Major Arthur Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs

Born: February 20th 1908
Died: May 13th 1944

Arthur was the son of William Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs and his wife, Muriel Barbara Swann of Long Hall, Stockton, Warminster. He had older twin sisters.

His paternal grandfather [1845-1922] was Bishop of Southwark, then Worcester and, finally, of Coventry. He was buried in Coventry Cathedral and his bronze effigy was the only artefact to survive the bombing of the Cathedral in 1940. Bishop Yeatman inherited the estate of Stockton, Wiltshire from his brother in 1898 and assumed the name of Biggs by Royal Licence.

Arthur was educated at Malvern and Matriculated in 1932 having been at the RMC, Sandhurst. He was a member of the University Greyhounds. He was up for two years, receiving his BA on 4 June 1934 and joined the Green Howards.

In 1934, he married Katharine Edith Clare [Kitty] Swanwick. They had two sons.

He was serving as a Major with the 10th Battalion The Green Howards attached to the 7th Battalion The Leicestershire Regiment when he was killed in Burma on Saturday 13 May 1944.

He is buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery, Plot 6. D. 8.

He is commemorated in the Royal Memorial Chapel, Sandhurst.

About one hour before first light on the morning of May 13th 1944, 47 Column, Leicestershire Regiment were ambushed in their bivouac on the shores of Lake Indawgyi, by a patrol from the Japanese 53 Division. This was the Column’s second choice bivouac site, the first had generated a sense of unease and the Column had retreated further away from the railway corridor into the jungle. Two officers, a sergeant major and six privates were killed, thirteen men were wounded and five were missing. 

His wife remarried in 1949.

Image: The commemorative grave to Colonel Arthur Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs. Taukkyan War Cemetery Plot 6 D 8
With thanks to Napoleon Yeatman-Biggs.