Killed in action on the 3rd September 1916 whilst serving with the 17th Battalion, the Welbeck Rangers

Enlisted in early June 1915 and arrived the Battalion in France in March 1916.

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September 3rd 1916

The Welbeck Rangers moved into trenches south of Beaumont-Hamel on the 2nd September and attacked the following morning at 5am. 20 Officers and 650 other ranks went into action, capturing the German Front line before being held up at the second by heavy machine gun fire. They suffered over 450 casualties before being withdrawn that evening to Mailly-Maillet.

Their sister Battalion, the Chatsworth Rifles, provided carrying parties during the assault and also suffered their own share of casualties.

The move up to the front line trenches was complete by 10.12 p.m. on the 2nd and assembly of the Bn in No Mans Land was complete by zero hour. No casualties were reported for this phase of the operation.

The leading (“A” Coy) had taken the German front line by 6 a.m., but with heavy casualties and reinforcements were at once requested. One Officer and about 30 men succeeded in making it to the German second line but were forced to retire due to the lack of support.

The following day the O.C. 17 Bn Sherwood Foresters provided a rough estimate of the casualties suffered during the advance into the German front line:-

“A” Company, about 50%; “B” Company, about 75%; “C” Company, about 50%; “D”

Company was split between different waves to protect the flanks.

The following notes were collected from N.C.Os. and men who participated in the

attack:-

“The dug-outs and front line were all smashed in, and what appeared to have been dug-outs were made from railway line and wood work.”

“The handle brush bomb was used by them with timing mark 5 1/2 secs. it did not appear to outrange ours.”

“All or practically all carrying parties were knocked out.”

“They counter-attacked from both our right and left flanks with bombing parties of about 20-30 men and all in shirt sleeves and over the top.”

“Very little S.A.A. was used, but all the bombs were got rid of the two carrying parties sent up on different occasions with bombs and S.A.A. did not reach them.”

“The Machine Guns could not be accurately located but fired from both flanks and front.“

“All our casualties were nearly all from bombs and shell fire and a certain amount of machine gun. Bombs were thrown at our first wave from their front line. They barraged their own front line after we got in an NO MANS LAND with 5.9 and Trench Mortars””Their casualties appeared to be very heavy and the trenches in parts full of dead.”

“There were a good many men in their second line but the party did not stay long enough to see any dug-outs as they were outnumbered.”

“The wire opposite us was not very well cut in places and several men got hung up.”

“He amused himself in the afternoon by sniping our wounded in NO MANS LAND, this I believe also occurred on my right”

At 2pm orders were dispatched for all assaulting troops to withdraw to the British trenches and the battalion spent the night at Mailley-Maillet Wood.

Casualties for the 3rd September

Total casualties for the attack on the 3rd were:-

Officers

Killed:-

Major G Stollard (OC “A” Company); Captains R.G. Hopewell, S.F. Brookfield, F.C.

Singleton, G.P. Littlewood.

Wounded:-

Captains F.R. Turner, R.S. Wright; Lieuts B.J. Ross; 2nd Lieuts W.N. Birkin, E.P. Acrill-

Jones, T.C. Nugent, J.W. Salisbury.

Wounded and Missing:-

Captain H.V. Walters; Lieut B.F. Buck; 2/Lt M.A. Ellissen

Other Ranks

Killed – 59

Wounded – 155

Missing – 221

Wounded at duty – 1

Total – 436

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George’s body was not found and he is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial.

It would appear that George’s widow, Constance Mary, did not receive a pension.

Enlisted into the 2/6th Battalion, transfered to the 10th Battalion and missing in action in April 1918.

Lancelot enlisted in Chesterfield into the 3/6th Sherwood Foresters in February 1916 and was one of several men from Bury St Edmunds that enlisted into the 6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters; Lancelot’s mother was from Chesterfield, which may explain his choice of Regiment.

Lancelot most likely arrived in France with the 2/6th Battalion in February 1917, but at some point transferred to the 10th Battalion. This would have been at an Infantry Base Depot and Lancelot might have been wounded or sick (and recovering).

He was posted missing (and death presumed) on 21st April 1918 whilst serving with 9 Platoon in ‘C’ Company. Lancelot appears on several British Red Cross Enquiry Lists including those issued on 2nd August and 20th November 1918.

At the time of his death the 10th Battalion were occupying front line trenches close to Aveluy Wood on the old Somme Battlefield the trenches were very shallow causing numerous casualties; ‘C’ company were occupying the OUTPOST LINE. On the 21st April the Germans began shelling the front line.

“From 9am to 6pm there was no news from Captain FB Joyce MC, who was in Command of two Platoons of ‘C’ Company holding the positions on the railway. During the afternoon the shelling increased in intensity; and at 6pm two runners arrived from ‘C’ Company saying that when they left at 5.15pm the Company had already suffered heavy casualties”

[10th Battalion History by Lieut. WN Hoyte]

“It now seems certain that Lancelot. H. Shillitoe (Sherwood Foresters), nephew of Mrs J. G. Shea, Eastwood House, Chesterfield, who has been reported missing since April 21st 1918, was killed on that date. Information has been received through Red Cross sources that Cpl Shillitoe’s Company was held up by an enemy counter attack on the date stated, and a comrade states that he saw the young soldier laid low by gunshot. The occupation of the area by the enemy rendered it impossible to recover the body, but the soldier of whom inquiries have been made has no doubt whatsoever that Cpl. Shillitoe was killed. Cpl Shillitoe, who was 20 years old, was the third of four soldier sons of Mr Thomas Shillitoe, Upper Norwood, a London Contractor and Builder. His maternal grandmother was the late Mrs Stilwell, Glenholme, Chatsworth Road, Brampton. In civil life he was at the engineering works of Bryan Donkin Company, Derby Road. Joining up on February 8th 1916, when he was under military age, he went with the 2/6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters to Ireland in connection with the rebellion. His brother, who enlisted at the same time, is still serving. 

[Derbyshire Courier, 21st September 1918]

Lancelot body was not recovered after the War and he is Commemorated on the Poziers Memorial. His mother Sarah was awarded a pension after the war.