In New Mills there is a spot known as ‘Tor Top’, and at yesterday’s meeting of the New Mills District Council a highly interesting letter was read from Brigadier-General Goodman, D.S.O., of the Sherwood Foresters, who wrote from France to the Chairman as follows:-

“I have obtained from the battlefield a notice-board of ‘Tor Top’, which I shall be glad to present to your Council if they care to have it.

” ‘Tor Top’ is known to a large part of the British Army, and is the highest point of a low ridge, 5,000 yards south-east of Ypres, in Belgium, on the southern side of the well-known ‘Sanctuary Wood’. The front line British trenches ran just east of the ridge after the second battle of Ypres, and in the summer of 1915 were held by the 6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters under my command.

The highest point was occupied by letter B Company and was named by the New Mills platoon ‘Tor Top’. Other names have vanished, but this has remained to the present time, and appears on the military maps.

“This Belgian ‘Tor Top’ has experienced several changes of fortune. In 1916 the enemy captured it, after an intense bombardment, from the Canadians, who later regained it by a gallant attack.

“By a coincidence on the 31st July 1917, in the third battle of Ypres, my Brigade attacked from the ‘Tor Top’ position, and captured the enemy’s trenches to a depth of 1,000 yards. In April of this year the ground had to be evacuated owing to the pressure of the enemy’s offensive farther south, and ‘Tor Top’ was not recovered until the 28th September last, when the second Army attacked with such success.

“The surrounding country presents a scene of desolation that defies description. The ground has been ploughed over many times by shells, and for miles, in a once wooded country, no sound tree is standing. Many isolated groves are scattered up and down, and many more have been obliterated. Along the ridge is what was once a fine series of tunnels constructed by Canadian engineers, and known as ‘Tor Top Tunnels’

“The notice board was used to mark the tunnels, and on it is the map reference of the position. It is a battle relic that would be interesting to the members of my old Battalion, and perhaps more particularly to New Mills.”

“The Chairman had written accepting the interesting battle relic, which with its history would be permanently preserved, and congratulating Brigadier-General Goodman on the part taken by him and the troops under his command in the attainment of the great victory.”

“The Council decided to convene a public meeting to consider a memorial to the two hundred soldiers who have fallen from this district.”

Preamble: On 1st September 1916 the 3/5th and 3/6th Battalions and the 3/7th and 3/8th Battalions merged into the 5th and 7th Reserve Battalions respectively. Along with the 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions (both based in Sunderland as part of the Tyne Garrison) they continued to train new recruits (mostly conscripts from mid-1916) and supply drafts to the Regular, Territorial and Service Battalions of the Notts & Derby Regiment based on the Western front.

Note: There was also the 21st Battalion, the 13th, 14th and 19th Training Reserve Battalions and the 51st and 52nd (Graduated) Battalions and 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion, but these do not feature in this blog.

Challenge: The regimental numbering system of the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby) Regiment was (mostly) very logical and followed a sequential date-related pattern……but sometimes it requires a little research to determine when a particular series of regimental numbers were issued and why……..

This blog will describe the 204*** numbering system, in particular regimental numbers 204352 to 204877, which equates to ~525 men, who were mobilised between May 1917 and August 1918.

Why have I chosen to do this ? because I have medal pairs awarded to Alfred Sutton (204705) and Francis Garton (204877) and wish to put their own service history into the broader context of the Regiment.

It would appear that the Territorial Battalions of the Sherwood Foresters (i.e. 5th and 7th Reserve Battalions) continued to issue Regimental numbers from the ‘block series’ that was allocated to them during the renumbering of the Territorial Force in spring 1917.

For the 5th Battalion (including the 5th Reserve) this number series ran from 200001 to 240000, and for the 7th Battalion (including the 7th Reserve) from 265001 to 30500.

Even if new recruits were issued ‘regular’ regimental numbers at the Notts & Derby Depot (e.g. 85067), once they were posted to the 5th and 7th Reserve Battalions, they were re-numbered using the relevant ‘block series’.

204352 Pte Charles Ward

The first man that I can link to this block of 525 men is Charles Ward, a boot worker from Stoney Middleton, who had previously served with the 6th Battalion. What is interesting is that he was issued with a ‘sequential’ Notts & Derby Regimental number (85067) at the Depot (on 28th April 1917), but was later re-issued with 204352 when he was posted to the 5th Reserve Battalion for training on 1st May 1917.

Following training with the 5th Reserve Battalion, Charles embarked for France on the 30th July 1917 and arrived at the 14th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples the following day. He was initially taken on the strength of “A” Company, 2/8th Battalion ‘for record purposes’, before being transferred to the 2/5th Battalion on the 29th January 1918. Charles was killed on the 21st March 1918 during the German Spring Offensive.

204874 George Herbert McGill

The last man in the 204*** series who’s Service Record stills exists is George McGill from Ranbey Hall Farm near Retford in Nottinghamshire. George was originally posted to the 2/1 Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry in March 1915, but was then compulsory transferred to the Notts & Derby Regiment in February 1918. He arrived in France on the 1st March 1918 and was posted to the 2/5th Battalion on the 20th March. He later served with the 16th, 15th and 2nd Battalions until his demobilisation in February 1919.

Alfred Sutton and Francis Henry Garton

The service records for both Arthur and Francis no longer exist, but it is possible to piece together their service in the Great War using the Medal Rolls and the 204*** Regimental Numbering series (see above).

Using the compiled ‘204*** Medal Role’ and the London Regiment Medal Role, we now know that Alfred was mobilised and posted to the 5th Reserve Battalion around mid-July 1917 and following training he embarked for France in late March 1918. He was posted to the 2/6th Battalion to make up for the losses suffered during the German Spring Offensive on 21st March 1918. Alfred would have fought through the bitter engagements around Mount Kemmel, before the 2/6th Battalion were reduced to Cadre and he was eventually transferred to the 22nd London Regiment. Alfred was discharged in February 1919.

Using the compiled ‘204*** Medal Role’ and the London Regiment Medal Role, we now know that Francis was mobilised and posted to the 5th Reserve Battalion around early-February 1918 and following training he embarked for France in early March 1918. He was posted to the 16th Battalion and then to the 2/6th Battalion in April to make up for the losses suffered during the German Spring Offensive on 21st March 1918. Francis would also have fought through the bitter engagements around Mount Kemmel, before the 2/6th Battalion were reduced to Cadre and he was eventually transferred to the 24th London Regiment. Francis was discharged in May 1919.

Notes: The last man to appear on the Notts 8 Derby Medal Role (6 July 1921) is 204874 George Herbert McGill, but we do know that 204877 Francis Garton appears on the London Medal Roll. An online search of the Medal Rolls digitised by Ancestry would suggest that Francis Garton was the last man to receive a 204*** Regimental Number.

Thereafter the Notts & Derby Medal Role jumps to 205383 Tom Greenwood – a gap of 506 men. The 205*** series of numbers appear to have been issued to men that transferred to the 5th Reserve Battalion from other Regiments including the Lancashire Fusiliers and Manchester Regiment, but that is another story……….

Within the ‘Barker Collection’ of postcards was a portrait a a Senior NCO taken at a studio in Matlock – Percy Rowbottom, Matlock Ltd.

[Many thanks to FROGSMILE, RNCVR, PRC and SteveE of the Great War Forum, who provided help and advice on the identity of this man]

On the back of the card is written…..

Dear Jennie

A very Happy Xmas is the sincere wish of yours sincerely

S a L C

‘Jennie’ could very well refer to Charles’ elder sister Mary Jane, who was born in 1875 and was single on the 1911 Census.

What we do know

He is a Colour Sergeant Instructor of Musketry (Regular Permanent Staff) with a Volunteer Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (‘Derbyshire’ – later ‘Notts & Derby’ Regiment), photographed sometime between the 2nd Boer War and WW1. He has a Musketry Prize Badge on his left lower sleeve.

He is wearing an India General Service Medal with two campaign/battle clasps, Queens South Africa Medal with 4 clasps, & Army Long Service Medal with a King Edward VII head.

The search for the man’s identity now begins by cross referencing the names of the Permanent Staff of the 2 Volunteer Battalion, 1/6th Battalion and 4th Militia with the relevant Medal Roles !

Many thanks to Jim Pratt who has identified his grandfather, 2032 L/Cpl. Mark Henry Lee, a Railway Clerk from Eckington. Mark was a pre-War Territorial who served throughout the War in France (Feb 1915 – Feb 1919) with the 1/6th Battalion.

David Yeoman – a relative of Samuel Henry – has recently contacted me and kindly provided another picture of Samuel Henry Lomas.

This is the Tideswall Football Team in which all the players had the surname of Lomas. Many thanks to David for sending this photograph and letting me share it.

Samuel’s cousin – Wilfred Lomas (sitting next to Samuel) – was killed in action near Polecappelle on the 16th December 1917 whilst serving with the 10th Battn Durham Light Infantry. Wilfred had formerly served with the Sherwood Foresters with the regimental number 69172, which would suggest that he enlisted/mobilised in Sept/Oct 1916.

Several months ago I purchased a Carte Postale of the 1/6th Battalion Band – presumably in France. The 1/6th Battalion is confirmed by the presence in the picture of Bandmaster William Mcfarlane from Sheffield.

Earlier this week I was contacted by Chris Preston who also has a postcard of the ‘6th Sherwood Foresters in France’. He was kind enough to let me post it on this web site. As you will see below William Mcfarlane is again present, as are many of the bandsmen. Unfortunately the names of the other men are currently not known.

Although the photographs were taken at different locations at different time – I get the impression they were not too far apart……..

William survived the War and continued to be Bandmaster into the 1920s.