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- 6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters during the Great War -


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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters



   The 6th 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 and had their HQ at 10 Corporation Street, Chesterfield. They were mobilised for war service on the 5th of August 1914. The Division concentrated in the Luton area 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  location map

4th May 1915 Mine Suspected

5th May 1915 Further reports received.

9th May 1915 Reliefs Complete

10th Aug 1915 A Terrible Affair

7th Oct 1915 Planning  location map

13th Oct 1915 Accounts of the Fight

14th Oct 1915 A Terrible Time

20th Oct 1915 In the Fight

29th of March 1916 Aeroplanes Active

1st July 1916 In Action

24th Nov 1916 6th Sherwoods in Neuvillette  An inscription carved into the wall of a small gate house on the Rue du Chateau in Neuvillette reads: Pte C Niven, 1/6th Sher. For. Nov 24th 16. They were obviously here just after the battle of the Somme.

10th of April 1918 Into Battle  location map

If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.





Want to know more about 6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters?


There are:5243 items tagged 6th 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.


Those known to have served with

6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters

during the Great War 1914-1918.

  • Adkin Joseph. Pte. (d.14th October 1915)
  • Adkin Walter. Pte. (d.1st October 1915)
  • Blankley Christopher. Pte.
  • Dennis George. Pte. (d.18th May 1918)
  • Gaunt Joseph Edward. Cpl. (d.27th Apr 1917)
  • Greaves Thomas. Capt. (d.1st July 1918)
  • Guy P.. Pte. (d.8th August 1915)
  • Hawkins Leslie William. 2nd Lt.
  • Lomas Edgar. Pte
  • Pendleton Samuel Henry. Pte. (d.28th Mar 1918)
  • Simpson Arthur. Cpl. (d.25th Nov 1915)
  • Stephens MC Warren Trestrail. Lt.
  • Town William. Pte. (d.30th Apr 1917)

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 6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters from other sources.


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      World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery
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  Pte. Samuel Henry Pendleton 6th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) (d.28th Mar 1918)

Samuel Henry Pendleton was shot in the back whilst carrying a wounded comrade from the battlefield and died on 28th of March 1918, aged 24. He is buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery in France He was the son of Samuel Hy. Pendleton and Eliza E. Pendleton, of Bulwell, husband of A. Pendleton, of 29, Ockerby St., Bulwell, Nottingham.

s flynn






  Capt. Thomas Greaves 6th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.1st July 1918)

Thomas Greaves was the son of Thomas and Mary Jane Greaves of Chesterfield, Derbyshire. He served with the 1st/6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment). He died of his wounds on 1st of July 1918 aged 32 years and is buried in Pernes British Cemetery in France. He is remembered on an oak paneled reredos in St Thomas the Apostle's Church, Brampton, Chesterfield (a gift of his parents). Thomas was a pupil of Bedford Modern School 1900-02, and is commemorated on the School War Memorial. Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com

Caroline Hunt






  Pte. Walter Adkin 6th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.1st October 1915)

Walter Adkin and his brother Joseph joined up on 22nd of December 1914, they were both sent to France in February 1915. They fought in many of the early battles. Walter died of wounds sustained in action on 1st of October 1915, Walter is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Belgium.

Joseph received gun shot wounds to his back on 9th August 1915, was treated at Rawlpindi hospital and returned to unit on the 7th October 1915 only to find out his brother had been killed 6 days earlier. Joseph would then be killed in action defending the Hohenzollern Redoubt a week later on the 14th October, his body was never recovered.

Stevan Chambers






  Pte. Joseph Adkin 6th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.14th October 1915)

Joseph Adkin and his brother Walter joined up on 22nd of December 1914, they were both sent to France in February 1915. They fought in many of the early battles.

Walter died of wounds sustained in action on 1st of October 1915, Joseph received gun shot wounds to his back on 9th of August 1915, was treated at Rawlpindi Hospital and returned to unit on the 7th of October 1915 only to find out his brother had been killed 6 days earlier. Joseph himself would then be killed in action defending the Hohenzollern Redoubt a week later on the 14th of October, his body was never recovered. Walter is buried in Lijssenthoek military cemetery Belgium.

Stevan Chambers






  Pte. Christopher Blankley 1/6th Btn. Sherwood Foresters

Christopher Blankley was born in 1894 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. He enlisted in April 1912 and became a private in the 6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment), a unit of the Territorial Force. At the outbreak of war they were part of the Notts and Derby Infantry Brigade, North Midland Division and had their HQ at 10 Corporation Street, Chesterfield. They were mobilised for war service on 5th August 1914.

He arrived in France with the 46th Division in February 1915. Chris was wounded on 5th May 1915 at Kemmel, eight of his battalion were killed, most were from his home town. He was hospitalised until December 1915 when he rejoined his unit.

He was captured by the Germans in March 1917 at Gommecourt and was a POW at Misden and Munster POW Camps until the end of war. Chris returned home and continued in his battalion until March 1919. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Christopher Blankley married Lizzy and had six children with three surviving. He continued his pre-wartime occupation, and lived in Chesterfield all his life and died in March 1963 aged 68 years. He never mentioned his wartime experiences. I am his granddaughter and now live in South Australia. I remember my granddad very clearly as a kind generous and friendly man and loving father and grandfather.

Valerie Elliott






  Pte. P. Guy 6th Btn., D Coy. Sherwood Foresters (d.8th August 1915)

Private Guy died on 8th August 1915 from wounds he suffered at Sanctuary Wood. He is buried in Le Treport Military Cemetery, France.







  Cpl. Arthur Simpson 1st/6th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.25th Nov 1915)

Arthur Simpson was my grandfather. He served with the Sherwood Foresters 1st/6th Battalion. He died on 25th November 1915 and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial

Gill Collier






  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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Melissae Dennis






  2nd Lt. Leslie William Hawkins 6th Battalion Notts & Derby Regiment

Leslie Hawkins was my Grandpa. He enlisted in the Second County of London Yeomanry in December 1915. He transferred to the Machine Gun Corps in August 1917, then Kings Own Royal Lancs. Then after a discharge, he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant of the 6th Battalion in the Sherwood Foresters in March 1918. He saw action at Bellenglise, Sambre-Oise Canal and Cambria. He survived, resigned his commission in 1922.

Apparently he rarely talked about the horrors. He died at 80, but sadly being too young to know, I never got a chance to talk to him, recognise what he had done or really appreciated his experience in his presence. Clearly an extraordinary man but also in my memory, good to be around. Gone but never forgotten.

Brian Neil






  Pte. William Town 1/6th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (d.30th Apr 1917)

William Town was my grandfather. He joined the 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry in 1914 and served in the Mediterranean and was invalided home. During his time convalescing he married my grandmother on 17th November 1916.

He was sent to Ireland and in December 1916 drafted into the Sherwood Foresters 1/6th Battalion, C Company and sent to France on 4th January 1917. He was seriously wounded in the legs, arms and jaw on the 23rd April 1917 at Fosse 3 de Leivin and died on the 30th April 1917. My father was born 6 weeks later on the 6th June 1917.

William is buried in a war grave at Wimereux Communal Cemetery France just outside Calais. I visited William's grave some years ago. It is one of the only war graves cemetery where the headstones lay flat due to the sandy soil. I found it a very emotional visit and was glad to see how well the graves were kept.

My grandmother was re-married within the year her second husband served in the Northumberland Fusiliers and after he to was injured served in the Labour Corp. My father did not know his birth name until he was 14 years of age when both his mother and step-father died of TB within days of each other, having been brought up with his step-fathers name. All the above information has been gathered on and off over the last 15 years but I still yearn for more.

Pamela Thornton






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