2Lt ARTHUR DONALD LOOKER, SUFFOLK REGT., att 15th Essex

[Guest]

Having a bit of trouble with this chap.  Hailed from Cambridge (on several war memorials there)  - commissioned through Artists Rifle and into Suffolks. Then to a garrison battalion of Essex Regiment and att. 15th Essex. Trouble is that the War Diary doesnt square with his date of death , nor Burrows "essex Regiment" (usually pretty reliable for expanding the War Diary-where he is not mentioned at all for 15th Essex, let alone being killed.Service record at Kew does not help (but I will look again on Saturday, in case I have missed a clue)

   Looks like he may have been killed serving with another battalion-most likely of the Suffolks or Essex.  Could any old Fenland colleagues-esp. those with an interest in these 2 regiments, scratch through their memories if they have anything on this man?  He married in 1917 and moved local to me  (Aldersbrook in East London). I would like to get him right but his death is a bit of a mystery

[Langdon]

The 15th Essex war diary is very short on detail and indeed does not record casualties but does say the battalion was in the front line. The A&Q (Adjutant and Quarter Master General) diary of the 59th Division does however record casualties (but no names), the entry for the 8th being:

"15 Essex R 1 Off and 1 OR Kd, 1 Off and 1 OR wd"

Which tallies with the grave registration doc on CWGC which has Looker and Pte Sydney Sparrow 54734 of the 15th together.

 

Mike

[Mark1959]

Nothing in 177 Brigade WD either. 8/10/18 entry refers to artillery exchanges only. All the limited evidence including the proximity of his grave points to 15th Essex.

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Langdon said:

The 15th Essex war diary is very short on detail and indeed does not record casualties but does say the battalion was in the front line. The A&Q (Adjutant and Quarter Master General) diary of the 59th Division does however record casualties (but no names), the entry for the 8th being:

"15 Essex R 1 Off and 1 OR Kd, 1 Off and 1 OR wd"

Which tallies with the grave registration doc on CWGC which has Looker and Pte Sydney Sparrow 54734 of the 15th together.

 

Mike

   Many thanks for this- WD for 15th Essex is short- but it does records casualties shortly before, hence the perplexity.  Having looked further at his officer file, he was a failed RFC trainee-returned to the Suffolk Regiment on 2nd March 1918.  Yet Soldiers Effects (which is pretty reliable on late transfers) has him as 15th Essex- and the difference between the March return and his death was a bit long for his attachment not to be picked up.

   I must admit that I had never thought to look at WDs higher up the military food chain-so thanks for alerting me to the obvious.  Still no idea how he met his end.

 

Mark- thank you also-I may post a query on this which you may know the answer to-  Looker was reburied so I will put up the Officer File details for this.  Without any WD mention of defensive or offensive operations-and nothing in Burrows, this looks strong like a "wastage" casualty- almost certainly by artillery.