Arthur
Valentine Burd
1880 - 1960
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Capt
AV Burd and his son Lt KJ Burd
shortly after Kenneth's commission in 1939 |
Born in Nazeerabad, India,
Arthur moved around the world with his family and enlisted in the Army
Service Corps. Serving in South Africa, and elsewhere (Ireland
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SQMS A V Burd, after his South African service
and before the Great War |
and St Helena) he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant Major, as the Chief Clerk to Field Marshall Haig, before being
commissioned on the 29th April 1917. However before being commissioned he
had distinguished himself in battle earning not only the Meditorious Service
medal (gazetted 1st January 1917) but the Medaille Militaire (gazetted 24th
February 1916). Commissioned into the Royal Sussex Regiment he joined the
9th Battalion and served in the trenches until he was seconded into the
Tank Corps in February 1918. Promoted to Staff Captain on the 1st August
1918 he remained in the Tank Corps as a Staff Officer until 11th February
1919 when he resigned his commission and entered civilian life.
For the London Gazette entries click
here (It is a PDF file and will take time to load)
He had married Maggie Grapes,
daughter of Capt John Grapes (Quartermaster ASC), in the Woolwich Garrison
Chapel on the 31st of July 1907. Their only son, Kenneth John, was born
on the 23rd of June 1912.
After the War Arthur and his family travelled to Tasmania to try apple
farming but the injuries from wounds sustained during a gas attack in
the trenches did not allow him to live in the Southern hemisphere; they
returned home. He worked in the Records Office of the Royal Sussex Regt.
and organised the annual Royal Tournament, a military pageant, for over
thirty years. Living in Bognor Regis during this time, his hobby and life
was his garden. He died at home on the 30th March 1960 leaving behind
his wife and son. Despite only having one kidney, one lung and poor health
he did live to be 80 years old.
Supporting Documents:
On to his son, Kenneth
John Burd
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