BROOKES, Arthur

Arthur Brookes came from Kates Hill, Dudley, and volunteered for the Worcesters. He went to the 9th (Service) Battalion which was sent after training to Gallipoli. They landed at Suvla Bay on the 6th August 1915 and survived the Gallipoli campaign. The Worcesters were evacuated and sent on to Mesopotamia in early 1916. The reinforcements were unable to relieve Kut and its beleaguered British troops before it capitulated. Fresh forces were built up and the decision was made to recapture Kut. The Worcesters advanced up the Tigris and mounted a strong attack on the 25th January. They suffered very heavy casualties in terrain without cover. One of those killed in action on this day was Private Arthur Brookes. He is commemorated on the Basra, Dudley and Kates Hill Memorrials,