Over the last few years I have concentrated on telling the story (the best that I can) of the men that served with the 1/6th Battalion.
In the process I have somewhat neglected the men that served with the 2/6th Battalion, and of course their story is just as important.
Fortunately, over the years I have collected post cards and other ephemera that are related to the 2/6th – the ‘Green Triangle’ – so I have now decided that the time is right to tell their story; either on-line or by print.
Interestingly, the 2/6th Battalion were engaged in a limited number of historically important actions; these being:-
- The 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin
- The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line on 27th April 1917
- The Battle of Passchendale on 26th-29th September 1917
- The Battle of Cambria on the 1st-2nd December 1917
- The ‘Kaiserchlacht’ Spring offensive on 21st March 1918
- The defence of Kemmel on 14th-18th April 1918
In those later five engagements the 2/6th suffered horrendous casualties and the Battalion was reinforced on many occasions; however, in the end the ‘2/6th’ were reduced to Cadre on the 7th May 1918.
The 2/6th Sherwood Foresters at Buxton in 1914
The reunion of the 2/6th Sherwood Foresters at Bakewell in 1935
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 
Hi Mike I will be very interested in this as my grandfather Frederick William Wood was in the 2/6th Sherwoods.
________________________________
Thanks for your message Andrew
I’m guessing that is 4838/241748 Frederick Wood, later served with Labour Corps?
cheers Mike
Surely 141 men of the original complement were KIA out of an estimated original strength of 800 so 18% were killed leaving 82 % as survivors not 17%?
Sorry David I’m not seeing where in the post it mentions 141 men and 800 – am I looking in the wrong post? thanks Mike
Mike,
On the table of the numbers of 2/6th Battalion men KIA from the original renumbered contingent you mention 33 + 45 + 17 +38 + 8 = 141 KIA in the various actions.
The Battalion strength of about 800 men allowing for non combatants gives a percentage killed or missing of 141 /800 = approx 18%
Maybe I have misread your table
Morning David
I see what you mean know and you are quite right that 141 men of the original contingent were killed. What I was trying to do with the table was show that was a decreasing proportion of ‘original’ men as time went by, but the table was a bit misleading, so I have now revised it. Many thanks for pointing this out, cheers mike
Hi, just discovered this, I’ve just found out that my Grandad Anthony Fallowfield, was with the 2/6 C coy, in France, his service number was 12901. The record I have is a casualty evacuation train on the 3 Dec 1917, with shrapnel and penetration wounds to torso and neck, he also lost a kneecap. Could anyone shed light into the action he was involved in with C coy, using the evacuation date. Thanks in advance, any small thread is gold.
Hello Geoff
Thanks for your message. It would have been the Battle of Cambria. If you let me have an email I can send you the records that are on Ancestry – he first served with 9th Battalion at Gallipoli, cheers Mike
Hi, thanks Mike,
I have discovered a lot about his war, I have his service numbers for each of the units he served with. Reading your comments, I thought it might be Cambrai, but I would like to find out how long he was with this unit, and any operations he would’ve been involved with.
my email if Geoff-fallowfield@hotmail.co.uk
regards Geoff.
Hi, just found this site. I had a relative who I believe was a territorial before the serving 1/5 btn.
Name William Egbert Dumelow service number 200079 and 1435. The later is possibly his territorial number. I have the original photo, framed and given to his parents by his shop mates after his death 1st July 1916. I would love to know more of his military history, territorial and regular. I know he is on the Theipval memorial to the lost of Somme
thanks Craig
c_warbuton@hotmail.com
Hello Craig – yes he was a pre-war Territorial and only served with the 1/5th- enlisted in 1911 I think. His service records exist – if you let me have an email then I can send to you, cheers Mike
Michael.briggs@ncl.ac.uk
By the way would love to see a copy of the photo and do a posting on him
Hi Mike, I was just looking around your posts and spotted my grandfather in the 1935 reunion photo – he was Frank Isaac Shimwell, Private 2/6th Notts & Derby Regiment (Regimental No. 241695) then with the 1/24th London Regiment and Queen’s Regiment (Regimental No. G/72899)
I haven’t found his service record, but he was with ‘B’ Coy and was a stretcher bearer – any advice on how to research his service and to find out more about his role as a stretcher bearer? Thank you
Morning – thanks for your message. I have a few pictures of reunions – which is your grandfather? Let me have a dig around in the records and see if I can find anything, cheers Mike
Dear Mike,
thank you so much for your email. I hope you don’t mind, but I downloaded and then attached the reunion photo and have put a circle around my grandfather so you can see which one he is. I have also attached a couple of photos we have of him in later life, when he was serving in the Derbyshire police which might be of interest as they show his medals, and also ribbons.
My late mother also thought she recognised him in another of your photos, on your 2/6th ‘Reduce to Cadre and disbanded 31 July 1918’ webpage – in the interesting picture showing a mixed group of Sherwood Foresters and the County of London (The Queenâs) Regiment – she thought Frank was the first soldier seated on the left hand side, in the second row – but as we don’t have any photos of him when he was young, then it is difficult to tell if it really is him. That photo shows just how worn out they all were and is quite poignant.
I have just been going through some of my late mother’s things and found some information on Frank and his war service, so I am going to put what I have all together for our family as his service record no longer exists – and if you are interested then I can send you a copy once I am done? And any photos that you come across of grandpa would be wonderful.
with many thanks and wishing you a lovely festive season, with best wishes, Belinda