Bicknell, Arthur John

Arthur John Bicknell was born in Rowington and baptised at Rowington Church on August 9^th 1881.  His parents were William and Emma and William is described on the record as a labourer.  Arthur had two brothers, Ernest and Frederick.

The family must have moved to Warwick before 1895 because in the 1891 census the youngest brother, Frederick, is shown as being born in Warwick.  At that time their father, William was a tram car driver and they were living at 66 Avon Street.  They had moved to 94 Avon Street by the time of the next census in 1901.

Arthur married Amy Preece in 1906.  By 1911 he was 29 and living at Blackdown Mill Cottage, nr Leamington Spa with Amy (23) and children Reginald (3) and Winifred (18 months).  Also living with him was his unmarried eldest brother Ernest William Bicknell who was 32 at the time.  Both Arthur and Ernest are working as bakers.

Arthur and Emma had four more children – George, Arthur (nicknamed Dink) Harold and Edith Marjorie who was born in 1916.

Caroline Rudd – Edith’s Granddaughter and Arthur’s Great Granddaughter – pays this tribute to them both:

‘This is the grave of my great grandfather and the cemetery in France where he is buried. My Grandmother Edith Marjorie Rudd (nee Bicknell) was his youngest child, born in April 2016, he never saw her, dying when she was months old.

In 1998, I went to a memorial service at All Saints Church Warwick on Remembrance Sunday with my grandmother and on the way out she was clearly upset. She explained that she never met her father but also didn’t know if he had a grave. She was 82 years old and was very distressed about this.

I used the Internet to find his grave and in 1999 myself and my father, his grandson John, visited France and found Bernafay Wood Cemetery and the grave. We photographed it and the surrounding area and took a video as well to show my grandmother. The joy she got from knowing where her father was and that someone had visited his grave were very important to her. She died the following year.

Since I was a little girl I knew that my great grandfather had died in the Somme and his name was on the Cenotaph in Warwick but he lay in that French cemetery for 83 years before his family found him. Since my first visit other great grandchildren had been to the cemetery, I’ve returned whenever I’m in the area and this year took a great great grandchild with me. He should never be forgotten.’

Warwick Advertiser 14th October 1916 p4 – Roll of Honour

“Bicknell: Killed in action on September 30th, Arthur Bicknell, Royal Garrison Artillery, of 108 Avon St, Emscote, aged 35 years. Sadly mourned by his wife and children.”

On the first anniversary of his death, this item appeared in the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the paper

When Arthur died Amy married his older brother Ernest and they had 2 children. Amy died many years before Ernest.