Cpl Arthur Shepley

Macclesfield 4 Jan 1919 ◐ – ?

Cpl Arthur Shepley, 156 Parachute Battalion; ◐ number 4344978 (his German prisoner-of-war card)

About: A lance-sergeant of 156 Parachute Battalion, ◐ the "Sgt Shepley" Murphy had beside him at Arnhem when an 88 mm tank round hit them, and who, Murphy presumed, "got the full blast". ParaData has him wounded and taken prisoner on 25 September 1944 and a prisoner to 27 April 1945.

Unit or role: The East Yorkshire Regiment and the Army Air Corps; at Arnhem "a L/Sgt and Section Commander in 6 Platoon, B Company, 156 Para Bn" (ParaData's editor's note); discharged in 1945 "with the substantive rank of Corporal" (ParaData).

Where: ◐ Born at Macclesfield (WO 416/327/96); as a prisoner, ◐ Stalag IX-C at Mühlhausen (same).

Evidence: ✓ ParaData, his service summary and the War Office's letters to his father; ✓ Murphy's memoir, p. 8; ◐ his German prisoner-of-war card at Kew, WO 416/327/96, catalogue entry only (the entry)

ParaData's summary of his service, from his record:

Arthur Shepley served in the The [sic] East Yorkshire Regiment and Army Air Corps for 6 years and 112 days.His service record was:

India 20 January 1940 - 19 November 1942

Middle East 20 November 1942 - 1 August 1943

North Africa & Italy 2 August 1943 - 10 December 1943

North West Europe 18 September 1944 - 24 September 1944

POW 25 September 1944 - 27 April 1945

— ParaData · Corporal Arthur Shepley · his profile

ParaData's editor adds that he "qualified as a military parachutist in India" (same). Murphy too volunteered for the paratroops in India and went to New Delhi (his memoir, p. 4), and the battalion raised there, 151, became 156 (ParaData).

◐ The German prisoner-of-war card held at Kew gives an Arthur Shepley born at Macclesfield on "04/01/1919", a "[Lance Sergeant]" of the "[Army Air Corps]", number 4344978 (WO 416/327/96). The rank and corps are ParaData's, and we know of no other Shepley in 156 Battalion (ParaData), so it is very probably his card; ⚠︎ ParaData's roll has not been searched for other Shepleys, and the card itself has not been seen.

Murphy names him once, on page 8 of his handwritten memoir, after his recapture and interrogation:

I forgot to mention; while Sniping; a Gerry tank fired an 88 MILLIMETRE and I got shrapnel in my head. My Jumping jacket was saturated and my face all pock-marked, I still dont know what happened to Sgt Shepley who was with me; I presume he got the full blast

— Thomas Murphy · his memoir, p. 8 · the page

The typed transcript of the memoir has the same passage (typed p. 2).

• Who he was. ◐ Arthur Shepley of 156 Battalion is the one Shepley we have found (ParaData), and he was a lance-sergeant there, which fits "Sgt". ⚠︎ ParaData's roll has not been searched for other Shepleys, so no search stands behind "the only one". Murphy gives no first name or number.
• Where they were. ParaData puts Shepley in 6 Platoon, B Company. ◐ Murphy was in C Company: Walsh calls him "Pte. MURPHY … of my Coy", and Murphy's "Mr Donaldson" and "Mr Powell" (p. 7) commanded 11 Platoon and C Company (Walsh; Powell). The Pegasus Archive's bracket at Walsh's mention of him says "Mortar Platoon", which by his own account was his platoon in Italy (p. 5). ⚠︎ No source says why a B Company section commander and Murphy were together, or whether ParaData's platoon is right.
• When. Murphy gives no date for the round. He has himself marched off with "Sam Welsh" after Donaldson was shot (p. 7), and the Pegasus Archive has Walsh taken prisoner on 21 September (Walsh); ParaData has Murphy injured on the Paul Krugerstraat at Oosterbeek on Sunday 24 September (ParaData). ParaData's summary ends Shepley's service in North-West Europe on 24 September, and the War Office had him wounded on 25 September (ParaData). ⚠︎ Whether he was wounded by the round Murphy describes is not shown by any source.

The wound and its dates are told from Murphy's side on Arnhem.

✓ He was not killed. ParaData:

His father received a letter from the War Office reporting him missing on 25 September 1944 and another one, dated 26 December 1944, reporting that he had been wounded 25 September 1944 and held as a prisoner of war.

He was discharged in 1945 with the substantive rank of Corporal.

— ParaData · Corporal Arthur Shepley · his profile

His time as a prisoner runs from 25 September 1944 to 27 April 1945 in ParaData's summary (same). ◐ His German card puts him in "[Stalag IXC Muhlhausen]" as prisoner 52919 (WO 416/327/96); it is one card with no photograph or fingerprints, not digitised.

ParaData heads his profile "Corporal Arthur Shepley BEM" and lists the British Empire Medal under his decorations, with no date or citation (same). ⚠︎ No Gazette notice of it has been found: searches of the Gazette for his number 4344978 and for his surname with the words of his medal, corps, regiment and parachuting (1939 to 1990), and a sweep of his full name (1900 to 1976), found no notice that could be his (the searches, 21 October 2026). The search is of the Gazette's OCR text, so a notice with his name misread would be missed. Kew's catalogue lists no recommendation for an award to him (WO 373) under his name (the same note).

What became of him after 1945 is not known.

• His rank. Murphy has "Sgt Shepley" (p. 8); ParaData has him a lance-sergeant at Arnhem and discharged a corporal (ParaData); the German card has "[Lance Sergeant]" (WO 416/327/96).
• The BEM. On ParaData (ParaData); not found in the Gazette (the searches).

Everyone, A to Z