20951 Pte Herbert Seagrave, a 31 year old cola miner from Bulwell in Nottinghamshire

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Served (December 1914 – July 1917) with the 4th, 2nd and 1st Battalions and was wounded on the Somme in July 1916

Enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters in December 1914

Herbert was born in 1884 in Basford the son of Isaac and Mary Seagrave. By 1901 he had married Mary and in 1911 they were living at 90 Merchant Street with their four children; Florry, John, Harold and Mable. Herbert was a coal miner hewer.

On the 19th December Herbert enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters at Nottingham aged 31. He was given the Regimental number 20941 and was posted initially to the Depot and then the 4th Battalion based in Sunderland as part of the Tyne Garrison.

France: August 1915 – January 1916

Following training Herbert arrived in France on the 17th August 1915 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion. He returned home on 13th January 1916 suffering from myalgia, which he had contracted in November 1915 due to ‘cold and exposure’ in the trenches.

France: April 1916 – July 1916

In April 1916 Herbert returned to France and was posted to the 1st Battalion. He suffered a gun shot wound to the back on the 6th July during the attack on Ovillers-la-Boisselle and returned to Hospital in England on 8th July 1916.

Herbert was discharged in July 1917 after spending time recovering in Nottingham’s Military Hospital. He received a pension for 12 months.

Medals and Awards

Herbert was entitled to the 1914-15 Trio and a Silver War Badge.

After the War Herbert returned to Bulwell and worked as a coal miner stall hand, with his eldest son John, at Bestwood Colliery. Herbert died in 1962.

Bestwood Colliery was a historically significant Nottinghamshire mine, becoming the first in the world to produce 1 million tons of coal in a single year. Operating from the 19th century until its closure, the site was crucial for industrial and domestic supply, and it was integrated with the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company

43939 Pte Charles Thomas Lamming, a farm labourer from Brinbrook in Lincolnshire

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Served with the 20th (Labour) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters and later with the 166th Labour Company

Charles was born on 20th October 1890 in Glanford Brigg, Lincolnshire, the son of George and Kate Lamming. In the 1911 census he was married to Martha with one son James and was a farm labourer. Charles and Martha lived in Binbrook, which is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire.

Service with the 20th (Labour) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters

Charles was posted to the 20th Battalion in April 1916 and given the regimental number 43939. He was one of many men from the Lincolnshire Regiment that were transferred between April and May 1916.

Unfortunately, there is very little information available about the 20th Battalion, but they formed in Derby in May 1916 and landed in France in June 1916 joining the 5th Army. They entrained at Bailleul for Acheux on the 4th August and worked in the Albert, Contay, Senlis areas.

Between 1st July 1916 and 11th March 1917 they suffered 11 men kill or died of wounds, many of whom were from Lincolnshire.

Service with the Labour Corps

In April 1917 the 20th Battalion were transferred to the Labour Corps as the 28th and 29th Labour Companies, which were original companies formed under Army Council Instruction 611 of 1917.

[Info from Soldiers Died in the Great War and The Long, Long Trail and also here]

Charle’s new regimental number of 17055 indicates that he first served with the 29th Labour Company.

At some point Charles was transferred to the 166th Coy Labour Corps and was wounded on 28th September 1918 (cont. knee R).

Post war

In the 1921 Census Charles is living with Martha in Binbrook with their 9 year old son George Walter.

Charles died in Louth in the spring of 1970.

Final thoughts

Without a trip to the National Archives in t’smoke I’ve found very little about the 20th (Labour) Battalion. For example, what Brigade and Division were they attached to and if a War Diary Exists. The Labour Corps Companies were not required to keep a War Diary so that information is missing and the Medal Rolls do not recored the specific Battalion that the men were transfered from. Therefore, there are few records of men that served with the 20th Battalion, those that exist are records of men that died while serving with the 20th Battalion or were awarded a Silver War Badge.

When Charles was wounded/injured in 1918 for some obscure reason it was recorded that he had served with the 20/N&D – I therefore think that this makes this BWM/VM Pair quite an interesting and perhaps rare collectable.

I was going to sell them on, but not anymore.

241695 Pte Frank Isaac Shimwell, a farm worker from Birchover

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Enlisted in January 1916; served with the 2/6th Battalion in Ireland and France; Transferred to the London Regiment in August 1918; Served as a stretcher bearer and was wounded in 1918.

Many thanks to Belinda (Frank’s grand daughter) for kindly sending the photographs and her family memories.

1916-1918

Frank attested in January 1916 into the 3/6th Battalion – most likely through the Derby Scheme. He was transferred to the 2/6th Battalion and served during the Easter Rising.

Frank arrived in France with 2/6th Battalion (178th Bde/59th Division) in February 1917 and would have fought through all the major battles, including 3rd Ypres (Passchendale) in September 1917, Cambria in December 1917 and the Kaiserschlacht on the 21st March 1918.

In August 1918 he was transferred to the 1/24th (County of London) Battalion (The Queen’s) when the 2/6th Battalion were reduced to Cadre.

Frank was wounded in late summer 1918 near Bapaume on the Somme, which was reported in the 19th October issue of the Derbyshire Times. It would therefore seem plausible that he was wounded in September/early October. The 1/24th (County of London) Battalion (The Queen’s) were heavily engaged on the 8th – 10th September at Bouchavesnes in the Somme District and suffered numerous casualties- it is likely that Frank was wounded at this time.

Post war and numerous citations for bravery

After the War Frank served in the Derbyshire Police rising to the rank of Inspector and won numerous awards for bravery.

1971 in York

1973 Belgium Day Parade in London

“Grandpa did receive medals for commendations – he saved a woman from her burning house then went back in and saved her dog who was hiding under the kitchen table.  As he was with the police in rural Derbyshire he also rescued sheep for farmers from a river and from down an old mine shaft – so he had a range of medals”

“He left a note of the Key to his Medal Ribbons which I had transcribed and have attached – he also volunteered with the St John Ambulance Brigade for many years”

“Amongst mum’s things I found the attached newspaper cutting and photo – I presume they go together?  And the cutting gives an all round summary of his achievements – his daughter ‘Jane’ who is mentioned was my mother”

5853/242090 Pte Arthur Frank Shepherd – a market butcher from Bethnal Green

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Attested in December 1915; One of the Derby Scheme ‘London Men’; Served inmates Ireland; Survived the War and was discharged in November 1918; Died in Summer of 1968.

Photograph taken at Curragh Camp towards the end of 1916

Pre-War

Arthur lived with his wife Mary Ann at 29 Strahan Road in Bethnal Green

Attestation and Service in Ireland

Frank attested in December 1915 and was mobilised in October 1916. It’s likely that he was one of the Derby Scheme ‘London Men’ that were posted to the 2/6th – see here.

He served for a few weeks in Ireland before the Battalion moved to Fovant in early 1917.

Active Service in France from early 1917

Very little is known about Arthur’s service in France. It is possible that at some point he was wounded and transferred to the 2nd Battalion after recovery.

Arthur was discharged on the 11th November 1918 due to ‘sickness’ and was awarded a Silver War Badge along with his British War and Victory Medal.