Arnold was born in mid 1888 in Preston-on-the-Hill, one of eight children of Arnold and Elizabeth Platt. Arnold was born in Little Leigh c1857 and Elizabeth in Tattenhall c1862. In 1891, Arnold was a farm labourer and the family lived on Chester Road.
By 1901, Robert’s brothers were also farm labourers, but their father was now a shepherd. Both Alice and Emma had left home. Later that year, another brother, John, was born. Another child had died in infancy. Brother Henry married in 1907 and by 1911, only Arnold, Robert and John were living at home with their parents. Arnold was a labourer at a timber merchants’.
Arnold married Gertrude Henshall in 1915. We have no record of Arnold’s military service, but know he was an absent voter away on military service in 1918.
In 1920, Arnold was admitted to the brotherhood of the RAOB – Royal and Ancient Order of Buffaloes. The Millstream Lodge met at The Millstone Inn in Newton-by-Daresbury. He was awarded this ornate certificate. We don’t know too much about the lodge, although several people have recollected that they laid a wreath on Remembrance Sunday at the lychgate of St Luke’s, Higher Whitley. There is a brass memorial there commemorating local men who gave their lives in WW1. The lodge looked after its brothers and paid out a small amount of money if they were out of work. When the Millstone closed the lodge moved to the Chetwode Arms. This closed later and the lodge was disbanded.
He died in December 1956, aged 68 years.
