Arthur Steventon
He attended Henry Mellish School, Nottingham and worked as a fitter millwright in the Engineering Department of John Player & Son alongside his brother and father who was a fitter millwright foreman.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Arthur was the eldest son of Thomas Henry and Elsie Steventon (née Wild).
Thomas was born in Nottingham in December 1890 and Elsie also in Nottingham in January 1893. They were married in 1915 (OND) and had two sons, Arthur b. 18 May 1917 and John Ashley b. 9 February 1921.
Thomas, Elsie and their sons were living at 25 Leacroft Road, Nottingham, in 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled. Thomas was a fitter millwright foreman chargehand at John Player & Sons, where he was also an ARP warden, and both sons also worked for the company, Arthur was a fitter millwright and John an 'improver' millwright.
Thomas and Elsie were still living at the same address when their sons were killed in 1942.
Thomas died in 1969 (reg. OND) and his widow in 1978 (reg. JFM). Both were buried in Nottingham Church Cemetery and their sons are commemorated on their headstone.
Arthur Steventon was an Ordnance Artificer 4th Class and was serving in HMS Cornwall when she was sunk on 5 April 1942.
His body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial (63, 2).
HMS Cornwall was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Kent sub-class built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1920s. The ship spent most of her pre-World War II career assigned to the China Station. Shortly after the war began, she was assigned to search for German commerce raiders in the Indian Ocean. Cornwall was transferred to the South Atlantic in late 1939 where she escorted convoys before returning to the Indian Ocean in 1941. She then sank the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin in May. Cornwall rescued 3 officers, 57 ratings and 22 prisoners after the battle. After the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, she began escorting convoys until she was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in March 1942. On 5 April, as part of the engagement known as the Easter Sunday Raid, a wave of Aichi D3A dive bombers took off from three Japanese carriers to attack Cornwall and Dorsetshire, 320 kilometres (170 nmi; 200 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka, and sank the two ships. Arthur Steventon was one of 424 men killed.
Two other Nottinghamshire men were lost in HMS Cornwall- Coder Wilfred Bradley from Beeston and Stoker Lionel Kelk from Langold. 1,122 survivors spent thirty hours in the water before being rescued by the light cruiser Enterprise and two destroyers. (Wikipedia)
His brother, John Ashley Steventon, also served in the Royal Navy (C/MX 77173 Ordnance Artificer 4th Class) and was killed on 26 September 1942 while serving in HMS Veteran. (See record on this Roll of Honour)
Aspley St Margaret: The clock in the church tower was added in 1953 as a memorial to the parishioners of St. Margaret’s Church who died in WW2 and a bronze memorial records their names. The clock originally had only two dials, two were added later, one by Thomas and Elsie Steventon. Brass plaque with inscription: 'The clock dial on the east wall of the tower was dedicated on Sunday, February 10th, 1958 in memory of our dear sons Arthur and John Ashley Steventon aged 24 and 21 who lost their lives at sea, on active service Easter Day, April 5th, 1942 and September 26th, 1942 while serving with the Royal Navy in the Second World War.' (southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/aspley/hclock.php
CWGC Additional information: Son of Thomas Henry and Elsie Steventon, of Bobber's Mill, Nottingham.
Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Missing’, 5 May 1942: ‘Steventon. Arthur, ordnance artificer, aged 24, missing presumed killed, HMS Cornwall, beloved nephew of Mr and Mrs Steventon, 21a Breckhill-road, Woodthorpe.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Acknowledgements’, 8 May 1942: ‘Mrand Mrs H Steventon sincerely thank relatives, friends and employees of Messrs. J Player and Sons for their kindness and letters of sympathy in their tragic loss.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Nottingham Evening Post, 3 November 1942, report with photographs: ‘Nottingham Brothers Lost At Sea. Actg.-Ordnance Artificer John Ashley Steventon, 21, only surviving son of Mr and Mrs H Steventon, of 25, Leacroft-road, Bobbers Mill, is presumd to have lost his life in the destroyer Veteran. His brother, Ordnance-Artificer Arthur Steventon, 24, was lost when the cruiser HMS Cornwall sank in the Indian Ocean at Easter. Both attended the Henry Mellish School, and before joining the Navy were on the staff of the engineering department of Player’s.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Deaths’, 5 November 1942: ‘Steventon. In loving memory of John A, Ordnance Artificer, killed HMS Veteran in September, aged 21; Also Arthur, Ordnance Artificer, killed HMS Cornwall, April, aged 24, beloved nephews of Mr and Mrs Steventon, 21a Breckhill-road, Woodthorpe.’ www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Deaths’, 5 November 1942:’Steventon. Jack, O.A. lost at sea, dear pal of Ken Faulds.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Deaths’, 5 November 1942:’Steventon. (JA). Loving memories of dear John, presumed lost at sea. Sadly missed by Mr, Mrs Loader, Eric, Andrew and Evelyn.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Acknowledgements’, 10 November 1942: ‘Mr and Mrs H Steventon sincerely thank relatives, friends, employees of Messrs. J Player and Sons, and all who have sent messages and letters of sympathy in their tragic loss.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
'In Memoriam' notices to both their two sons were placed in the Nottingham Evening Post by Thomas and Elsie from 1943 to 1956 (inclusive), with the exception of 1946 and 1951. The notices were usually placed in April to coincide with Arthur's death, except for 1943 (25 September) and 1945 (26 September).
Additional research/record updated, RF (June 2026)
Arthur Steventon and John Ashley Steventon
Nottingham Evening Post, 3 November 1942 (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Photo of Arthur Steventon
Commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial (www.cwgc.org)