3124 Private John Hurt of the 1/8th Battalion died of his wounds at the 6th General Hospital in Rouen.
He had been wounded on the 14th October with a gun shot wound in the abdomen and had passed through the 1st NMFA and 9 CCS.
Before the War John was a miner from Bolsover and had enlisted in November 1914.
The Corps Commander awarded the Military Medal to the undermentioned for gallantry and devotion to duty during the operations of 3rd October:-
98212 L/Cpl. Benjamin Cyril Wilsea (From Gainsborough; Military Service Act; died 1971)
242478 Cpl. Henry Thomas West (Formerly 7681)
241104 Pte. Joseph Pursglove (From Eyam; e. Nov 1914; Formerly 3505; France 1916 and Battalion runner)
240552 Sgt. George Potter Bagshaw (From Whaley Bridge; e. Sept 1914; Formerly 2381; France 28/2/15 and a stretcher bearer)
240837 Pte. Edwin Large (From Longford; e. Oct 1914; Formerly 2989; France 26/6/15 and a Lewis Gunner)
240805 L/Cpl. James Else Gratton (From Wirksworth; e. Oct 1914; Formerly 2928; France 1916 and a Lewis Gunner)
241130 Pte. Ralph Richardson (e. Nov 1914; Formerly 3560; France 28/6/15)
200057 L/Cpl. John W Cook (pre-War Territorial)
71423 Pte William Grainger (Also served with 15th and 1/8th Battns)
242568 Cpl. Thomas Selby (Formerly S Notts Hussars; Part of 27th Reinforcement and a Lewis Gunner)
240409 Pte. Reginald Smith (e. Jan 1914; Formerly 2092; France 25/6/15)
92039 Cpl. Frederick H Broom (Formerly Dvr 04367 ASC; France 24/9/15)
201505 Cpl. Thomas William Sherwin Badder (From Wirksworth; e. May 1915; Formerly 4352; France 11/10/17)
240358 Pte. Frank Hollinshead (From Ashbourne; e. June 1913; Formerly 1987; France 28/2/15)
241115 Pte. Charles Redshaw (e. Nov 1914; Formerly 3537; France 1916)
The following pages have recently been update with (new) content
1902-1907
1908
1909
1911
2/6th Battalion
21st Battalion
BUT this is still a ‘work in progress’ so please bear with me.
Finally managed to find some time to add new content. In this case its the the year 1912. Lots of good photos, mostly of the 6th, but also the 8th is well represented along with the odd 5th and 7th picture.
Included a list of men who attested in 1912, 250 or so.
The battalion were holding the front line trenches in the HILL 70 sector.
3752/241204 Pte John William Daws died of his wounds at the 33 Casualty Clearing Station and is buried in Bethune Town Cemetery.
John was 38 years old and a resident of Bulwell in Nottingham. He enlisted in Chesterfield in January 1915 and left a widow.
Lieutenant Joseph Tolsen was wounded whilst examining his wire in front the QUARRY. Lt FS Rowland took over Command of “B” Company.
He was admitted to the 1st CCS at Chocques were he died of his wounds and is buried in CHOCQUES MILITARY CEMETERY.
Orders were received on the night of the 14th-15th informing Colonel Goodman that he was to proceed with his Battalion and relieve the 8/Sherwood Foresters currently holding the Hohenzollern Redoubt. Their place in the British front line was be to be filled by Companies of the Guards Brigade, however this relief did not fully develop and it was shortly before dawn when three platoons of “C” Company under the command of Capt EH Heathcote arrived in the redoubt. At this time Colonel Fowler of the 8/Sherwood Foresters was killed and Colonel Goodman was ordered to return to the British Front line leaving Capt Heathcote in command of the Hohenzollern garrison. During the following night the relief was completed and the 6/Sherwood Foresters moved back Fouquereuil and thereafter to billets in Verquin.
During the fighting of the previous few days the 46th Division had suffered 180 Officers and 3583 men killed, wounded or missing. The 6/Sherwood Foresters had 13 men killed, one man missing believed killed and 2nd Lieutenants Percival and Gardiner and 48 men wounded.
The bodies of all of the men who were killed were not recovered or identified after the War and are commemorated on the Loos Memorial. The fact that so many bodies were not recovered is a testimony to the severity of the fighting and only Bernhard White from Grassmoor who died at a casualty clearing station in the Chateau at Vermelles has a known grave.
Amongst the men killed were Benjamin Savage from Tideswall who had played in the summer cricket match and 21 year old John Steggles (“C” Company) from Chesterfield who had a number of letters published in the Derbyshire Times over the previous six months.
During the night of the 13th-14th October the 6/Sherwood Foresters remained in the front line trenches and could hear the cries of the wounded in no-mans-land. Sometime during the night 2230 Sergeant Mathew Unwin was able to rescue a wounded man of the Staffordshire Brigade and for this act of heroism he was recommended for gallantry.
During the morning of the next day the Germans counter attacked, which fell heavily upon the 7/Sherwood Foresters and it was at this time that Captain CG Vickers won the Victoria Cross.
At 2pm on Wednesday the 13th October men of the 137th and 138th Brigades left the assembly trenches and crossed no-mans-land towards their objectives and at the same time men of the Sherwood Foresters moved forward in support. “A” Company (Robinson) remained in the support trenches whilst “B” (Dick) and “D” (Wheatcroft) Companies pushed forward to the Dump in support of the 5th South Staffordshires, which was the right leading Battalion of the 137th Brigade.
During the early afternoon 2/Lt Lytle and the Battalion Grenadiers were ordered to bomb Slag Alley and Dump Trench. However this provided impossible so in response to repeated messages for assistance William Lytle took his section of grenadiers to the south end of Big Willie and remained there until the night of the 14th. During this time he led two bombing attacks on Big Willie and in the second attack 1373 Cpl Ernest Jordan penetrated nearest to the German trench block and was the last man to retire. He was aided in this attack by 2156 Sergt. Thomas Taylor and 3234 A/ Cpl Ernest Munday and all four men were mentioned in despatches.
The Battle of Loos
At mid-day on the 12th October the 6/Sherwood Foresters marched up the Len’s Road in “fighting order” until they reached Noyelles where they were issued tea by a roadside canteen. At the onset of darkness the Battalion continued onto Clark’s Keep on the edge of Vermelles and were issued with shovels, picks and other trench stores. Moving by Companies the Battalion advanced up the main communication trenches, Gordan and Hullach Alley, to the assembly positions in front of the heavily fortified trench system known locally as Hohenzollern Redoubt.
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 