RANN, Arthur Alfred

Arthur was born 1892 in Newport to William & Ellen (nee SALTER) RANN who were living at 27 Castle Road in Newport around the time of Arthur’s death.

Arthur served as a Rifleman with the 8th Bn. known as the Isle of Wight Rifles. 900 Rifles landed at Sulva Bay, Gallipoli, on 10th August 1915.

On the 12th August, together with other members of the 163rd Brigade, the Rifles were ordered to advance & occupy a ridge of hills in front of them, & in doing so, cut off the Turkish armies in the area of Anzac beach & cape Helles, in order to dominate the Dardanelles straights.  During the first attack, 8 officers over 300 men of the Rifles were reported killed or missing.

Arthur aged 23, however was listed as Missing Presumed Killed, on the 11th of August 1915, the day before the infamous attack. He is commemorated by the Commission on the Helles Memorial to The Missing in Gallipoli, Turkey together with 20,961 of his First World War comrades.

Arthur is also remembered on the Newport Borough & IW Rifles War Memorials. His brother Edwin died of influenza in Iraq in 1918.