Nathaniel had an extremely confused war service. After enlistment on Dec 2 1915 he joined the Artists Rifles and went into the reserves and he wasn’t mobilized until Feb 5 1917. His great- niece says that he had wanted to go into the Royal Engineers as he was an electrical engineer however he was put in the Royal Flying Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant! However things did not go well in the RFC, and within four months he was given a medical discharge as being permanently unfit to be a pilot or observer due to nervous instability!
He was recommended to be sent to the Royal Engineers but instead he ended up in the Border Regiment, attached to the 1st Cameronians. He was transferred back to the infantry on the Nov 3 1917.
Nathaniel arrived in Boulogne on October 15 1918, joined his unit six days later. On Oct 22 the battalion moved forward to positions near the Selle River. In the early hours of the following day, the battalion attacked reaching the northern edge of Vendecies Wood, where they took up positions. The following night, Oct 24/25 the positions were heavily shelled, with gas and artillery shells. On Oct 25 the battalion captured Ence Fontaine, Nathaniel according to the battalion war diary was wounded on the 25th, other sources say the 23rd. He had gunshot wounds to his left leg, and both arms. His right arm was amputated at the elbow. He had shrapnel wounds to his face too. He was moved from the casualty clearing station to the hospital in Rouen and died there three weeks later at 8.15am on November 17 1918. He was buried at the St. Sever Cemetery. His family had been given permission to travel to visit him in hospital when they received the news of his death just a week after the armistice had been signed.
