Philip “Wimpy, Skip” Arnold
Captain · #178072 · Heavy Section · MID
| Rank | Captain |
|---|---|
| Service number | #178072 |
| Patrol | Heavy Section |
| Regiment | General List |
| Known as | “Wimpy, Skip” |
| Died | 1943-01-15 |
| Honours | MID |
| POW / KIA | Killed in action — 15 Jan 1943 (with L/Cpl J.H. Gravil) |
What this roll records
Deeper background (2026): The London Gazette confirms both his Mention in Despatches and his death. The Middle East despatch (supplement to issue 36065, p. 2863, 22 June 1943) lists “Lt. (actg. Capt.) P. Arnold (178072). (Killed in action.)” An earlier notice (supplement to issue 35611, p. 2854, 26 June 1942) records him as “2nd Lt. P. Arnold (178072)”, so he rose from Second Lieutenant to acting Captain in the last six months of his life. Source: The London Gazette, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36065/supplement/2863
ROLL OF HONOUR: died on active service with the LRDG (General List) per W.B. Kennedy Shaw, "Long Range Desert Group" appendices. Appendix 2.
March 1942 roll (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy): CO Heady Section
Deeper background (2026): his commission is recorded in The London Gazette — “Philip ARNOLD (178072)” commissioned 2nd Lieutenant (General List), effective 6 January 1941. The official spelling is “Philip” (one l); the roll entry has been corrected accordingly. Source: The London Gazette, issue 35278, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35278/supplement/5406
CWGC: Captain Philip Arnold, service no. 178072, General List and Long Range Desert Group. Died 15 January 1943, aged 30. Buried at Tripoli War Cemetery, grave 7.F.20, Libya, alongside L/Cpl J.H. Gravil (grave 7.F.19), with whom he was killed. Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
CWGC record (2026): Captain Philip Arnold, service no. 178072, General List, with the Long Range Desert Group recorded as his secondary unit. Died 15 January 1943, aged 30. BURIED AT TRIPOLI WAR CEMETERY, Libya — grave 7. F. 20. Son of Mary Arnold, of Manchester. Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission, https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2168239/philip-arnold/
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
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Not By Strength But By Guile