Arthur Surr

Arthur Surr T/157093

278, General Transport Coy R. A. S. C

Arthur Surr was born to George Edward and Laura Surr (nee Attack) on 7 November, 1919 in Holbeck, Leeds. George worked as a clothiers stock cutter and during world war one, he attested to the Royal Garrison Artillery where he served as a signaller and telephonist. George sailed from Southampton to Havre in October 1916 and served on the western front until he was injured in May of 1918, a shrapnel wound to the head that would ultimately send him home.

Arthur was the only child and was born at a nursing home in Holbeck, his fathers occupation is listed as clothiers cutter. On the 1921 census, the family are living with maternal grandparents in Hunslet, George is noted as an out of work clothier’s cutter. It is therefore possible that the family were struggling financially and moved in with parents, or that George was unable to work due to the head injury he obtained in the war.

In 1939, a 20 year old Arthur was living at home with his mum, his father having passed away in January, 1925. Mum Laura was working as a bespoke sewing machinist, whilst young Arthur worked as a railway messenger. World War Two broke out and on 1^st February, 1940, Arthur signed up to the 278^th Transport Coy, Royal Army Service Corps, stating his civilian occupation as a railway porter.

Arthur served as a driver until  21 June, 1942, when he was captured in Tobruk, Libya, he would remain a Prisoner of War until its end three years later. In Surr’s post war POW questionnaire, he stated that he was not injured when captured. He was captured and detained in several camps; Altamura from July to September 1942, Capri from September 1942 to September 1943 and finally Schornewitz in Germany from October 1943 until liberation in April 1945. Schornewitz camp provided forced labour for Germany and Surr took part in factory work there. Schornewitz, in the Saxony region, was home to a large industrial power plant which was commissioned during world war one.

After liberation of the camp and the end of the war, Surr returned home and married his sweetheart, Inis Walton, a Welsh girl originally from Pontypridd, although they married in Hereford on  17 July, 1945. The marriage was short lived, however, as sadly Arthur passed away seven months later on 20 February, 1920, in Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, his cause of death is “sub acute endocarditis, resulting from war services.”

Inis re-married just 11 months after her husbands death, she moved to Hampshire and had two children.

Arthur Surr is laid to rest at Hunslet Old cemetery, Leeds.