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1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment
1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment were in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. They returned to England, landing Southampton on the 19th of September 1914 and joined 22nd Brigade in 7th Division at Lyndhurst where they were concentrating in the New Forest, Hampshire. The Division landed at Zeebrugge on the 6th of October 1914, to assist in the defence of Antwerp, they arrived too late prevent the fall of the city and took up defensive positions at important bridges and junctions to aid in the retreat of the Belgian army. The 7th Division then became the first British Troops to entrench in front of Ypres, suffering extremely heavy losses in the The First Battle of Ypres. By February 1915 the Division had been reinforced to fighting strength and they were in action at The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, The Battle of Aubers, The Battle of Festubert, The second action of Givenchy and The Battle of Loos. On the 20th of December 1915 the 1st South Staffs transferred to 91st Brigade still with 7th Division. In 1916 They were in action during the Battles of the Somme, including the capture Mametz, The Battle of Bazentin, the attacks on High Wood, The Battle of Delville Wood, The Battle of Guillemont and the Operations on the Ancre. In 1917 They fought during The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the flanking operations round Bullecourt during The Arras Offensive, before moving to Flanders for the Third Battle of Ypres, seeing action in The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle and The Second Battle of Passchendaele. In late 1917 the 7th Division was selected to move to Italy. They took up position in the line along the River Piave,in late January 1918. The Division played a central role in crossing the Piave, in October and the Battle of Vittoria Veneto.
19th Sep 1914 Arrivals
20th Sep 1914 22nd Infantry Brigade organising
20th Sep 1914 Mobilisation
4th Oct 1914 On the Move
4th Oct 1914 Orders Received
5th Oct 1914 On the Move
5th Oct 1914 On the Move
6th Oct 1914 First units of the 7th Division land in Flanders 1st Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment land at Zebrugge with the 7th Division BEF.
6th Oct 1914 7th Division Embark for Belgium
6th Oct 1914 On the Move
6th Oct 1914 On the Move
7th Oct 1914 On the Move
7th Oct 1914 In Billets
8th Oct 1914 On the March
8th Oct 1914 On the Move
9th Oct 1914 On the Move
9th Oct 1914 Anxiety
10th Oct 1914 Outposts
10th Oct 1914 Withdrawal
11th Oct 1914 Holding the Line
11th Oct 1914 Hostile Forces
11th Oct 1914 Orders
12th Oct 1914 On the March
12th Oct 1914 On the March
13th Oct 1914 On the March
13th Oct 1914 Enemy Closes
14th Oct 1914 On the March
14th Oct 1914 On the March 
15th Oct 1914 Patrols
15th Oct 1914 Hostile Column
16th Oct 1914 On the March
16th Oct 1914 Into the Line
16th Oct 1914 Line Advanced
17th Oct 1914 Holding the Line
17th Oct 1914 Enemy Active
18th October 1914 Hard Fighting
18th Oct 1914 In Reserve
18th Oct 1914 Planning
19th Oct 1914 In Action
19th Oct 1914 Hard Fighting
20th October 1914 Entrenched
20th Oct 1914 In Action
20th Oct 1914 Defensive Line
21st October 1914 Under fire
21st Oct 1914 In Action
21st Oct 1914 Hard Fighting
22nd October 1914 Entrenched
22nd Oct 1914 A Hot Encounter
22nd Oct 1914 New Line Occupied
22nd Oct 1914 Bombardment
23rd October 1914 Dead Buried
23rd Oct 1914 Heavy Shelling
23rd Oct 1914 Under Fire
24th Oct 1914 Hard Fighting
24th Oct 1914 Enemy Break Through
25th Oct 1914 In Reserve
25th Oct 1914 Enemy Break Through
26th Oct 1914 Pressure
26th Oct 1914 Forced Back
27th Oct 1914 Shelling
27th Oct 1914 Orders Received
28th Oct 1914 Reliefs
28th Oct 1914 Artillery Active
29th Oct 1914 Reliefs
29th Oct 1914 Hard Fighting
30th Oct 1914 Attack
30th Oct 1914 Hard Fighting
31st Oct 1914 In Action
31st Oct 1914 Hard Fighting
31st Oct 1914 Hard Fighting
1st November 1914 22nd Infantry Brigade Reforms
2nd November 1914 Reorganisation
3rd November 1914 Battalions on the move
5th November 1914 Billets
7th November 1914 Attack Made
7th Nov 1914 Trenches Recaptured
8th November 1914 Hard Fighting
9th November 1914 Move
11th November 1914 Inspection
4th Dec 1914 Lucky to be Alive
9th Dec 1914 Snipers Active
12th Dec 1914 Orders
13th Dec 1914 Reliefs
18th December 1914 In Action
19th Dec 1914 Losses
20th December 1914 Reliefs
25th Dec 1914 Expensive Treats
26th December 1914 Xmas Armistice
28th December 1914 Reliefs
5th January 1915 Back into trenches
13th Feb 1915 2nd Queens in reserve
15th Feb 1915 2nd Queens relieve 1st South Staffs
19th Feb 1915 South Staffs relieve 2nd Queens
20th Feb 1915 Attack Made 1st East Anglian Engineers report "At 4.40 am an attack made on German trenches in front of Duck's Bill Givenchy to ascertain whether the enemy were mining towards our trenches. After a preliminary bombardment two small columns consisting of parties of Royal Berks, 2nd South Staffs and Glasgow Highlanders and two officers & 32 NCOs & Sappers of our company succeeded in capturing the trench and after investigation it was found that the Enemy were not mining. The trench was evacuated and party returned. Two Sappers Killed, Two Missing, Eight wounded 2nd Lieut C H Humphreys wounded."483rd Field Company RE War Diary
20th Feb 1915 Trench Raid
22nd Feb 1915 2nd Queens relieve 1st South Staffs
26th Feb 1915 Reliefs
1st March 1915 Relocation and back into Action
8th Mar 1915 Orders
10th March 1915 In Action
11th March 1915 In Action
25th Mar 1915 Instruction
27th Mar 1915 Trench Work
28th Mar 1915 Air Raid
29th Mar 1915 Training
30th Mar 1915 Trench Work
31st Mar 1915 Trench Work
15th May 1915 The Battle of Festubert
16th May 1915 1st South Staffs in action
28th May 1915 A Short Rest
6th June 1915 Operational Order No.10.
8th Aug 1915 On Leave
21st Sep 1915 Orders
25th Sep 1915 1st South Staffs in Action
14th Oct 1916 Last Letter to Father
4th Oct 1917 In Action
16th Aug 1918 Relief
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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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 with1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. - Andrews Wilfred Arthur. L/Cpl. (d.7th Nov 1914)
- Bedward Bertram Lonsdale. Pte. (d.31st August 1916)
- Birch William. Pte. (d.25th Sep 1915)
- Bonner DSO Singleton. Lt/Col. (d.1st May 1917)
- Bullock Harry Herbert. Pte. (d.31st Oct 1916)
- Clee MSM. James Thomas. Pte.
- Dart Emmanuel. Pte.
- Degg John Henry. Pte. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Donnelly Robert. Pte. (d.23rd Oct 1918)
- Downing Joseph. Pte.
- Drew James Henry. Pte. (d.14th July 1916)
- Evans John Thomas. Pte. (d.13th May 1917)
- Evans John Thomas. Pte. (d.13th May 1917)
- Fisher Frank Ernest. Cpl. (d.31st Aug 1916)
- Foley Thomas William. Pte. (d.5th Nov 1914)
- Fullwood Joseph. Pte. (d.12th Apr 1918)
- Guest Henry.
- Hateley Joseph. Pte. (d.20th May 1915)
- Heath Arthur. Pte. (d.1st July 1915)
- Horton George William. Pte. (d.14th July 1917)
- Howl William. Pte. (d.7th Nov 1914)
- Hurst Nicholas Blythe. Pte
- Ingram Ernest William. Pte. (d.12th May 1917)
- Jarvis Henry. Sgt. (d.1st July 1916)
- Knight William Albert. Pte. (d.13th May 1917)
- Probert James Francis Henry. Pte. (d.3rd Nov 1914)
- Sharp William. Pte. (d.12th May 1917)
- Timmins Bernard. L/Cpl (d.28th March 1917)
- Timmins Bernard. L/Cpl. (d.28th Mar 1917)
- Vallentin VC MID. John Franks. Capt. (d.7th Nov 1914)
- Wheatley Joseph. Pte. (d.7th November 1914)
- White George. Capt. (d.1st Jul 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 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment from other sources.
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Pte. Joseph Hateley 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.20th May 1915) Joseph Hateley died of wounds on 20th of May 1915 through loss of blood, his arm having been blown off by a shell, he was aged 33. Buried in Bethune Town Cemetery, France, he was the son of Joseph Henry and Anne Hateley, of Walsall, Staffs. and husband of Gertrude Fallon (formerly Hateley), of 24 Chester St., Liverpool.
Joseph was a caster by trade and formerly employed by Messrs. Mason and Burns, of Pleck Road, Walsall.
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Pte. John Thomas Evans 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.13th May 1917) My Great Uncle, Jack Evan, was killed in action on 13th May 1917 aged 24 in Bullecourt, Arras whilst fighting with the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment.
In 1916 he enlisted with the Royal Army Ordnance Core as Pte 017831 prior to enlisting with the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment.
On May 13th 1917 his regiment was ordered to attack the heavily fortified village of Bullecourt along with the Australians. The village was believed to have been weakened by days of heavy bombardment, unfortunately this was not the case & the battle was vicious & costly as these gallant men were caught in a bloody crossfire at a location known as the Red Patch. After three days Bullecourt was taken with the loss of two Officers & 37 men killed.
He is commemorated on Bay 6 of the Arras Memorial in the Pas De Calais Cemetery on the Boulevard du General de Gaulle on the South of the road to Doullens. He is also commemorated on two memorials locally. The cross in Tremeirchion & the memorial hall in Caerwys.
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Pte. Harry Herbert Bullock 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.31st Oct 1916) Harry Bullock is buried at Grave Reference 71 in the Vevey (St. Martin's) Cemetery, Vevey in District de la Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut, Vaud, Switzerland.
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Pte. William Sharp 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.12th May 1917) William Sharp is listed on our War Memorial inside the church in our small village of Wyfordby near Melton Mowbray.
His father William Newton had a small area of land and was a grazier (rearing sheep and cattle.)
William was an agricultural labourer before he joined the South Staffs.
He died in the second battle of Bullecourt in France.
A special Memorial service was held at the village church, attended by 46 people.
His parents remained at Wyfordby, where his father was buried at the age of 80 in 1934.
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L/Cpl. Bernard Timmins 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.28th Mar 1917) I have been researching my family tree and found that my Great Grandad was killed in Flanders on 28th of March 1917.
He was born in Wednesbury, Staffs
and enlisted at Walsall, Staffs
He served in 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment.
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Cpl. Frank Ernest Fisher 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.31st Aug 1916) Frank Fisher was killed in the Battle of Delville Wood on 31st of August 1916. He was 21 years old.
He has no known grave but is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
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Pte. John Thomas Evans 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.13th May 1917) Jack Evans is remembered on the Arras Memorial.
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Pte. Emmanuel Dart 1st Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment Emmanuel Dart enlisted into the South Staffordshire Regiment on 30th of March 1916, aged 18. He trained with the 3rd Battalion but on being posted to France on 22nd January 1917, he was transferred to the 1st Battalion the next day.
At the end of March 1917, he received a gunshot wound to the back. The Diary of Sister Elsie Tranter in "World War One a History in 100 Stories", an Australian nurse in France, records in her entry for the 3rd April 1917:
"I have in my huts some very young boys, (baby soldiers we call them) Baby 3 is a Staffordshire kid named Dort [sic] with a tremendous wound on his back. When this wound has to be dressed Corporal holds him up in his arms. The poor little chap cries piteously when we go to do him. As soon as they are fit they are evacuated to Blighty to make room for others."
Emmanuel returned to the UK on 7th of April 1917 and was posted to the 3rd Battalion on 12th July. He was deemed unfit for front line duties and transferred to the Royal Defence Corps (service number 63952) on 22nd August. He was medically discharged from the RDC on 17th June 1918.
After the war Emmanuel re-enlisted, into the 19th Essex Regiment (service number 51215), on a short service contract, and was posted to France from 26th August 1919 to 1st April 1920.
Emmanuel appears not to have married, and died following a mining accident at Littleton Colliery, Cannock, on 31st October 1934 aged 38.
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Pte. Joseph Wheatley 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.7th November 1914) Joseph Wheatley, son of Mrs. L Wheatley, 52 Dunstable Street, Ampthill, Bedfordshire was born and lived in Ampthill. He enlisted in Wolverhampton and served with 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment. He was killed in action on 7th of November 1914 in Flanders aged 40 years. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium. He is remembered on both The War Memorial and The Alamada, St. Andrews Church, Ampthill. Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com
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Pte. William Albert Knight 1st Btn. South Staffordshire (d.13th May 1917) I am a member of the Rugby Family History Group researching some of the men whose names are on the Rugby War Memorial Gates. One of these is William Albert Knight, named as Albert in the 1901 census.
He was born in Northampton in 1895, the second of the four children of George Walter and Sarah Dudley (nee Markham) who were married in Northampton in 1892. They were living at 6 Richmond Street, but moved to Rugby some years later, probably when their eldest son started work, and were at 107 Winfield Street in 1911. By this time their father was an invalid, but Albert and his brother George were working for British Thompson Houston (BTH) in Rugby as respectively capstan hand and armature winder.
Albert enlisted in Rugby before conscription was introduced as his medal card states he was sent to France in December 1915. His Regiment was heavily involved in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and he was probably killed in the Action at Bullecourt on 13 May 1917, although he may have been wounded prior to this as he was buried at Achiet-le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension, which from April 1917 according to the CWGC had been occupied by a couple of Casualty Clearing Stations.
He is commemorated on the BTH memorial in Rugby as well as the Memorial Gates.
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Pte. Ernest William Ingram 1st Btn., D Coy. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.12th May 1917) Ernest Ingram served with D Coy. 1st South Staffordshire Regiment.
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Pte. James Thomas Clee MSM. 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment James Clee was a serving member of the South Staffordshire Regiment when war broke out, stationed in South Africa. He arrived in France in October 1914. He was an army boxer and won many boxing medals in service. James survived a gas attack in the early part of the war and this affected him greatly in his later years. He was machine gunned in his leg and captured by Germans, not sure when but think it was during the battle of the Somme in 1916. German doctors inserted metal plates into his leg which saved him losing it.He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, in May 1919, for devotion of duty and valuable services rendered whist a prisoner of war, as recorded in the London Gazette, January 1920, as well as the Pip, Squeak and Wilfred medals. (British War Medal, The Victory Medal and The 1914 Star). After the war he returned to Bradley, Bilston, then part of Staffordshire, but because of injuries sustained from the war was never able to work properly again. James died from lung problems in 1949 aged 55 years.
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Pte. James Henry Drew 1st Btn. South Staffs Regiment (d.14th July 1916) James Drew was born on 7th September 1894 to John and Ann Maria Drew (nee Hayward). He was born and lived in West Bromwich at 25 Farley Street near Great Bridge.
He was a glassblower by trade, a highly skilled craftsman in our area, which is famous for its crystal glassware.
He enlisted on 20th December, 1915 and was awarded the 1915 Star, as well as the British War and Victory Medals.
He married Lilian Ellen Gough on 5th December 1914 and they had a little boy James H, born in the Jul-Sept Quarter of 1915.
He died at the Somme on 14th July 1916 and is commemorated at the Thiepval Cemetery in France. He was just 22 years old.
His parents were to lose another son, William in 1917 to the War. Joseph served in the Royal Flying Corps as it was then and survived.
Unfortunately, I do not have any images of James - only of his parents. James was formerly with the Royal Scots, 26557.
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Pte. George William Horton 1st Btn., C Coy., 9th Platoon South Staffordshire Regiment (d.14th July 1917) This was my great uncle, Willy Horton, who was killed in action on 14th July 1917, I believe in Bullecourt, Arras whilst fighting with the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment.
He is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in the Pas De Calais Cemetery on the Boulevard du General de Gaulle on the South of the road to Doullens.
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Capt. George White 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.1st Jul 1916) Capt. White led his men in the British advance on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He was wounded in the side but continued to lead his men. He was then killed by a shot to the head. He is remembered at the Dantzig Alley British Cemetery, Mametz, and there is also a memorial plaque attached to the White family grave in the Higher Cemetery, Exeter.
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Sgt. Henry Jarvis 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.1st July 1916) Henry Jarvis apparently rejoined, having been in the army earlier. He married in 1908 and was a cycle maker by trade.
Henry was wounded at Festubert (daily list 21st June 1915) and he was gassed (daily list November 1915).
He was killed on the first day of the First Battle of the Somme and left a wife and four children under six years old (sadly, the littlest one also died). Henry is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
My father's earliest memory was of his mother receiving the telegram to say his father had died. My father was four years old.
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Henry "Buz" Guest 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment Grandad, Henry Guest was captured on 31st August 1916 at Delville Wood, aged 22. He was sent to Munster I POW Camp. He survived the war and died in 1962.
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Pte Nicholas Blythe Hurst 1st Battalion South Staffs Nicholas Blythe Hurst is my maternal grand-father who was born in March 1877 in Rothbury, Northumberland. I understand, from my mother, that he served in the South Staffs during the Boer War, though I have no supporting evidence. He found himself destitute in Walsall in the late 1890's when the circus, for which he was the front runner, went bust. He married my grand-mother, Ada Powell on 25th November 1901.
Nicholas joined up as soon as WW1 was declared and embarked for Europe on 11th November 1914 as part of the British Expeditionary Force. He was medically discharged in July 1917 having been wounded. He received the usual Pip, Squeak and Wilfred but there are no other references to him in National Archives or the Battalion records.
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Pte. James Francis Henry Probert 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.3rd Nov 1914) James Probert was the son of James and Eliza Mary Probert, of 3, Guests Fold, Dudley
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Pte. William Howl 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (d.7th Nov 1914) William Howl was listed as missing on the 21st October and was confirmed dead on the 7th of November 1914
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