Arthur Leslie Pritchard was born in Oswestry in 1895, the second eldest of 4 brothers and 2 sisters. His father, Halbert William Pritchard, known as Bert, was a commission agent for a cake manufacturer. He had been born in New Zealand. The family lived at 20 Park Street, Oswestry and later moved to ‘Kia Ora’, Roft Street – Maori for ‘Good Health’. His elder brother, George John Pritchard, died in 1908 and is buried in the family grave in Oswestry Cemetery. Leslie would join his father as assistant in his business. His father died in April 1917 leaving over £10000, a considerable sum in 1917, to his widow, Elizabeth. Soon after she moved to 4 Oak Drive – the house again was named ‘Kia Ora’.

Arthur enlisted at the outbreak of war in 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and was one of the original ‘Oswestry Pals’. In November 1914, whilst in training at Pirbright, he had written home and the letter was published in the BCA. He wrote that the battalion all now have uniforms and that the ‘newspapers’ arrive at 6am so they get the news before parade. He also wrote that the meals were improving and the other day they had had pineapple chunks for tea, there was not the slightest need to grumble. At the time they were doing semaphore and machine gun drill.

He went over to France with the 6 Bn KSLI in July 1915. The same month his younger brother, Cecil, also died in Oswestry; he was age 18 and, is also buried in the family grave in Oswestry Cemetery. On CWGC Leslie’s death is listed as 12 October 1915 but it is more probable that he was killed on the 13 October. At the time of his death the battalion was in a sector of trenches stretching from Neuve Chapelle to just beyond Rouge Bancs near La Basee. Leslie’s platoon CO, Lieutenant Wilson, wrote to his parents saying that during a heavy bombardment Leslie had been hit in the head by a rifle shot and died soon afterwards not regaining consciousness. The Lieutenant also wrote that Leslie was ‘a quiet and reserved man he did his work well and would be sadly missed by the members of the platoon’. The Lieutenant arranged for some of his ‘Pals’ to attend his funeral. Leslie was buried in Rue du Bacquerot No. 1 Military Cemetery at Lavnetie. His headstone inscription reads– ‘Father in thy gracious keeping leave me now thy servant sleeping’. Leslie is also commemorated at St Oswald’s Church and Holy Trinity Church, Oswestry, and on the family grave in Oswestry Cemetery which gives his date of death as 13 October 1915.

Arthur’s obituary in Liverpool Daily Post, 20 October 1915, states ‘OSWESTRY “PAL” KILLED. Following on the report of the death in action of Private T. L. Roberts, younger son of Rev. E. Garmon Roberts, congregational minister at Gobowen, near Oswestry, comes the news that another Oswestrian, Private Arthur Leslie Pritchard, of 6 Bn KSLI has been killed. Private Pritchard, who was 20 yrs of age, was the 2nd son of Mr H. W. Pritchard of Oswestry, a commercial traveller well-known throughout North Wales and Liverpool.’

Private 12286 Thomas Langford Roberts, (CWGC) 6 Bn KSLI and another of the Oswestry Pals is buried next to Arthur – killed 9 October by GSW to the head. Thomas was a pharmacist, son of Rev. Edward Garmon Roberts, Congregational minister in Gobowen. He is commemorated on Gobowen War Memorial.

Acknowledgements.

References and Sources

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