Arthur Palmer was born in Bicester in 1889 to groomsman George Palmer and his wife Annie. Arthur was the eldest of five children, five boys and one girl.

By 1911, the family had moved to Dorset, where George continued to work as a groom. His son, Arthur, had also gone into domestic service, and was a footman. Presumably this was under the same employ as his father, although the records do not confirm this.

This is where the trail for Arthur Palmer dries up.

From his gravestone, we know he served in the Machine Gun Corps (MGC). The Register of Soldiers’ Effects confirms he was in the 3rd Company; this was formed in January 1916, so Private Palmer can only have enlisted after that date.

Online research only brings up MGC military service records for an Arthur George Palmer, who lived in Kettering. However, this Private survived the war, so could not be the one buried in Dorset. There is nothing in contemporary newspapers to suggest that there was anything untoward or unusual about his passing.

All I can say for certain is that Private Arthur Palmer died at the Cannock Chase Military Hospital on 13th November 1918.

He lies at rest in Sherborne Cemetery, Dorset. He was 30 years old.

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For the stories of more of the fallen from the Great War, take a look at my Commonwealth War Graves page.

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