No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
8th: Left Battalion Sector again shelled in the afternoon. 2/5th London Rifle Brigade (who had completed six days instruction in the Brigade area) and 8th Sherwood Foresters take over the front line.
2/5th (City of London) Battalion (London Rifle Brigade)
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
7.1.1917: Relieved 5th Battalion in RIGHT SECTOR.
Draft of 180 Other Ranks (160 partly trained) joined Battalion and sent to 139 Brigade Training Depot.
80 of these men comprise the 28th Reinforcement (see below), but the origin the of the other 100 men is not clear.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
7th: 6th and 8th Battalions take over the front line.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Some of these these men came from the 14th Infantry Base Depot and formed the 28th Reinforcement to the 1/6th Battalion.
This Reinforcement comprised many men from the South Nottinghamshire Hussars (left) and Derbyshire Yeomanry (right).
Army Service Record for 7804/242592 Pte Percy McNeil recording that he had left Folkstone on the 4th January 1916 and had been posted to the 14th Infantry Base Depot before transferring to the 1/6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.
Percy had originally enlisted into the South Nottinghamshire Hussars on the 22nd August 1914 and embarked for Gallipoli (via Alexandria) in August 1915. He was taken sick with enteritis and dysentery and returned to England on Hospital Ship FORMOSA in February 1916. After treatment and recuperation he was transferred to the 5th Reserve Battalion Sherwood Foresters before disembarking from Folkestone for Boulogne in January 1917.
Army Service Record for 669 Pte John Atkinson of ‘D Squadron’ 1/1st South Nottinghamshire Hussars who also transferred to the 5th battalion Sherwood Foresters on the 2nd January 1917, two days before leaving for France.
The 6th Notts & Derby were in the front line trenches of X2 sector at Foncquevillers, having relived the 5th Battalion during the evening of the 31st January.
The Battalion remained in the front line for the next 4 days, before being relieved by the 5th Battalion and moving to Hulley to commence special training.
During this time in the front line the Battalion suffered 1 man killed:-
7765/242555 Pte. Walter Morris, who was from Sutton-in-Ashfield, died at the 20/43 Casualty Clearing Station and is buried in WARLINCOURT HALTE BRITISH CEMETERY, SAULTY.
Walter had originally enlisted into the South Nottinghamshire Hussars (42758) and was one of several men that were compulsory transferred from the 3/1 S. Notts Hussars to the 5th Reserve Battalion of the Notts & Derby Regiment. By this time the 5th Reserve Battalion were an amalgamation of the 3/5th and 3/6th Battalions. Walter joined the 1/6th Notts & Derby with the 28th Reinforcement in January 1917.
The Battalion relieved the 5th Battn in the right sector of trenches near to SOUASTRE.
Received a draft of 180 other ranks, but 160 were only partly trained. All 180 were sent to the Brigade Training Depot.
This draft of men most likely comprised the 26th, 27th and 28th Reinforcements.
These three reinforcements are interesting in that they were the last ones in which men were issued with Territorial Force numbers.
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The 26th Reinforcement comprised 47 men and again many of these were numbered alphabetically from 242594 George Hall through to 242624 Nelson Woolven. Interestingly, the majority of the men in this draft had previously seen overseas service with other Territorial Battalions of the Sherwood Foresters. In order to avoid a conflict of Regimental Numbers, and possibly in preparation for the Territorial Force Renumbering that was soon to occur, these men were issued with numbers from 20001 to 20039 (if they were not men of the 1/6th Battn).
Army Form B. 103. Casualty Form – Active Service for 6448 Frank Shaw who arrived in France on 8th December 1916 from the 5th Reserve Battalion and was posted to the 14th Infantry Base Depot. Frank was a postman from Radford and had enlisted into the 7th Sherwood Foresters in December 1915.
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The 27th Reinforcement is harder to research but some information can be obtained from:-
Army Form B. 103. Casualty Form – Active Service for 263002 Gelsthorpe who arrived in France on 4th January 1917 from the 5th Reserve Battalion.
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The 28th Reinforcement comprised 92 men that were primarily numbered in alphabetical order and several men had already seen overseas service with the South Nottinghamshire Hussars. The 28th Reinforcement numbered as follows:-
7710 (242501) Robert Abbot through to 7798 (242586) Arthur E Wright.
Army Form B. 103. Casualty Form – Active Service for 7721 Archibald Branson who arrived in France on 4th January 1917 from the 5th Reserve Battalion and was posted to the 1/6th Sherwood Foresters under Army Order 1499 of 1916. Archibald was a workhouse man from Stapleford and had enlisted originally into the South Notts Hussars in November 1915.
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 