Corporal Arthur JACK Coldham - MM
| Date of Birth | 29 November 1890 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 27 |
| Date of Death | 9 June 1918 |
| Service Number | 103415 |
| Military Service | 81st Field Company, Royal Engineers |
| Merton Address | 6 Enville Terrace, Carew Road, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | St. Mark's Church, Mitcham |
Additional Information
Jack and his family lived at 76 Addiscombe Road, Croydon while he was growing up. His parents were John, a labourer, and Elizabeth who was known as Eliza. He had four siblings, Frederick, Bertie, his twin Rose and Beatrice. He was christened Arthur Jack but all further records show him as “Jack”.
By the 1911 census, John was the only one of the family still living at home and was employed as a maintenance fitter. The following year, on 15 June 1912, he married Edith Grantham in the Parish Church of Uxbridge, Middlesex and they moved to 6 Enville Terrace, Carew Road, Mitcham. They went on to have four children, Winifred, Reginald and twins Vera and Frank, both of whom sadly died as babies.
Jack enlisted at Wimbledon in June 1916. He was 25 years old, 5ft 9½ins tall, weighed 120lbs and had a girth of 35inches.
He joined the 81st Field Company of the Royal Engineers. He was wounded on early in 1918 but was back at the front very quickly and was Killed in Action on 9 June 1918. He is buried in Marfaux Cemetery, Departement de la Marne.
Jack was awarded the Military Medal, which was announced in the London Gazette on 21 October 1918.
Jack's great -grandson has informed us that following Corporal Coldham's death on active service, his wife could no longer afford to support her young children. Sadly Winifred and Reginald had to be put into children's homes. The family was reunited a few years later when Edith Coldham remarried.