Pte. Arthur Candey, of the Devon (Cyclists) Territorials, was found shot at Rotterdam, Talland, near Polperro, early on Friday morning. About six weeks ago Candey was drafted to Polperro from Looe and had been engaged in watching the coast, and the deceased and Pts. C Harris went on patrol duty. At Rotterdam Cottage, Candey complained of feeling tired and unwell. so Harris told him to remain in a hut close by while he went on alone and met the other patrol. While on the return journey Harris heard the report of a gun, and deceased was found dead with a bullet wound in the head. Death must have been instantaneous. Pte. Harris was away from the deceased for fifty minutes altogether…

At the inquest at Talland… the jury… returned a verdict that Candey took his life while temporarily insane.

[West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser: Monday 21st June 1915]

Arthur Candey was born in the spring of 1897 in Tiverton, Devon. One of thirteen children, and the youngest surviving son, his parents were Richard and Ellen Candey. Richard was a lace maker, and the family lived in a small terraced house in John Street, to the west of the town.

There is little information available about Arthur’s life. The 1911 census showed that he was still in school, and his army service records have been lost to time. It is clear that he enlisted in the 2nd/7th (Cyclist) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, and the newspaper report confirms that he served in Cornwall.

Private Arthur Candey was just 18 years of age, when he died on 18th June 1915. His body was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery, a short walk from where his grieving family still lived.

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