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Captain Arthur Kilby was awarded the VC

Cheltenham's forgotten VC hero

Jimmy James wonders why a born-and-bred Cheltonian who won the VC for his WW1 heroism has no memorial in the town.

Jimmy James and his brother Dave are both Cheltenham born-and-bred and ex-Army. Their great uncle, Charles Herbert William Pearce, was killed in action in Mesopotamia on 10th February 1917 serving with 7th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment.

The brothers set up the website www.remembering.org.uk to list all war memorials and rolls of honour in the area and to commemorate everyone from the area who gave their lives in the Great War.

But Jimmy told ´óÏó´«Ã½ Gloucestershire there is one First World War hero whose name features on NO war memorial in the town. That's although he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry and selfless heroism during the Battle of Loos on 25th September 1915.

That hero was Captain Arthur Forbes Gordon Kilby VC, MC.

Jimmy says: "It is so sad that he's not commemorated on any memorial in the town nor is there a Blue Plaque on East Hayes, Pittville Circus, where he was born.

He tells the story Captain Kilby here:

Arthur Kilby was born at Cheltenham on 3rd February 1885.ÌýÌý His parents, Sandford and Alice Kilby resided at 'East Hayes', Pittville Circus Road, Cheltenham.ÌýÌý The family may well have left the Cheltenham area at the turn of the 20th century and moved to the York, Lichfield and Leamington areas.

Attacking enemy positions

He was educated at Bilton Grange near Rugby and Winchester College and later graduated from the Royal Military College at Sandhurst in 1905 when he was commissioned into South Staffordshire Regiment.ÌýÌý

Arthur was promoted to Captain on 1st April 1910 when he was only 25. An accomplished linguist, he was fluent in Hungarian and German, and when war broke out in August 1914 he was learning Spanish.

He was posted to the British Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders with 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment on 13th August 1914.ÌýÌý The unit served with the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division.

He was killed in action on 25th September 1915 whilst leading his company attacking enemy positions near Cuinchy, on the Le Bassee Canal, on the first day of the Battle of Loos.Ìý

That battle claimed the lives of more than 40 other men of Cheltenham on the same day.

Extreme heroism and gallantry

Captain Kilby's extreme heroism and gallantry during this attack was noted and he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross on 30th March 1916.

The citation, published in the London Gazette, read "For most conspicuous gallantry. Captain Kilby was specially selected, at his own request, and on account of the gallantry which he had previously displayed on many occasions, to attack with his Company a strong enemy redoubt.
Ìý
"The Company charged along the narrow towpath, headed by Captain Kilby, who, though wounded at the outset, continued to lead his men right up to the enemy wire under a devastating machine gun fire and a shower of bombs.ÌýÌý

"Here he was shot down, but, although his foot had been blown off, he continued to cheer his men and to use a rifle.ÌýÌý Captain Kilby has been missing since the date of the performance of this great act of valour, and his death has now been presumed.â€

His heroism was acknowledged by the German defenders who erected a memorial cross at the location of his death.ÌýÌý Captain Kilbyâ€™s body was eventually found on 19th February 1929 and interred at Arras Road Cemetery, Roclincourt, Plot III, Row N, Grave 27.

In 1919 a memorial was placed in St Nicholasâ€™s Chapel, York Minster; which was inscribed with details of Arthur Kilbyâ€™s deeds and awards, and contained a bust of him surmounted by the family coat-of-arms.Ìý

His name is also listed on a war memorial in St Cuthbertâ€™s Church, Peasholme Green, York.

last updated: 05/11/2008 at 16:16
created: 05/11/2008

Have Your Say

Do you think Captain Kilby deserves a memorial in the town of his birth? Share your view here.

TIMOTHY WARD
My grand grandmother was born in cheltenham, England1877 Nina Hubert- cousin of lord badden -powell. Is she related to the this family?

C Roberts
Yes he should have a memorial in Cheltenham,a very brave man.

Colin Cornes
I too am related to this hero, so of course I am all for a memorial in Cheltenham even though he already has 2 memorials in York and a gravestone in France. Capt Arthur Forbes Gordon Kilby 1885-1915 was born in Cheltenham, the only son of Sandford James Kilby of the Bengal Customs Service 1847-1922. Sandford James Kilby was the youngest child of George Kilby merchant Calcutta. George came from a distinguished family from York. Two of his ancestors were mayors of York which is presumably why York has claimed Capt AFG Kilby VC MC. He has a particularly fine memorial in York Minster itself. But as you can see, his connection with York was very remote. He was born in Cheltenham because his maternal grandmother Mary Ann Scott (nee Kilby)1821-96 was principal of her own girls school at East Hayes, Pitville Circus Rd, Cheltenham. Mary Ann started this school by 1871 after the death of her husband Henry Emanuel Scott a Scottish civil engineer born in India. The school seems to have been a success and I would love to know more about it. The Victoria Cross is of course the highest award of the British Forces Inscribed For Valour the VC is only given for exceptional bravery in the face of the enemy. Of the 1353 recipients since 1856, 627 were given the award for exceptional bravery in WW1. That is a tiny number 5 million (ignoring Commonwealth forces) served in the British Army during WW1, that is to say almost exactly a quarter of the adult male population. The casualty rate was 50%, namely 800,000 killed and 1.65m wounded (of whom 1.5m permanently wounded) Against these huge numbers 627 VCs(including Commonwealth soldiers) is a tiny handful. Other heroes may well have been unrecognised, but the VCs represent the heroism of the rest. Unlike other military awards of the time, the VCs were of all ranks, privates, NCOs and officers. Cheltenham should be rightly proud of their WW1 hero born in a girls school there.

Roger Lewis
I have reason to believe that cpt.Kilby was my Mother in Law's uncle (possibly great uncle). He and all others that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country shoul be properly recognised.Even though Aurthur's deeds are commerated in York minster it is a great shame that he has no memorial in his home town.

SUE RICHARDS
Yes he deserves to be remembered for the hero he was.My grandfather Arthur Kilby was born in Winchcombe (1878 - 1960) after his marriage in 1904 he had 6 daughters & one son (born 1910)also named Arthur but he died in 1918.Unfortunately I don't know if my grandfather was related to this Arthur Kilby, but it does seem that Arthur is quite a strong family name in this area.

llizzie
I have letters from a soldier in the British Expeditionary Forces of 1918/1919. His name was Sgt Percy S Cauper and the letters were written to my husband's mother before she married his father in 1920. Now I have tried hard to find any family of this man and it seems he did not exist, though I know he did. I think he had something to do with entertainment as he describes dressing up as a woman in a play. He was in France and Germany and I thought that perhaps anyone reading this site might have heard of him. He was nicknamed 'the scamp' and I believe he survived the war and worked at Blackpool entertainment. I do not know how old he was or whether he fought in WW2 as well. His letters were addressed to Packwood living in Brierley hill and the letters and envelopes are stamped British Expeditonary Forces.

Claire "Kilbey" Dotson
Yes, my ancestors came from Cheltenham and This may help us here in the USA trace the puzzle of our genealogy.Thank You for the memories of those heros gone before us and but never forgotten.

phil
yes he does. every name should never be forgotten and every brave deed never taken for granted.

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