Arthur Curtis Flawn was born in 1895 and was the youngest child of John Flawn (born 1849) and Emma Flawn (born 1857).  The name Curtis comes from Arthur’s grandfather (Curtis Flawn 1812-1892) who had been given the maiden surname of his mother (Sarah Curtis) as his forename.

Arthur’s siblings were Ada (born 1878), Ellen (born 1881), Alice (born 1883), William (born 1884), Rosa (born 1889), Lily (born 1891) and Emily (born 1894).  All the family worked in the shoe industry and the 1911 census shows that Arthur worked as a finisher.

At the time of Arthur’s death his widowed mother was living at 9 Addington Road, Irthlingborough.  The censuses show that, previously, Arthur’s family had lived at Lilleys Row, Irthlingborough and at White Horse Yard, Meadow Lane, Irthlingborough.  (Members of the Flawn family had been living in Irthlingborough since at least the 1500s.)

Arthur enlisted in Northampton into the 1st Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment and his army number was 18160.

Arthur died on 9 May 1915 aged just 19.  That was the date of the Battle of Aubers Ridge and it seems likely that he took part in that action.  A detailed account of the Battle of Aubers Ridge - Southern Pincer, in which the 1st Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment fought, may be found at:

https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/battles/view.php?pid=7590

The report makes harrowing reading and it would seem that Arthur and his fellow soldiers stood little chance.

Arthur has no known grave but is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial (panel 28-30) outside Le Touret village in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.   He is also commemorated on the war memorial in Irthlingborough and on the roll of honour in St Peter’s Church in Irthlingborough.

Alan Flawn