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Stanford Rivers – Arthur Knight [18797]
[18797] Lance Corporal in the 2nd Battalion,
Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment). He enlisted at Ongar.
He was killed in action on 4 March 1917. He has no known grave and is
commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
He was born in Bobbingworth (Bovinger) and is also commemorated on the
war memorial at St Germain’s Church, Bobbingworth.
The 1891 Census records an Arthur Knight, born about 1888, the son of
George and Sarah Knight. The family were living at Greensted Green in the
parish of Bobbingworth. George Knight was described as an
“agricultural labourer”, and Arthur’s place of birth was given as
Greensted.
At the time of the 1901 Census, Arthur was 13 years old and was described as
an “agricultural labourer”.
By the 1911 Census, Arthur was serving as a Private in the 2nd Royal
Berkshire Regiment. At that time, the 2nd Battalion was serving at Jhansi,
India, returning to the United Kingdom in 1914.
The 2nd Bn was one of two Regular battalions and was serving at Jhansi in India when war broke out.
They embarked at Bombay on the troopship SS Dongala on the 27th September 1914 and reached
Liverpool on October 23rd. After a brief stop-over at Winchester where they
joined 25th Brigade they set out for France and arrived at Le Havre on the 5th November with 30
officers and 978 other ranks.
