Lance Corporal Arthur James Block
| Date of Birth | 1 March 1889 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 27 |
| Date of Death | 21 August 1916 |
| Service Number | G/13462 |
| Military Service | Middlesex Regiment |
| Merton Address | 5 Queens Road, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
Arthur James Block was born on 1 March 1889 to Louis (Lewis) Block, a labourer at the Gas Works and Elizabeth (Eva) Block.
The family lived in Queens Road Mitcham, originally at number 41 when Arthur was baptised on 7 April 1889, then at 15 according to the 1901 census but had moved, via number 17 (1911 census), to number 5 by the time Arthur died in 1916.
Arthur had one older brother, Louis, 4 younger brothers John, Edgar, William and Charley, and 5 sisters, Eva, Alice, Margaret, Violet and Ellen.
His nickname was “Chinny” which came from bare knuckle fights on the ‘Dust’ in Rocky, Mitcham. He had a long reach and would aim for the chin of his opponent according to the tales Arthur Brice was told by his grandmother, Eva Block.
Arthur was a labourer and he enlisted in “C” Company, H.Q. Bombers, 11th Platoon, 1st Middlesex regiment at the age of 26 years and 126 days on 3 July 1915. He left for France on 26 December 1915 and joined his battalion in the field on 28 January 1916. He took part in the Battle of the Somme and was wounded in action on 21 August 1916, dying later that day.
Arthur is buried at Millencourt Communal cemetery