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15th (Nottingham) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters
15th (Nottingham) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was raised at Nottingham in February 1915, by the Mayor and a Committee, as a Bantam Battalion,
from troops who were under the normal regulation minimum height of 5 feet 3 inches. After initial training close to home, they joined 105th Brigade in 35th Division at Masham, North Yorkshire in June 1915. The Division moved to Salisbury Plain for final training in August. They were ordered to Egypt in late 1915, but the order was soon cancelled and they proceeded to France on the 1st of February 1916, and the division concentrated east of St Omer. They were in action during the Battles of the Somme at Bazentin Ridge, Arrow Head Copse, Maltz Horn Farm and Falfemont Farm. The division received new drafts of men to replace losses suffered on the Somme, but the CO. soon discovered that these new recruits were not of the same physical standard as the original Bantams, being men of small stature from the towns, rather than the miners and farm workers who had joined up in 1915. A medical inspection was carried out and 1439 men were transferred to the Labour Corps. Their places being taken by men transferred from the disbanded yeomanry regiments, who underwent a quick training course in infantry methods at a Divisional depot set up specifically for that purpose. In 1917 they were in action during The pursuit to the Hindenburg Line, at Houthulst Forest and The Second Battle of Passchendaele.In 1918 they fought in the First Battle of Bapaume, and the Final Advance in Flanders including The Battle of Courtrai and The action of Tieghem. Hey crossed the River Scheldt near Berchem on the 9th of November and by the Armistice they had entered Grammont. They moved back to Eperlecques and many of the miners were demobilised in December. In January 1919, units of the Division were sent to Calais to quell rioting in the transit camps. The last of the Division were demobilised in April 1919
22nd Apr 1915 Sheffield City Battalion vs 15th Sherwoods Sheffield City Battalion's soccer eleven played a match against the 15th Battalion Sherwood Foresters and won the game by six goals to nil. Sheffield City Battalion - Ralph Gibson & Paul Oldfield
29th Apr 1915 Sports Day at Redmires A sports day held at Redmires Camp was a huge success with over ten thousand spectators watching as over 1000 men took part in a range of sporting events. Men from the Sheffield City Battalion, the Barnsley Battalion and 15th Sherwood Foresters took part in heats throughout the mornings, with the finals being held in the afternoon. A Five mile steeple chase was run on a route around the Redmires reservoirs finishing on the parade ground. Most of the events were won by men from the Sheffield Battalion, their superior fitness being attributed to the harsh hilly environment in which they are training. A Company won the tug of war, the football competition and 16 Platoon were victorious in the Inter-Platoon Mile, winning in a time of Seven minutes 45 seconds, each man in full fighting order carrying 50lbs including their rifles. Sheffield City Battalion - Ralph Gibson & Paul Oldfield
21st Jun 1915 On the Move
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
1st Jun 1916 Under Instruction 
26th August 1916 At 0930 hours we marched to bivouac N.W. of Bronfay Farm, relieving 15th Sherwood Foresters ( 35th Div. )
23rd Mar 1918 On the Move
24th Mar 1918 In Action
25th Mar 1918 Hard Fighting
26th Mar 1918 Fighting Withdrawal
27th Mar 1918 In Defence
28th Mar 1918 In Defence
29th Mar 1918 In Defence
29th August 1918 Daily Activity 9th Btn. (North Irish Horse) the Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Training under Company arrangements in the forenoon and Colonel Kelly addressed the Battalion, congratulating it on the recent success. In the afternoon he addressed the Officers on the training for the coming fortnight when the Division would be out resting.
At night the Battalion was relieved by the 15th Sherwood Foresters and moved into Corps Reserve at P.20.a.60.27 via Godewaersvelde, Eecke, and crossroads at P.30.a.05.22.
30th August 1918 Daily Activity 9th Btn. (North Irish Horse) the Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Reference Sheet 27 Belgium and France 1/40000. St Sylvestre Capelle.
Arrival was complete at 0400. Companies were paid and inspections were held. Equipment was cleaned. Battalion standing-to all day. Battalion move at 1900 by light railway to Godewaersvelde, thence by march route to billets at Mont des Cats.
Relieve 15th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, relief completed by midnight.
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These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with15th (Nottingham) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters during the Great War 1914-1918. - Baxter Harry. LL/Cpl. (d.4th March 1917)
- Cornell William James. Pte. (d.14th Oct 1918)
- Deacon Arthur Augustus. A/Cpl.
- Holmes Harry. Pte. (d.24th Apr 1916)
- James John. Pte. (d.17th July 1916)
- Luddittt Albert. Cpl.
- Mallatratt Cyril Cox. L/Cpl.
- Mansfield Arthur. Pte. (d.23rd July 1916)
- Marsh George William. Pte. (d.17th July 1916)
- Mee Harry. L/Cpl. (d.11th Nov 1917)
- Sargeant Joseph Arthur. Cpl.
- Smith Joseph. Pte. (d.23rd October 1917)
- Wakefield Albert Henry. Pte. (d.22nd Oct 1917)
- Whittaker George Franklin.
- Wilton Jesse. Cpl. (d.17th Aug 1916)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 15th (Nottingham) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters from other sources.
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A/Cpl. Arthur Augustus Deacon 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters Initially, Arthur Deacon was in the South Nottinghamshire Hussars and then 307th Battery, Royal Horse Artillery. He was wounded and gassed sometime during service. His Lt. Colonel's remarks on his discharge papers were that he was a first-class shot on the Lewis gun and very capable.
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Pte. Harry Holmes 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.24th Apr 1916) I was searching for information about my Great Uncle Ernest and Uncle Charlie on my mother's side, when I discovered there was an older brother, Harry Holmes who served with the 15th Sherwood Foresters. He is listed on the Stamford Boys website, but it implied that he survived the war and got married. On further investigation I discovered he died on 24th of April 1916 and is buried in Guards Cemetery in Lesboeufs.
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Pte. Arthur Mansfield 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.23rd July 1916) Arthur Mansfield died from wounds sustained on 23rd of July 1916.
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Cpl. Joseph Arthur Sargeant 5th Btn. Notts & Derby Regiment Joe Sargeant was conscripted into the 2nd/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters. He later marked up a copy of The Green Triangle (a history of the 2/5th during WW1) by W. G. Hall. From which it is seen that he took part in fighting against the Irish Rebellion of Easter 1916, in B company stationed at Island Bridge garrison in Dublin. At one point his best ever billet was in the Guinness brewery. He was detailed to command an escort party taking prisoners to Wandsworth Jail in London.
On the 20th of July 1916 Joe left the Battalion, then billeted on the Curragh, to join the 21st Battalion at Walton-on-the-Naze. He went to France with them. Then he joined the 15th Battalion in France during September 1917.
Joe was home to marry Lillian Hancox on 11th of January 11th, wearing a blue hospital uniform. It is not known where he was injured, shrapnel in his legs and trench feet, but he spoke of being on the Somme, at Vimy-Ridge and at Passchendaele. Then having been stuck in a shell hole for three days, with only a chocolate bar as iron rations. A Mr. Clifton of Long Eaton is said to have pulled him out, across duck boards, by attaching him to his belt.
Back to the Green Triangle; Joined the 5th Battalion 28th September [1918], C Company . The remnants of the 1/5th and 2/5th had moved up as an integral part of the 5th, The Robin Hood Rifles, with whom Joe saw it through to the end; after which he was put in charge of a Chinese working party.
Joe served again for WW2 in The Home Guard.
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Pte. John James 15th Btn. Notts and Derby Regiment (d.17th July 1916) John James was born in Nottingham on 22nd December 1895. He was the eldest and only son of Alfred and Annie James. John had two younger sisters - Ada and my grandmother Annie.
When war broke out John was working as a foreman at a box making factory keen to join up but at 5'2" he was too short and turned away. He was determined to join and tried again but once again was unsuccessful. Sadly, John was presented with white feathers by the girls at his box making factory. This deeply upset John and on his third attempt he pleaded with the recruiting sergeant who finally relented stating that 'the army will pull the last inch out of you'.
So in September 1915 John went into infantry training at Ripon training camp. He had joined the 15th (Service) Btn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derbys).
The battalion arrived in France in February 1916. In July it saw action on the Somme. John's battalion was positioned on the night of 17/18th near to Trones wood opposite Guillemont village. During this night the trenches were shelled terribly and John disappeared into oblivion never to be recovered.
It was told by a survivor who had seen John that night, that as he left John in his part of the trench the German guns opened fire and there was a terrific bombardment after which the trenches where John was no longer existed.
John is now remembered along with over 300,000 other on the Thiepval Memorial.
As a child, my grandmother would often tell me the story of her brother and my great uncle and I will always remember him. My childhood hero. God bless you John.
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Cpl. Albert Luddittt 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters Albert Ludditt served with the 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters and died in 1920.
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Pte. Albert Henry Wakefield 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.22nd Oct 1917) I am sorry that I have no information about my great uncle Albert Wakefield apart from that he was my grandfather's oldest brother and that he left a wife and two children without a father and husband when he was killed in France.
I was hoping that there was some information as to where and how he met his end I would like to know as I am in my sixties and it is coming up to 100 years since his demise.
Editor's Note: Albert served with the 15th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters and was killed during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. He has no known grave but is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial on the battlefield in Belgium.
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George Franklin Whittaker 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters My Great Grandfather George Franklin Whittaker joined the 15th Sherwood Foresters on 9th Dec 1915 and was sent to France on 29th December 1916.
George was captured by the Germans on 24th Mar 1918 at Maricourt, as the Germans advanced during the Kaiserschlacht. Stripped of his equipment he was then marched to Munster and set to work. On the march he was given no food for the first four days and when he was given food it was basic and in short supply.
His diary, kept during captivity is held in the archives of the Imperial War Museum.
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Cpl. Jesse Wilton 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) (d.17th Aug 1916) Jesse Wilton served with the Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) 15th Battalion, He was executed on 17th August 1916, aged 40, for quitting his post and is buried in the Bray Military Cemetery, Bray-le-Somme, France.
He was the husband of Annie Elizabeth Wilton, of 17, Brooking Dunsville, Doncaster, Yorks.
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Pte. George William Marsh 15th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby) Regiment (d.17th July 1916) George William Marsh was my uncle. He was born in 1897 at 9 Lord Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield the son of Linney Marsh who later married Thomas Yates.
He started work as a brickyard labourer at Bentink Colliery, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and worked with his older brother Robert Henry who joined the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters at the outbreak of the war.
George William finally enlisted in February 1915 and his regimental number 23599 suggests that he was one of the first to do so. By now he was a miner at Silverhill Colliery, one of many miners who answered the call to join the colours. He was killed in action on 17th July 1916 at Trones Wood and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial. He will always be remembered by the family for his ultimate sacrifice, with fondest memories.
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L/Cpl. Harry Mee 15th Battalion Notts & Derby Regiment (d.11th Nov 1917) Harry Mee was born in Walsall, West Midlands in 1889, the son of Mary Ann & John Mee. Before the War he was a coal miner.
He enlisted at Clay Cross on 23rd October 1914 and joined the 1/6th Battalion - Chatsworth Rifles and soon arrived in France. In June 1916 Harry was transferred to the 15th Battalion of the Notts & Derby Regiment (Sherwood Foresters). Then in July 1916 Harry was sent to the 2nd Western Hospital in Manchester to recover from a bullet wound to his left shoulder. His parents had separated by this time and his Mother had married a John Davies and was living in Audenshaw, so I expect she took the chance to see her son.
On the 27th July 1917 Harry married Alice Theodorsen at Luton Church of the Saviour, then went straight back to the Front in France. How he met Alice is not known. Alice became pregnant with her first child, a child that Harry would never see as unfortunately he was killed in action on the 11th November 1917 and is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery in France. He was 27.
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Pte. William James Cornell 15th Battalion (d.14th Oct 1918) My Great-Uncle, William James Cornell joined the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on 28th May 1915, aged 15, using his elder brother Frank's date of birth. He was transferred into the Bedford Regiment and eventually into the 15th Battalion Sherwood Foresters on 4th April 1918.
William was killed in action on 14th October 1918, aged just 18, taking part in an attack on Cable Copse, Belgium. He has no known grave and is commemorated at the Tyne Cot memorial. If anyone knows anything about the action at Cable Copse, or about William, I would be grateful for any extra information.
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