Arthur Howard was born at Brockley, south London, on 28 November 1893, one of eight surviving children of Charles Edwin Howard, a labourer, and his wife Emma (née Bailey).

He joined HMS GANGES as a Boy 2nd Class on 6 January 1910, giving his previous occupation as TS Arethusa. He served briefly in the armoured cruiser HMS ESSEX and the submarine depot ship HMS MERCURY before joining, in June 1911, the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS EXMOUTH in the Mediterranean. He was rated Ordinary Seaman on his 18th birthday. He moved to the battleship HMS ALBEMARLE in December 1912 and was rated Able Seaman in February 1913. In May he was drafted to HMS EXCELLENT, qualifying as a Seaman Gunner at the end of October 1913.  He next joined the new light cruiser HMS BIRMINGHAM and saw action at the Battle of Heligoland Bight in August 1914 and the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915.  He returned to HMS EXCELLENT in February and qualified as a Gunlayer 2nd Class.

He joined HMS DOLPHIN in July 1915 and then the new HMS E20 which was commissioned at the end of August.  Around 9 September, E20 sailed for the Mediterranean, arriving at HMS ADAMANT at Mudros on 24 September. At the end of October, she entered the Sea of Marmara, but was ambushed and sunk on 6 November by the German submarine UB-14. Most of the crew were lost, but two officers and seven ratings, including Able Seaman Howard, survived the sinking and were taken prisoner.

Arthur Howard died on 8 February 1917 from chronic enteritis at Angora (Ankara), Turkey.  He was buried locally, but his grave was not identifiable and he is commemorated at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery.

His eldest brother, Serjeant C E Howard, of the 2nd Battalion Border Regiment, was killed in action on the Somme on 28 February 1917.