“We were holding the line on March 21st 1918. I was wounded in the left leg by a gun shot and taken prisoner a few hours afterwards. My leg was amputated April 8th 1918 at Cassel Germany”
George attested into the 3rd Battalion The Sherwood Foresters in April 1917 arrived in France on 5th December 1917. He was initially posted to the 11th Battalion, but was then transferred to the 2/6th Battalion and posted to “B” Company.
4745/241692 Pte Horace Allen
2/Lt Arthur Pollard and 305688 Company Sergeant Major Jack Kitchen
“He was first wounded by a German officer, but continued to assist his CSM (Jack Kitchen), who was also wounded, until they were both shot again, and killed instantly.”
From the Memorial Book of Leeds Modern School.
See Link.
Second Lieutenant Arthur Pollard, “C” Company, 2/6th Battalion Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment, was killed in action on 21st March 1918. He was the 27 year-old son of Joseph Henry and Sarah Eleanor Pollard of 14 Eldon Place, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
For Jack’s story see here.
Dear Sir
Is it possible to obtain any information from you concerning my son Pte Joseph Fletcher who was taken prisoner on 21st March 1918. I have received news from him fortnightly until the week before the signing of the Armistice: since I have had no news whatever, and we are very anxious about him.
Yours respectively, Mrs Fletcher
Joseph was posted to the 1/8th Battalion on the 29th January 1918, which was holding front line posts near Cambrai when the Germans raided causing several casualties.
A 1916 recruit who served in France with the 1/6th and 17th Battalions
James Nye enlisted into the 3/6th Sherwoods Foresters at Chesterfield in April 1916. James was a 36 year old farm labourer from Arlington near Guildford. His enrolment was approved by Captain Swann.
Following training with the 6th Reserve Battalion James was transferred to the 1/6th Battalion and proceeded overseas to the 8th Entrenching Battalion in France. James was later posted to the 17th Battalion (The Wellbeck Rangers) on the 9th September 1916 with approximately 100 other men who were all renumbered from 70211 to 70312. This reinforcement was to make up for losses suffered by the 17th Battalion during their attack on Beaumont Hamel.
[Regimental numbers 70001 to ~71177 was a numbering systems employed by the Sherwood Foresters to move men from the Territorial Battalions to the Regular and Service Battalion between September and November 1916]
James served in France with the 17th Battalion until he was posted home on the 22nd February 1917 suffering from rheumatism. After time spent at the Command Depot (possibly at Ballyvonare, County Cork) he was posted to the 3rd Battalion and then discharged in October 1917.
“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.”
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.
“To the memory of these 9 British Soldiers who were buried by the enemy in 1918 in NOREUIL GERMAN MIL. CEM., but whose graves are now lost”
202077 Pte Ernest Richard Potts was born in 1892 and was a boot repairer from Duffield who enlisted in November 1915. Only served overseas with the 2/5th Battalion and death was ‘presumed’ on 21st March 1918. He left his wife Mabel who received a pension.
46841 Pte William Rook from Navenby in Lincolnshire. Enlisted in May 1916 and transferred from the 2nd Battalion. Death was ‘presumed’ on 21st March 1918 and his father received a pension.
24561 Pte Thomas Hollins from Nottingham enlisted in March 1915 and had previously served with the 15th Battalion. He was killed in action on 21st March 1918 ‘or since’. His mother Jane was awarded a pension for life in November 1918.
6970 Pte Edwin George Carter from Sneiton in Nottinghamshire aged 45. Previously saw service as a Sergeant in South Africa (1899-1902) with the 4th Battalion Derbyshire Regiment. Awarded Cape Colony and Orange Free State Clasps. Death was ‘presumed’ on 21st March 1918.
307215 Pte William George Cross from Camberwell. Also served with 2/8th Battalion. Death ‘officially accepted’ as 21st March 1918. Left his wife Birdie who received a pension.
241671 Sergeant Charles Breedon from Clay Cross. Death ‘assumed’ on 21/3/18 and he was actually serving with 2/6th Battalion. His mother Elizabeth was awarded a pension for life in November 1918.
200463 Pte Frederick Ridgway from Mossley in Staffordshire aged 23. Served with 2/6th Battalion North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales’s) Regiment. Son of Harry and Lucy Ridgway of Henleaze Gardens, Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol. Born at Newcastle-under-Lyme.
27164 Pte Richard Martin from Heatly in Cheshire, 1st Bn Shropshire Light Infantry died of wounds on the 2nd April 1918. The adopted son of Mr. & Mrs. William Mantle of Sandy Lane, Lymm.
41415 Pte Henry John Moles from Hitchin in Hertfordshire aged 19. 2/5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment. http://www.hertsatwar.co.uk/biographies/569077/henry-john-moles.
16665 Pte George Kendall from Mansfield enlisted in Sept 1914 and arrived in France with the 12th Battalion on the 28th August 1915. He later joined the MGC and was Class Z in January 1919.
67045 L/C Ralph Morley enlisted on 10th Sept 1914 and only served overseas with the 11th Battn. He was discharged in April 1918 suffering from neurasthenia sickness; he would later receive a pension and a Silver War Badge.
71806 Pte Kenneth Hayter Tomlinson from Sheffield served with ‘C’ Company 11th Battalion and suffered from eczema to the face and placed on the 31 Ambulance train from Remy to Boulogne on the 18th July 1917. He later served with the 1st Battalion.
85252 Pte Enoch Buckley from Oldham served overseas with the 15th Battalion from 27th July 1917 to 28th October 1917. He later transferred to the Royal Defence Corps.
331273 Pte Ernest Broadhead served with a number of Battalions including the 2/7th, 1/7th, 21st & 15th, 2nd and 5th Res. Ernest originally attested into the Robin Hoods (2/7th Battalion) in September 1914.
Ernest’s first regimental number was 2662 when he enlisted into the 2/7th Battalion. Ernest embarked from Southampton on the 28th June 1915 and disembarked the following day in Rouen. He was posted to the 1/7th Battalion on the 8th September 1916 and was wounded on the 5th October 1915.
Ernest returned the Robin Hoods on the 7th December 1915 after recovering in Hospital and spending 6 weeks with the 46 NM Base Depot. Ernest was wounded a second time on the 26th June 1916 and transferred to England on the HS Lanfranc. On the 28th June he was posted to the Command Depot at Ballyvonare.
After recovering from his wounds Ernest was posted to the 21st Battalion in January 1917 and the to the 2/7th Battalion in September 1917. He arrived back in France on the 19th September 1917 and was posted to the 14th Infantry Base Depot at Calais. He was transferred to the 15th Battalion and joined them ‘in the field’ on the 23rd September. Ernest was wounded in action for a third time on the 22nd October 1917, whilst the Battalion were attacking German positions near Houthulst Forest. He was transferred to hospital in England on the HS Stan Antwerpen.
After recovering from his third wounding Ernest once again found himself going to France on the 19th March 1918. He was initially posted to the 8th Battalion at K Infantry Base Depot for record purposes, before being transferred to the 2nd Battalion on the 23rd March 1918. He was wounded in action for the fourth time on the 14th April 1918 and again returned to England on the HS Stan Antwerpen.
242256 Pte William Jack Gill arrived in France in Feb 1917 and served overseas with the 2/6th and 2nd Battns. Possibly enlisted in April 1916, but No other information is currently available.
14736 Pte James Walters arrived in France with the 10th Battalion on 14th July 1915 and later served with the 11th and 15th Battalions and the South Lancashire Regiment. He was discharged in January 1919.
In summary Enoch Buckley and Ernest Broadhead’s service records would suggest that this casualty list was drawn up towards the end of October 1917.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to determine any more provenance.
1/6th Battalion and Labour Corps; arrived in France in 1916 and wounded on 1st July 1916
Unfortunately very little is known about Francis Yates, but it would appear that he arrived in France in 1916, served with “B” Company and was wounded on the 1st July 1916 [Information from 1/6th Battalion casualty book formerly kept in Officers Mess at Chesterfield Drill Hall].
Interestingly his medal index card does not record his 4-digit Regimental number (4478), whilst the 6-digit number (241531) would suggest that he was ‘still with’ the Sherwood Foresters in Spring 1917. His 4-digit number indicates that he enlisted in early August 1915.
Indeed, there is a reference in the Grantham Journal on Saturday October 16 1915, that Privates Philip Larkin, Frederick Watts and Francis Yates of the 3/6th Battalion where brought before Chesterfield Borough Bench for being ‘absent without leave’. At the time the 3/6th Battalion were camped at Belton Park with the rest of the 3rd North Midland Division.
At some point Francis was posted to the Labour Corps and given the regimental number 601701. From a search of the Army Service Records of 601763 Pte Eli Rushton, 601795 Pte Wilkinson Haworth and 601798 Pte Edward Rumbol (who all have similar 6017** regimental numbers) it would appear that this transfer happened in June-July 1918.
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 