Eldest son of fitter Arthur Bayliss and of Amy Parker, Arthur Edward Bayliss was born in mid-1894 in Sparkbrook. A clerk for a cycle manufacturer, Arthur served in the Territorials before the Great War, which meant he was immediately mobilised in August 1914 as part of the 1st / 6th Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and was trained as a Lewis gunner. He was sent to France quickly, arriving in Le Havre in March 1915.
The Lewis gun was a light machine gun, which weighed 28 lb and could be handled by one person, and fired ten rounds per second
Arthur was promoted corporal, and fought in the battles of Neuve Chapelle, La Bassée, Ypres and the Somme, among many others.
On 4th February 1917, Arthur was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry in the field. Five weeks later, on 9th March 1917, Corporal Bayliss was killed in action near Péronne.
Arthur Bayliss is buried in the Assevillers New British Cemetery. Amy received a pension of 5/- a week. As well as Arthur’s Military Medal, his family received the 1914 /15 Star and the British War Medal and Victory Medal.