Served (December 1914 – July 1917) with the 4th, 2nd and 1st Battalions and was wounded on the Somme in July 1916

Enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters in December 1914

Herbert was born in 1884 in Basford the son of Isaac and Mary Seagrave. By 1901 he had married Mary and in 1911 they were living at 90 Merchant Street with their four children; Florry, John, Harold and Mable. Herbert was a coal miner hewer.

On the 19th December Herbert enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters at Nottingham aged 31. He was given the Regimental number 20941 and was posted initially to the Depot and then the 4th Battalion based in Sunderland as part of the Tyne Garrison.

France: August 1915 – January 1916

Following training Herbert arrived in France on the 17th August 1915 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion. He returned home on 13th January 1916 suffering from myalgia, which he had contracted in November 1915 due to ‘cold and exposure’ in the trenches.

France: April 1916 – July 1916

In April 1916 Herbert returned to France and was posted to the 1st Battalion. He suffered a gun shot wound to the back on the 6th July during the attack on Ovillers-la-Boisselle and returned to Hospital in England on 8th July 1916.

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Herbert was discharged in July 1917 after spending time recovering in Nottingham’s Military Hospital. He received a pension for 12 months.

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Medals and Awards

Herbert was entitled to the 1914-15 Trio and a Silver War Badge.

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After the War Herbert returned to Bulwell and worked as a coal miner stall hand, with his eldest son John, at Bestwood Colliery. Herbert died in 1962.

Bestwood Colliery was a historically significant Nottinghamshire mine, becoming the first in the world to produce 1 million tons of coal in a single year. Operating from the 19th century until its closure, the site was crucial for industrial and domestic supply, and it was integrated with the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company