2nd Volunteer Battalion The Sherwood Foresters Year Book, 1907

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Towyn Annual Camp in Merionethshire

Charles William Sydney Pierrepont, 4th Earl Manvers, VD (2 August 1854 – 17 July 1926). Brigadier-General commanding the North Midland Brigade 1896–1908

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Senior Sergeants at Towyn Camp

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The Harrison Family?

Note: Is it possible that these three soldiers are the Harrison brother of Wirksworth?

• 36 Col.- Sergt William Harrison (aged 44 in photo)
• 1538 (2VB) – later 37 Sergt Isaac G Harrison (aged 40 in photo)
• 2244 & 6895 (2VB) – later 41 Sergt James Harrison (aged 37 in photo)

Army Service Records exist for Isaac and James, which confirms that they both had Sergeant’s Proficiency Stars (1903 & 1894 respectively) by 1907.

Note: I'm longer convinced about the above deduction……..
But I don't know…..the more I think about it…there all Harrisons!

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NCOs and men possibly from “E” (Wirksworth) Company.

Although the card was posted from Ashbourne on August 19th 1907.

This Sergeant wears the ‘Bandsman’ badge and has 5 Proficiency Stars.
Men wearing typical Volunteer slouch hats with what appears to be decorative holly.

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“D” Bakewell Company c1907

Senior NCOs of Letter D (Bakewell) Company, 2nd Volunteer Battalion Notts & Derbyshire Regiment at Annual Camp c1907-08.

Standing on the far left is 1251 Acting Sergeant-Major John Shepherd. Most of the men are wearing the marksman crossed rifles badge and several have the sergeant’s ‘proficiency’ badge above the chevrons.Also visible on the uniform is the red and white “Derbyshire 2VB” shoulder badge

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1251 Acting Sergeant-Major John Shepherd

Serjt.-Major J Shepherd was discharged to pension in 1913. He originally served as Colour Sergeant of “H” Company, 2nd Battalion and served in the Tirah Campaign of 1897-98. He enlisted into the Derbyshire Regt on 17th November 1885 and was awarded the India Medal with Punjab Frontier 1897-98 and Tirah 1897-98 Clasps.John Shepherd was posted to the 2VB Derbyshire Regiment on 3rd April 1901.

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“E” (Wirksworth) Company: 1907

Nominal Role of “E” (Wirksworth) Company.

Nominal Role of “E” Company (Matlock and Wirksworth) drawn up sometime between 1909 and 1910. Note the predominance of low regimental numbers, in fact the highest number belongs to 587 Private AW Roughton.

By the time “E” Company 6th Sherwood Foresters mobilised on 4th August 1914 only 15 of the 120 men listed here were still with the Regiment. Many of the old recruits re-joined the Battalion later but were issued with new numbers.Captain James Wheatcroft and Lieutenant William Tomkins were present at the first Divisional Camp in August 1909. Captain Tomkins later commanded “D” Company of the 2/6th Sherwood Foresters during the Easter Rebellion, but there is no record of him serving in France.

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“F” Matlock Company: 1907

Lieutenant Henry Charles Dakeyne Dawson and Senior Sergeants. The Sergt.-Instr. stood next to Lieutenant Dawson is 5092 George Marriott who had previously served with the 4th Battalion Sherwood Foresters and saw service in South Africa 1899-1902.

Amongst the other men are Sergt Marriott, Slater, Harry Wall and ‘Lew’, who is 272 Sergeant Lewis Dickinson (see below).

From left: 272 Sergeant Lewis Dickinson, Lieutenant Henry Charles Dakeyne Dawson and 5092 Sergt.-Instr. George Marriott.

Note that Lew Dickinson is wearing a Notts and Derby cap badge with a “2 VB” scrollAbove his chevrons Sergeant Harry Wall is wearing a Crown and the Crossed Swords and Bugles of a Colour-Sergeant in a Rifle Regiment. 312 Col.-Sergt. Henry Calder Wall from Lime Hill was awarded the Volunteer Force Long Service Medal in 1896.

356 Sergeant Thomas William Slater

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560 Sergeant Ernest Marriott who was wounded in Ireland on 27th April 1916

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The men on the left is Sergeant 564 Robert Smith from Tansley. See here

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7373 Pte William Taylor

A photograph showing men from the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, but the date is unkown. The man keeling in the centre is 7373 Pte William Taylor who served with the 1st Volunteer Company in the Boer War (1900-1901).

[Many thanks to Simon Johnson who kindly sent this photograph]

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Men from the 1st or 2nd Derbyshire Volunteers of the Sherwood Foresters at Towyn in 1907. This is maybe one of the first HP Hansen published photographs of the era because his name appears as a stamp rather than printed on the card itself.

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A postcard addressed to Miss L Smith who lived on Compton Street in Ashbourne.

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1st Volunteer Battalion (Sherwood Foresters)

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4th (Nottinghamshire) Volunteer Battalion (Sherwood Foresters)

4th Nottinghamshire Volunteer Battalion Sherwood Foresters at Towyn North Wales in 1907

“F” (Collingham) Company, 4th Nottinghamshire Volunteer Battalion Sherwood Foresters at Towyn North Wales in 1907

All three cards are part of the “Howard Barrett’s Series” and the top card was posted to Amy Johnson of Loughborough from Newark on September 6th 1907 and in it we learn from Albert that “this is all there is left of us”.

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Picture of men from the Staffordshire Brigade striking Camp at Towyn in 1908 (by JS Simnett of Burton-on-Trent).

• 1st Volunteer Battalion: 2nd Staffordshire (Staffordshire Rangers) Rifle Volunteer Corps, based in Stoke-on-Trent. Later 5th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment.
• 2nd Volunteer Battalion: 5th Staffordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, based in Lichfield but later moved to Burton-on-Trent. Later 6th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment.