Arthur's Story.
Rifleman Arthur McCourt was born in Birkenhead in 1896, one of the six children of Patrick and Margaret, and along with his brothers and sister, was living in Greenfield Street, Birkenhead. His father worked for the Borough Council.According to his World War 1 army service records Arthur enlisted in February, 1916. At that time he was employed as a shopkeeper and was living in Midland Street, Birkenhead. He joined The Prince of Wales (South Lancashire) Regiment (1st/5th battalion) and was posted overseas to France in July 1916.
Arthur’s battalion was engaged in the fierce fighting on the Somme which had begun on the 1st July. This offensive saw heavy casualties on both sides with thousands of men dying and suffering injuries. On 11th September 1916 during an attack on Delville Wood, while he was in a trench on the front line, Arthur was hit by an exploding shell nicknamed a ‘whizz bang’ because of the noise it made, and he was badly injured. He was taken to a casualty clearing station for medical treatment. Unfortunately, due to the nature of his wounds he underwent an amputation of his left leg two days after his arrival.
On 3rd October Arthur was brought home to England and admitted to the Northern General Hospital in Leeds where, in November, he underwent a second operation to remove more of his left leg.
Arthur was unable to continue in the Army as he was deemed no longer fit to be a soldier and was discharged (with a pension) in June 1917. His discharge was approved by Queen Mary’s Convalescent Hospital, Roehampton which was a hospital established in 1915 for servicemen who had lost limbs in the First World War. Upon his discharge from the Army he received a Silver War Badge.
Rifleman Arthur McCourt died on 9th January 1920 and was buried in Flaybrick Cemetery, Birkenhead.
Research by Chris