unmarked final resting place of Lance Corporal Arthur Mantle now bears a memorial stone at Joncourt East British Cemetery close to Saint Quentin in France. Family members gathered for the rededication ceremony, including the soldier’s great-nephew Kevin Shakespeare, who expressed his deep pride in being able to honor his relative and the courageous soldiers who made immense sacrifices enabling his own fortunate existence. Arthur Mantle entered the world in Nottingham during the opening months of 1898 and wore the uniform of the 1/8th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters. During October 1918, his unit participated in an offensive to the east of Joncourt but found itself compelled to retreat given the intensity of combat. The young 20-year-old lost his life during those engagements. His body was located interred at the cemetery but had been recorded simply as an unknown Lance Corporal. Research conducted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission alongside the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and the National Army Museum finally established his identity after over a century. Rosie Barron, a caseworker with the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, noted that these families had long been unaware of their relatives’ burial locations. She emphasized the significance of preserving these men’s memory and ensuring their families understand their loved ones rest peacefully alongside their fellow soldiers.
This is a digital representation, not a photograph.
