An original Volunteer and Pre-War Territorial, but did not serve overseas
41 Colour Sergeant James Harrison from Wirksworth
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Category Archives: On this day
2061 Pte Edwin Gilbert from Southwell
A pre-War Territorial who died of wounds on 25th March 1916 aged 30
A post card sent by Edwin to his sister Nora in Southwell.
Private Edwin Gilbert enlisted at Newark whilst residing at Southwell, he served with the 1/8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters. He died of wounds on 25th March 1916 at the No 3 General Hospital at Le Treport. He is buried at Le Treport Military Cemetery, Seine-Maritime, France – see here. At the time of his wounding the 1/8th Battalion were occupying the front line trenches near to Mont St Eloy.
Edwin’s sister Nora was awarded a pension. Note that his brother John Ernest also died of pneumonia whilst serving with the KRR.
6844 Rifleman John Ernest Gilbert of the 1st Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps died on the 4th November 1918 aged 31.
The short lived Hunmanby Camp
August 1914
The 2/6th Battalion and their embarkation to Dublin in April 1916
The 59th (2nd North Midland Division) travelled to Dublin on the RMS Munster and RMS Ulster.
1719/265172 Pte Fred Pilgrim from Nottingham
A Pre-War Territorial who enlisted in February 1913. Arrived in France with the 46th Division in February 1915. Transferred to the 1/6th Battalion – probably in January 1917. Disembodied in March 1919.
Fred was admitted with influenza to No2 General Hospital at Havre on the 25th June 1916 (?) suggesting that he missed the debacle that was the ‘1st day of the Somme’.
Fred was still serving with the 1/7th Battalion at the time of the Territorial Force renumbering and was issued with the Regimental number 265172, which was with the block assigned to the 7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (265001-305000).
It is highly likely that Fred was to the 1/6th Battalion when the 1/7th Battalion was disbanded in January 1917.
2142 Drummer Frank Hallam from Fairfield in Buxton
Killed in action on 22nd July and buried in Maple Copse
Maple Copse 22.7.1915: CAPTS F. M. DICK, E. B. JOHNSON and LIEUTS J. S. SAMPSON and J. L. PERCIVAL joined from England having joined bivouac day before.
Casualties – wounded Officers nil – O.R. killed 3 wounded 19.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
“It is artic up here………”
Posted from Scarborough Camp in 1909 by Will who was in “D” Company, the Robin Hood Rifles.
Mon July 26/09
D Co RHR
Scarboro
“Hope you had a good day to day. I would sooner have been at home. It is artic up here. No catch at all. Will”
The post card was posted to:-
F R Gibbs Esq, Castledene, Alexandra Park, Nottingham
Frederick Richard Gibbs was a well know Nottingham clock and watch maker – see here. By 1911 the Gibbs Family had moved to ‘Castledene’. He and his wife a son called Frederick William, who was born in 1909, so he is not the ‘Will’ that sent the postcard.
Some great news: thanks to a great pal of the Sherwood Foresters – (Shane H) – Lancelot’s Medal Pair was kept together.
There is every chance he served in Ireland with the 2/6th…..
Shane also kindly sent a picture of Lancelot.
OTD 16th October 1915; 3/6th Battalion at Bolton Park near Grantham
“Capt. R Saxby and Second-Lieut. A. H. Goodall, both of whom were wounded while serving with the 1 6 Battalion in Flanders, have joined the unit this week. The post of Regimental-Sergt.-Major has not yet been filled, and the duties are temporarily being carried out by Company-Sergt.-Major J. Platts.”
The tragic suicide of 3828 Company Sergeant Major Thomas Wood from Sheffield
On the 4th October 1915 at Belton Camp near to Grantham
Thomas was a 38 year old clerk when he enlisted into the 6th Reserve Battalion, the Sherwood Foresters in Chesterfield on the 2nd May 1915. Thomas had previously served over 18 years with the 2nd Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and rising to the rank of Colour Sergeant.
Captain William Seaton, who had known him for a month, described Thomas as a very good man indeed and an excellent sergeant-major. Thomas left a wife and four sons who received a pension.
It would appear from Captain Seaton’s testimony and Thomas’s final letter that he was under considerable pressure “Try and think as well as you can of me. I have tried to do my best, but when there is only man, what are you to do? I cannot bear the strain any longer”
Thomas wrote to Major Towler stringing that “my accounts are in an awful muddle”, but on examination “so far as he knew the accounts were alright”.
The History of the 3/7th Reserve (Robin Hood) Battalion Sherwood Foresters, written in 1921, records that there were a shortage of Officers and NCOs in these early days of the Reserve Battalions.
Thomas’s widow Catherine and their four young sons were awarded a pension.
