File:2 Lieutenant George Arthur Nicholls (7697920042).jpg

Royal Horse Artillery

Second Lieutenant George Arthur Nicholls served with the Royal Horse Artillery.

He was a member of the Officers' Training Corps in Berkhamsted prior to the First World War.

He joined the Honourable Artillery Company as a private on 14 August 1914, aged 19. He left for France with the British Expeditionary Force in September 1914, returning to Britain on 3 June 1915.

On 5 July 1915, he was discharged from the Honourable Artillery Company, taking up a commission with the Special Reserve, Royal Field Artillery.

He suffered a machine-gun bullet wound to the right wrist on 30 April 1916 in Albert, France, while he was serving with C Battery, 95th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. The bullet entered the forearm just above the wrist, emerging at the base of the thumb.

Nicholls spent time at Lady Cooper's Hospital in Winchester in May 1916 and was granted a leave of absence from May until August 1916.

In September 1916 he was deemed fit for home service and was posted to 5B Reserve Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, at Ballincollig for 6 months of light duty.

He attended regular medical boards for updates on his wrist injury as well as undertaking regular courses of gymnastics to aid his recuperation.

In January 1917, he was considered fit for general service. Nicholls challenged the non-award of Wound Gratuity in March 1917 and requested another medical board if the War Office would not change its mind on the basis of the evidence they already had.

Nicholls was killed in action on 9 April 1917 at Arras, aged 22, while serving as a second lieutenant with the 15th (Warwick) Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery.

On 9 May, his father wrote to the War Office because the bulk of his sons effects had not reached him. He stated that, 'I need hardly say how very much it means to us to get them.'

He also describes how the haversack containing a revolver of a man who was killed at the same time as his son (Second Lieutenant P B Duckworth) had mistakenly been returned to him and wondered what to do with it.

Effects of his son missing included a wrist watch, pocket wallet with photos and letters, silver cigarette case, small teddy bear, clasp knife, riding cane, revolver, and binoculars.

A response was sent on 18 May 1917 from the War Office to explain that the items had still not been received there but that, 'Owing to the abnormal conditions attached to active service delay in the recovery and transmission of such effects frequently unavoidable, but if any further articles of the late officer's property are any time forthcoming they will be at once forwarded to you.'

Nicholls' father was told to dispose of any cartridges and return the haversack of the other officer. In June, his father wrote to the Director of Graves Registration at the War Office having been told that the Burial Officer would have his son's effects.

An internal investigation revealed that effects were handed to Second Lieutenant P G Clark of 20th Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, one of the officers in charge of the cemetery where Nicholls was buried.

Clark denied having seen any of the items bar those which were sent. Second Lieutenant Nicholls is buried at Beaurains Road Cemetery.

Faces of the First World War

Find out more about this First World War Centenary project at www.1914.org/faces.