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Brocton Camp
Brocton Camp and Rugeley Camp were situated on Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. The estate, owned by Lord Lichfield, had been used for Military Training since the 1870's and in 1914 two large hutted camps, Brockton and Rugeley were constructed, mainly by Irish labourers.
New rail line for Camps In the spring of 1915 a new railway line was constructed across the Chase to serve Rugeley Camp. It joined the LNWR Cannock to Rugeley line near West Cannock No.5 Colliery and was linked to the second new line serving Brocton Camp, which ran from the LNWR Trent Valley line at Milford. A Locomotive shed was built at Brocton Camp. The new rail links were vital to supply Central Stores Depot at Brocton Camp as well as the two training camps and the POW camp on the Chase. The lines became known as the Tackeroo Railway.
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Want to know more about Brocton Camp? There are:7 items tagged Brocton Camp 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 trained at Brocton Camp during the Great War 1914-1918. - Baldwin Irwin. Rflmn.
- Beat Ronald Griffiths . (d.8th Oct 1918)
- Cox Henry Thomas. Pte. (d.7th June 1917)
- Davis George William. A/Sgt
- Hall Stanley Leonard. Cpl.
- Machin Frederick James. Pte.
- Neal Harry.
- Ross Herbert George Edward. Gnr.
- Simpson Hubert. Pte.
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
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Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a
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264965 Pte. Frederick James Machin 13th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Frederick Machin born 20th December 1898, joined the British Army 2 days after his 18th birthday, enlisting on 22nd of December 1916.
He trained at Brocton Camp Staffordshire and was allocated to 13th Durham Light Infantry, Reserves.
He had a short service as he was injured, a severe gunshot wound to his back 96 days after enlisting. I am not sure where he was when injured.
Like all soldiers, they never wanted to talk about the horrors they saw and went through.
Frederick was my grandad, if anyone knew him or has any information about him and his regiment or even any photos please put them on.
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258765 Harry Neal Harry Neal born in 1865 was a veteran of the Boer War.
He was recalled to service and was at Brocton Camp during WW1 serving as either a guard in the POW camp or as a trainer. I know this because I have a post card sent to my mother in 1916 on the occasion of her 7th birthday. The card is dated and the address is Brocton Camp. I have not been able to find other details of his service at Brocton.
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257577 Ronald Griffiths Beat 2nd Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.8th Oct 1918) Ronald Beat served with 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters. I was researching my family history and came across this photo of Ron(on the right).
On the the back it reads: "Come to the cookhouse door boys. With love from Cecil to Florrie (Ron's sister), Saturday 27th of October 1917, Brocton camp Staffordshire."
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256663 Pte. Hubert Simpson 22nd Btn. Durham Light Infantry Hubert Simpson is my grandfather but I never got to meet him. He enlisted on 21st of March 1917 shortly after his eighteenth birthday, probably conscripted. At the time of his enlistment Hubert was working as a dyer in a textile mill in Morley, West Yorkshire. His regimental number upon enlistment was 92184. Hubert started training as a Private in the 11th Training Reserve Battalion in Brocton Camp. He was transferred to the 273rd Infantry Battalion on 8th of August 1917 and to the 52nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry on 1st of November 1917.
Hubert and my Grandmother, Naomi Batley, were married in Stockton-on-Tees on 2nd of March 1918. Naomi told me that after their wedding ceremony Hubert kissed her at the church gate and left to join his battalion. Hubert arrived in Etaples, France on 8th of March 1918 and was transferred to the 22nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry on 29th of March 1918. On 27th of May 1918 Hubert was reported missing in field. Hubert was confirmed a prisoner of war in Germany on 9th of July 1918 and Naomi received a letter advising her of his capture shortly thereafter. My Dad told me that Hubert was made to work in the coal mines in Germany while a prisoner of war. Hubert was not released from the camp until 31st of December 1918/1st of January 1919.
Hubert briefly returned to Morley, West Yorkshire after his release and apparently re-united with Naomi, my Dad was born in November 1919. On 20th of March 1919 Hubert was posted to the 3rd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry. Hubert was transferred again on 17th of May 1919 to the Royal Army Service Corps at Durrington Camp, Salisbury Plain. This is where he learned to drive a vehicle. Hubert was de-mobilized on 2nd of December 1919.
Hubert went back to his occupation as a dyer at the textile mill in Morley, West Yorkshire. He and Naomi had 4 children together but parted ways in 1944. That is when my Dad lost touch with Hubert and why I never got to meet Hubert.
Hubert died on 2nd February 1982 in Morley, West Yorkshire.
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246222 Pte. Henry Thomas Cox 11th Btn. Sherwood Forresters (d.7th June 1917)  Harry Cox, was a 38-year-old Grocery Manager, originally from Alfreton, married to Grace in 1905 and having two children, Ronald and Greta. He joined the army on 1st February 1917 and was trained at Brockton Barracks on Cannock Chase.
He wrote three letters to his sister, Minnie, my grandmother, which I have. They were written between February 24th and April 1917. He was not impressed with army life and clearly missed his family. He expected to be sent to France in late April.
He was listed as missing on 7th of June 1917 and his body was never found. His name is recorded on the Menin Gate. An article and photograph in the Derbyshire Courier on the 27th July said that his brother-in-law who was in the RAMC attached to the same battalion, the 11th of the Sherwood Foresters was told that Harry was last seen in the front trench before the great mine explosion and failed to answer the roll call on the following day. From this information I believe that he must have died on the first day of the battle of Messines.
The three letters are beautifully written and he was clearly an intelligent, pleasant man who must have been a great loss to his wife, children, parents and nine siblings.
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242541 Rflmn. Irwin Baldwin 2nd Battalion NZ Rifle Brigade  Irwin Baldwin was born in Steeton, near Keighley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1884. He served in the police force in Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire until 1909 when he contracted rheumatic fever and left the force. In 1910 he emigrated to New Zealand and settled in Palmerston North, where a cousin was already living. He worked as a driver for the Swan Dairy Company and then an engineer for the NZ Dairy Union. In 1914 his younger brother Thomas Edward Baldwin joined him in New Zealand.
Both brothers volunteered for the armed services in 1915, but Irwin was refused, probably on account of having had rheumatic fever. His brother, Tom, was accepted and was posted to the NZ Rifle Brigade.
Irwin applied for a second time and was attested on 4th September 1917. He joined 'D' Company, 35th Reinforcements. His regiment embarked on the SS Tofua on 2nd March 1918 and after a short break in Suez arrived in Southampton on 15th May 1918. On 19 June 1918 he was transferred into the reserves for the Rifle Brigade and on 27th of August 1918 was detailed for course instruction at Brocton Camp in Staffordshire. He qualified as a Lance Corporal and joined 'B' Company, 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade on 17th September 1918.
It is probable that Irwin was stationed at Brocton Camp shortly after his arrival in England in May 1918. He was finally posted to the Front on 21st September 1918.
On 4th November 1918 he took part in the attack on the old fortress town of Le Quesnoy in northeastern France. He was severely wounded in the shoulder, right buttock and right leg when a shrapnel shell burst nearby. His right leg was amputated.
He spent some months recovering at the New Zealand hospital at Walton on Thames and eventually embarked for New Zealand on board the SS Arawa on 5th October 1919.
His younger brother, Tom, fought at Flers on the Somme Front, Messines and Passchendaele. He was wounded in both knees on 12th October 1917 during the attack on Passchendaele. He also had his right leg amputated.
Irwin served for a second time with the New Zealand armed forces during WW2, in a clerical capacity and died in Palmerston North in 1962. His brother Tom died in 1966 and is buried in Steeton Cemetery.
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240202 Cpl. Stanley Leonard Hall Medical Corps Stanley Hall is my Grandfather, he was a medic at Brocton Camp and was discharged in 1919 from the Military.
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238769 A/Sgt George William Davis 1st Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers  Speaking with my father one time, he mentioned that his uncle, George William Davis's, medals had been handed down to him, so I immediately asked to see them. What I found was a little treasure trove, because it wasn't just the medals, but a small package with lots of goodies inside. In addition to his medals, there was something I had never seen before, a silver War Badge and the certificate to match it by name and serial number: B38666.
The package also contained his Soldier's Small Book with his enlistment and discharge details, an Active Service Testament with a date of 21st January 1915, a book titled Trench Orders British Salonika Army, a book titled A Short History of the Fifth Fusiliers from 1674 to 1911 and a book titled Balkan Army Uniforms. Plus a pack of playing cards advertising Scissors Cigarettes.
Additionally, there were two letters, one detailing the formation of the Fifth Fusiliers Old Comrades Association, dated 15th November 1913 and the other dated 30th March 1950 from Depot Fifth Fusiliers thanking George for donating items to the Museum.
Also included were two postcards, the first unsent is a tale of Brocton Camp (research tells me this was in Staffordshire), which was used as a staging camp during the war. The other is dated 25th August 1916 with a stamp saying On Active Service. This was sent to his wife living in Kings Langley at the time.
So now I turned my attention to the medals and War Badge, and what a fascinating collection it is. From left to right there are: North West Frontier 1908, India; 1914 Star with clasp 5th August to 22nd November 1914; British War Medal; Victory Medal; Defence Medal 1939-1945.
George enlisted on 23rd December 1903 at Woolwich, hence the 1908 medal, and was discharged on 5th November 1918. So the Defence Medal was for service in the Home Guard, and I've still to do that research.
The medal ribbons were in a very poor state, so I arranged with my Father to have the medals remounted and placed in a display box. The original medal ribbons were returned to us, and a good job too. When I pealed back the old ribbons, I found the original ribbon bar underneath. The 1914 Star with clasp entitles the recipient to wear a silver rosette on the medal ribbon bar when not wearing their medals and there was the rosette! The Silver War Badge was issued in the United Kingdom and the British Empire to service personnel who had been honourably discharged due to wounds or sickness from military service in World War I. The serial number is stamped on the back of the badge and in this instance matches the certificate dated 29th November 1918 issued to G W Davies. And this is part of the problem of ancestry research, because his surname is spelt Davis. The problem doesn't stop there either; some of the medals have his name spelt Davies as well! No wonder ancestry research can be so frustrating, but I will keep on digging.
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234261 Gnr. Herbert George Edward "Pop" Ross 325th Siege Bty. Royal Garrison Artillery Herbert G E Ross joined up on the 7th of May 1917 in London and was sent to Cannock Chase for training. I haven't found out yet where he ended up, but he was gassed and convalesced in Dalgeish Castle in Scotland. When he was better, he returned to the fighting and was gassed again and sent home never to return to the fighting.
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Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
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Great War Camps On Cannock Chase - A Town For Four Winters C.J. and G.P. Whitehouse
An original study of military camps on Cannock Chase during the Great War, 1914-19. Full of numerous photographs & maps.
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