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5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters
The 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) was a unit of the Territorial Force, at the outbreak of war they were part of the Notts and Derby Infantry Brigade, North Midland Division. Made up of A, B, C D and HQ Coys they had their HQ at The Royal Drill Hall, Becket Street, Derby. They were mobilised for war service on the 5th of August 1914. The Division concentrated in the Luton area, with the 5th Sherwoods at Harpenden by mid August. In November they moved to Braintree to prepare for service overseas. They proceeded to France, landing at Boulogne on the 25th pf February being first complete Territorial Division to arrive in a theatre of war when they joined the BEF in the Ypres salient. On the 12th of May the Division was retitled 46th (North Midland) Division. They were in action during The German liquid fire attack at Hooge and The attack at the Hohenzollern Redoubt in October. On the 23rd of December the were ordered to proceed to Egypt via Marseilles leaving the DAC, Divisional Train and the Mobile Veterinary Section behind. All units had arrived by the 13th of January 1916 but they spent just a few days in Egypt, being ordered to return to France where the units left behind rejoined. On the 1st of July 1916 they took part in The diversionary attack at Gommecourt. In 1917 they were in action during the Operations on the Ancre, Occupation of the Gommecourt defences, The attack on Rettemoy Graben, The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, The attack on Lievin and The Battle of Hill 70. In 1918 they saw action in The Battle of the St Quentin canal, including the passage of the canal at Bellenglise, The Battle of the Beaurevoir Line, The Battle of Cambrai, The Battle of the Selle and The Battle of Sambre. At the Armistice, the advance units of the Division were at Sains-du-Nord. The Division moved back to Landrecies on the 15th of November then to the Le Cateau area in early January 1919 where demobilisation began.
4th of April 1915 A White Flag 
9th Sep 1915 Smoking in the Trenches
7th Oct 1915 Planning
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
16th Oct 1915 Saturday Soldiers
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
28th of February 1916 Changes to the Front
25th Mar 1916 Enemy Mine Explodes
1st July 1916 In Action
24th Aug 1917 Orders
26th Aug 1917 Reliefs
18th Sep 1917 Reliefs
20th Sep 1917 Reliefs
13th of April 1918 Under Heavy Attack
24th Sep 1918 In Action
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| Want to know more about 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters? There are:5248 items tagged 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters available in our Library
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 with5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters during the Great War 1914-1918. - Ashton Ernest William. Pte. (d.18th Oct 1918)
- Barber George. Pte.
- Beakley Walter . Lt.
- Bricknell William Ernest. Cpl.
- Bullick Roland. Private
- Chapman Thomas Henry. Pte.
- Dennis George. Pte. (d.18th May 1918)
- Green VC John Leslie. Cpt. (d.1st July 1916)
- Hardstaff Richard. Pte. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Hibberd James William. Pte. (d.30th June 1917)
- Jackson Bertie Glanville .
- Morrell MM. Joseph. L/Cpl. (d.3rd October 1918)
- Mosley Nicholas. Capt. (d.1st Aug 1915)
- Pawley John Ernest. Pte. (d.18th Apr 1916)
- Sargeant Joseph Arthur. Cpl.
- Smith George. Pte. (d.4th May 1917)
- Warburton Ernest. 2nd Lt.
- White Percy William. Cpl.
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 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters from other sources.
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Cpt. John Leslie Green VC att. 5th Bn. Sherwood Foresters Royal Army Medical Corps (d.1st July 1916) John Leslie Green was killed in action at Gommecourt on 1st July 1916. He is buried in the Foncquevillers Military Cemetery in France.
Born at Buckden, Hunts. Son of John George and Florence May Green, of St. Mark's Lodge, Cambridge. Educated at Felsted School and Downing College, Cambridge, and Bartholomew's Hospital.
An extract from the London Gazette, No. 29695, dated 4th Aug., 1916, records the following:- "For most conspicuous devotion to duty. Although himself wounded, he went to the assistance of an officer who had been wounded and was hung up on the enemy's wire entanglements, and succeeded in dragging him to a shell hole, where he dressed his wounds, notwithstanding that bombs and rifle grenades were thrown at him the whole time. Captain Green then endeavoured to bring the wounded officer into safe cover, and had nearly succeeded in doing so when he himself was killed."
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Pte. Ernest William Ashton 5th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.18th Oct 1918) Ernest Ashton was born on 3rd August 1894. He volunteered for service in 1916 but at that time was a miner so was in a reserved occupation. He received his call up in July of 1918 and, after training, sailed to France on 4th October 1918. On the 17th of October an attack was made on the retreating Germans where he was mortally wounded. He died of his wounds on the 18th of October 1918 and is buried in the communal cemetery extension at Fresnoy-le-Grande.
In 2014, after researching my family history, I visited his final resting place and placed a photograph of him by his headstone so he would be remembered. I was the first member of his blood relatives to be able to make that journey and it was a very humbling experience but at least now he is not forgotten.
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Cpl. William Ernest Bricknell 5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters William Bricknell served with the 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters.
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L/Cpl. Joseph Morrell MM. 1/5th Battalion Notts & Derby Regiment (d.3rd October 1918) Joseph Morrell served as a Lance Corporal in the 1/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters.
He was the son of George Morrell, of Ripley, Derbyshire. He was billeted at Tollesbury, Essex in 1915 (presumably when the unit was stationed in nearby Braintree) where he met his wife Eva Kate Morrell (formerly Frost). They had one son, Joseph Morrell, named after his father, born in 1916. (I don't know if he ever got the chance to meet him)
He went to France in July 1916 and was killed by a shell on the 3rd October 1918, aged 25, while attacking the village of Ramicourt during the Battle of the Beaurevoir Line
In a letter to his vicar, his commanding officer wrote: "I knew him well. He was a good soldier, brave in action and always willing and able"
He was buried in the Ramicourt British Cemetery, Aisne, France.
He was posthumously awarded the Military Medal for "Conspicuous bravery and gallant conduct when in Lewis Gun" during the battle of St Quentin Canal on the 29th September 1918.
He is mentioned in the book, "C Company, 1/5 Sherwood Foresters in the Battles of the 100 days" by C.N.Littleboy
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Cpl. Percy William White 1/5th Btn. Sherwood Foresters Percy White was with 1/7th Robin Hoods until break up, then went to 59th Division. He was wounded in front of Baillieul on the 17th of Apr 1918. Recovered and went back to the 5th Battalion Sherwoods. He was wounded on the Somme on the 17th of Oct 1918, in front of Bohain. Sent back home and discharged on 5th of March 1919.
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Pte. Thomas Henry Chapman 1/5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters Harry Chapman was my grandfather and he served throughout World War I. He only spoke to me once about the war, which was when I told him I was going to join the Women's Royal Naval Service in 1974. He said that if he had his time over again he would join the RAF. I asked why, as he had never expressed this idea before. He said that when he was in the trenches, he used to look up and see the men flying above and think, "God, I wish I was up there."
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Pte. Richard Hardstaff 5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (d.1st Jul 1916) Richard Hardstaff was born in January 1895 in Bakewell Derbyshire. He joined up on 9th April, 1915, leaving his home in Parade View, Matlock Bath. He died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He was 21 years of age.
He is buried in Fonquevillers CWGC sharing his grave with two others. He clearly was wounded and died of his wounds later on 1st July, 2016 at the Casualty Clearing on this site.
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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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2nd Lt. Ernest Warburton 5th Btn. Sherwood Foresters Ernest Warburton was captured at Arras. He was imprisoned in Karlsruhe and Schwarmstedt POW Camps.
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Capt. Nicholas Mosley North Staffordshire Regiment (d.1st Aug 1915) Captain Hon. Nicholas Mosley died on 1st August 1915 at age 33 in Hospital at Vincent Square, Westminster, London, England, from wounds caused by a sniper's bullet on the Western Front.
He fought in the Boer War between 1900 and 1902. He gained the rank of officer in 1901 in the service of the North Staffordshire Regiment. He fought in the First World War between 1914 and 1915. He gained the rank of Captain on 20 March 1914. He was Adjutant of the 5th Battalion, the Sherwood Foresters in 1915.
He was the son of Tonman Mosley, 1st and last Baron Anslow and Lady Hilda Rose Montgomerie.
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Pte. George Barber 1/5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters George Barber was my Grandfather. He enlisted as a volunteer on 9th September 1914, with the 1/5th Sherwood Foresters. This later became part of the 139th Brigade, 46th North Midlands Division.
George was a private throughout the war. He lived through the war and survived until he was 83, dying in 1964 when I was 15.
How he managed to survive we do not know - as so often the case - he rarely talked about his experiences. I think he claimed to have had a button shot off his tunic, but that is a childhood memory and may be apocryphal.
This is what we have found out about his regiments 'war':-
1/5th battalion moved on mobilisation to Harpenden, and then to Braintree, Essex in Nov. 1914.
George married on leave in Feb 1915. Immediately afterwards, 46th Midlands Division were sent to France. They had the distinction of being part of the first territorial Battalion to land in France. By the end of the year they had been involved in heavy fighting, and Capt.C. G. Vickers of 1/7th (Robin Hoods) had been awarded the V.C.
The Foresters Brigade served in France for the rest of the war and suffered severe casualties. 1st July 1916, they gained recognition for valour on the first day of the Somme where they suffered 80% casualties.
They also played a magnificent part in breaking the Hindenberg Line during the final phase of the war in 1918. Sgt. W. H. Johnson was awarded the V.C. for conspicuous bravery during this action.
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Pte. George Dennis 1/6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (d.18th May 1918) George Calladine Dennis, was born in Oct or Nov 1890 in Hucknall Torkard, Nottinghamshire. He enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters on 28th January 1916, approved 1st March 1916 in Derby. On 18th May 1918 he was fighting with the 1/5th & 1/6th Battalion Territorial Force in Béthune, Pas de Calais when he was killed by shell fire. He is buried in the Fouquieres Churchyard Extension, France. Fouquieres Churchyard Extension contains 387 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 29 from the Second World War. There are also five German war graves.
He is remembered on the war memorial at Hucknall's St Mary Magdelaine church.
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Lt. Walter Beakley 5th Btn. Sherwood Forresters My grandfather Walter Beakley could not talk about the war I know he was wounded in the arm as he was not able to play the flute after the war I know he trained at Halton near Wendover Buckinghamshire. I believe he fought at the Somme with the 5th Sherwood Forresters and also served with 194 Coy, Chinese Labour Corps.
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Private Roland Bullick 5th Battalion Sherwood Forresters Roland Bullick was my father. He was a Company Runner with the 5th Battalion Sherwood Forresters and survived the war. I believe he 'lied about his age' to join up. I would like to know more about where he was trained, where he was in France etc. He talked about 'Wypers' and Poperinge but I dont know whether he was there. He talked about being in Paris after de-mobilisation. Any information would be very welcome.
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