Arthur Thomas Hiron

Arthur Hiron was born in Cheltenham in January 1880, one of three sons of Thomas, a Postman and Lucy Hiron. He was baptised on 11th July 1880 at St. Mary’s Church, Cheltenham and at this time the family lived at 35 Portland Square. Arthur was a pupil at Holy Trinity School.

On 5th October 1901 Arthur married Emily Winter at the parish church in Cirencester. When he enlisted in Cheltenham on 18th May 1915, Arthur was working at the brewery as a Drayman and he and Emily were living at 4 Melrose Cottages, Rosehill Street, Cheltenham. He joined the Army Service Corps as a driver but was transferred to the 1/6th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment.

On 10th November 1915 Arthur sailed on the S.S. Winifredian arriving in Salonica

on 5th December. He was wounded and sent to Malta from where he was invalided home arriving on 5th December 1916. He was hospitalised again in France in August 1918 as the result of the effects of shell gas.

Arthur was severely wounded on 3rd October 1918 within weeks of the end of the war. He died on 15th October 1918 as a result of a haemorrhage, in the No. 2 Canadian Hospital at Le Tréport and is buried in Mont Huon Cemetery at Le Tréport.

In the package of his possessions returned to his wife were the following: a photo, pipe, religious book, match box, metal ring, purse, cap badge, memorial band, wound stripe, tin of ointment and three farthings.

The inscription on his gravestone reads “I am with you always even to the end”.

In Cheltenham cemetery his wife erected a gravestone to him and his parents are buried in the same grave. Arthur is also commemorated on the Cheltenham war memorial, St. Paul’s Church war memorial and Holy Apostles Roll of Honour.