Collingham & Linton in World War Two

Lived in Collingham or Linton immediately prewar or during the war
(Usually taken from 1938 electoral roll or 1939 National Registration roll)
Named as a Voter on the 1945 or 1946 Service List Electoral Roll for Collingham or Linton

Address in 1939 or 1945/46: Manor House, Collingham
(taken from either the 1939 National Registration or the 1945 and/or 1946 service electoral rolls)

Biography

Family background

Arthur Wynne Scriven was born on the 28th January 1904, the younger son of Herbert Scriven and his wife Edith Wynne Scriven. Arthur was baptised on the 5th March 1904 and his parents' address at the time was 3 Oak Road, Newton Park, Potternewton, Leeds. Herbert was an estate agent and at the time of the 1911 census, the family were living at 17 Fairfield Street in Leeds. The household was headed by Arthur's uncle, Charles Scriven (also an estate agent) and consisted of Charles and Herbert, Herbert's wife Edith, their two children, another Herbert and Arthur. The household was completed by Annie Smith, a nurse, and Hesty Atkinson, a general servant. We don't know much about Arthur's early life, and we are unable to find him in the 1921 census records despite long searches. Arthur's later RAF service record shows that from 1918 to 1920, when he would have been aged 14 to 16, he was a member of the Oundle School Officer Training Corps.

Arthur appears to have trained as an engineer, and we find a registration record in the Mechanical Engineer records for Arthur as a student member of the society registered at 61 Green Road, Meanwood, Leeds. In 1925 Arthur and his brother Herbert obviously tried life and work overseas. We find a record dated the 9th July 1925, when the 21 year old Arthur (listed as an engineer) and the 23 year old Herbert (listed as an accountant) boarded the SS Oropesa sailing from Liverpool to Valparaiso, a city on the east coast of Chile near Santiago.

It's unclear whether the trip to Chile was a holiday or how long they stayed, but by 1929, Arthur was back in the UK. From the Leeds Mercury:

The Leeds Mercury, Monday August 5, 1929

COACH, CAR AND CYCLE

A 14-seater motor coach, a motor car and a motor cycle were involved in a smash on the main road between Otley and Burley-in-Wharfedale on Saturday night. The three vehicles collided at a bend near Burly, where many mishaps have occurred.
The motor-cyclist was the only person injured. He is Percy Lane (26), flour miller, of 10, Chapman Street, Beckett Street, Leeds, and he suffered from lacerated wounds to the legs and left hand and also from shock.
The car, driven by Mr. Arthur W. Scriven, engineer, of Greenwood Road, Meanwood, Leeds, was damaged, as also was the motor coach, driven by Mr. William H. Atkinson, haulage contractor, 89, Armley Road, Leeds.

At some time between 1929 and the start of the war, Arthur changed his profession from being an engineer and joined his father's profession as an estate agent and valuer. In 1938, Arthur married to Alison Frances Bateman. Two news paper articles of the time capture the moment.

Yorkshire Evening Post, Friday August 19, 1938

RYLSTONE BRIDE

Mr. A.W. Scriven, of Leeds, weds Miss A.F. Bateman

The marriage took place at St. Peter's Church, Rylstone, near Skipton this afternoon of Mr. Arthur Wynne Scriven, Leeds, younger son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Scriven, Meanwood, and Miss Alison Frances Bateman, daughter of the late Lieutenant Commander J.B. Bateman, R.N. (retired) and Mrs G.W. Kay-Butcher of the Fleets House, Rylstone. The service, which was choral, was conducted by the Rev A. C. Blunt, Vicar of Gargrave, and Rural Dean of Settle, assisted by the Rev. E. Lloyd, Rector of Rylstone.
The bride, who was given away by her stepfather, Mr G.W. Kay-Butcher, was attended by Miss Elizabeth Butcher, step sister of the bride, and Miss Diana Smith and Miss Ruth Haggas, half-cousin. There were two pages, Master Brian Haggas (half cousin of the bride) and Master Jeremy Scriven (nephew of the bridgegroom).
Mr Cecil Tennant, London, was best man and groomsmen were Mr Charles Wales Gargrave, Captain Malcolm Bateman, Captain John Bairstow, Mr Stanley Scott and Mr John Oglivie.
The honeymoon will be spent in Norway.

The Yorkshire Observer, Saturday 20 August 1938

HONEYMOON IN NORWAY

Rylstone Church Wedding

The marriage took place at St. Peter's Church, Rylstone, Skipton yesterday, of Mr. Arthur Wynne Scriven, of Leeds, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Scriven, of Meanwood, Leeds, and Miss Alison Frances Bateman, daughter of the late Lieutenant Commander J.B. Bateman, R.N. and Mrs G.W. Kay-Butcher of the Fleets House, Rylstone.
The service, which was choral, was conducted by the Rev A. C. Blunt, (Vicar of Gargrave, and Rural Dean of Settle) assisted by the Rev. E. Lloyd, Rector of Rylstone.
Given away by her stepfather, Mr G.W. Kay-Butcher, the bride wore a princess gown of parchment-coloured satin, embroidered with seed pearls. A long train was cut in one with the skirt, and she carried a bouquet of aratum lilies,
The bridesmaids were Miss Elizabeth Butcher, step sister of the bride, and Miss Diana Smith and Miss Ruth Haggas. They wore parchment coloured net dresses with coral plumed waist bands and crinoline poke bonnets lined with coral, and carried Victorian posies of coral-coloured flowers.
There were two pages, Master Brian Haggas and Master Jeremy Scriven who wore parchment satin suits.
Mr. Cecil Tennant, of London, was best man and the groomsmen were Captain Malcolm Bateman, Captain John Bairstow, Mr Stanley Scott, Mr John Oglivie and Mr Charles Wales.
The bride's present to the bridegroom was pearl and platinum waistcoat buttons and links. The bridegroom's present to the bride was a jade necklace.
The recpetion was held at Fleets House. The honeymoon will be spent in Norway.

War was approaching, and Arthur and Alison moved to Collingham and in the 1939 registration were recorded at the Manor House, Collingham. Arthur was listed as an estate agent and valuer while Alison was listed as carrying out 'unpaid domestic duties'. Both Arthur and Alison were already part of the war effort, Arthur as a member of the Air Observer Corps, and Alison as a member of the WVS, the Women's Voluntary Service.

Service record

After a couple of years of the war, on the 25th July 1941, Arthur Wynne Scriven, was called up and was appointed to a commission in the RAF, as a Pilot Officer on probation.

Arthur's war service started at RAF Uxbridge and after some basic training he was posted to Headquarters of No 3 bomber Group, RAF, then based at RAF Exning in Suffolk. Arthur's service record does not detail exactly what he was doing but suggests that he had a role in Intelligence. After 6 or 7 months, on the 19th March 1941 Arthur was posted to RAF Oakington, the home of No. 7 Squadron. He spent the next 2½ years at Oakington, before, on the 4th August 1943, he returned to HQ No 3 Group. During his time at RAF Oakington his work was valued and he was Mentioned in Despatches on the 2nd June 1943. His new posting may have marked the start of a career change within the RAF as Arthur now changed to Flying Control - a precursor to today's air traffic control. From the 6th December 1943 to the 16th January 1944 Arthur was part of No 50 Flying Control course at the School of Flying Control.

On the 8th February 1944, Arthur was posted to the Operations Room at No 32 Base, in 3 Group RAF. 32 Base was RAF Mildenhall. Arthur had another posting to HQ 3 Group (from 10th April 1944 to 5th March 1945) before returning to Mildenhall as a Flying Control Officer in the Operations Room.

Finally, war over, Arthur was discharged on the 2nd October 1945 through 100 Personnel Disposal Centre and was released from the RAF.

After the war

After the war, Arthur returned to West Yorkshire, living firstly around 1946 at the Manor House in Collingham, before moving (from 1948 until at least 1955) to Thorner Lodge in Thorner.

Arthur Wynne Scriven died, aged 60, on the 11th August 1964 at Three Shires, Little Langdale, Ambleside.

Biography last updated 15 January 2025 14:43:03.

If you have any photographs or further details about this person we would be pleased to hear from you. Please contact us via: alan.berry@collinghamanddistrictwararchive.info