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20212 7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
John Golding was born in Clare in 1885, the youngest son of Alfred (Fred) and Georgina Golding. His father was employed as a groom/gardener. In 1901 John was employed as an ostler at a local inn, living with his parents in Malting Lane, Clare. John married Ethel Martin in 1906 and they lived with their three daughters at the Old Rectory, Ovington near Clare where like his father he was employed as a groom/gardener.
John enlisted in Clare and served with the Suffolk Regiment. He first served in France on 4 October 1915. The 7th Battalion saw action on the third day of the Somme offensive in July 1916 at Ovillers; suffering 470 casualties and every company commander killed. In October the battalion saw action during the final offensive of the Battle of the Somme on the 12 October 1916 in the attack on Bayonet Trench and Luisenhoff Farm. John served alongside Sudbury men; Frederick Albon, Arthur Botham, and William Edwards who would all lose their lives that summer.
In January 1917 the battalion which formed part of 35th Brigade, 12th (Eastern) Division moved to the Arras sector. On 9 April the Division saw action in the opening phase of the Battle of Arras (9 April – 16 June) at the first Battle of the Scarpe. The Battle of Arras had the heaviest daily casualties of any battle in the war involving the British Army. The Allies suffered over 150,000 casualties including men from four Suffolk battalions; John Golding was one of those.
John was killed in action on 10 April 1917. There is no known grave and he is remembered on the Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid at the Arras Memorial in March 2007 and October 2011.
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