Arthur Carleton Nicholson was born on 2 July 1864, the son of William Nicholson MP and Isabella (née Meek) of Basing Park, Froxfield, Hampshire. He was the 3rd son and 5th out of 14 children. He was educated at Winchester College and went on to Christchurch, Oxford. He graduated in 1885 and was commissioned into the Hampshire Yeomanry on 19 June 1888 as a 2nd lieutenant. A year later he was a lieutenant (20 July 1889) and on 4 Nov 1896 he was promoted to captain. In 1900 he went with two squadrons of the Hampshire Imperial Yeomanry to South Africa on active service. On 10 Aug 1901 he was a major. He reached the rank of lieutenant-colonel on 14 June 1912, serving in that rank in WW1.
He was married to Agnes Susan Elizabeth Dumaresq on 31 Aug 1909 and lived at Hartham Park, Corsham in Wiltshire. They had two children, Ruth born on 3 Apr 1912, and Arthur born on 8 Oct 1913. Lieutenant-Colonel Nicholson was High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1929 and held the office of JP, and from 11 July 1942 he was Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire. He died on 11 Feb 1945. The photo, from the Imperial War Museum shows Lt-Col Nicholson in World War One, wearing the khaki service dress officers’ uniform of the Hampshire Carabiniers.
