Welcome to my blog......

The purpose of this blog is to remember the fallen heroes of the Great War, whose names are recorded on the memorial plaque situated in St Barnabas Church, New Whittington, Chesterfield.

To mark the centenary of World War 1 I aim to research all of the men on the memorial. I hope to ensure that the brave men who gave their lives for their country 100 years ago are remembered and each man's story told.

I would love to hear from anyone who may have information regarding the men; photos, letters or passed down memories. Any descendents are most welcome to contact me and I will provide copies of the research that I have undertaken.

"They shall not grow old, as we that are left to grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them"

For The Fallen,
Laurence Binyon September 1914.

Wednesday 31 December 2014

2014 - 100 YEARS ON.....




2014....

100 years on from the outbreak of World War 1 we have all remembered the lives broken and sacrifices made.  Thoughout the world ceremonies have been performed, statues and memorials erected and in living rooms families have taken time to think of their ancestors; the dusty photos and family heirlooms removed from their safe place of storage.

Here at Fallen Heroes WW1 - St Barnabas Memorial I have continued working hard and researching the stories of the 85 men who are named on the church memorial.  Scouring all of the resources available to pick out as much detail and information as I possibly can to ensure that each man and his family are remembered. 

The men had their names read out at the Tower of London Remembers and the men have been added to the Imperial War Museums digital memorial which can be accessed here.

I was very pleased to make contact with several family members this year, from the UK and the distant shores of Australia.  The 85 men really are being remembered all over the world.

The stories of Arthur Mitchell and Frederick William Musgrove have been told.  The first two men to give their lives in the October of 1914; the early stages of the war that would be over by Christmas.  Both men were seasoned soldiers, having served prior to the onset of The Great War they were experienced men who came face to face with modern warfare at that time. 

2015....

My research will continue, I will look out for any new resources that appear over the coming year.  I will add to the stories already told should I unearth any more information on the men.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any information on any of the men and of course I would love to hear from any family members.  As I tell each story I will set up a Family Tree for each man these can be located on www.Ancestry.co.uk. Simply search for the soldiers name using the location of New Whittington and the tree should be available for public access in the search results.

Sadly for the village of New Whittington the year of 1915 was to take its toll and the number of deaths rose this year to 15 lives lost.  The first man to be remembered in 2015 will be William Wood who lost his life on 23rd March 1915.  William was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Wood of High Street, New Whittington. 

The names and dates of death for the men to be remembered in 2015 are as follows -


23.03.1915 William Wood
08.05.1915 Edward Henry Burton
15.05.1915 Ernest Booth
15.06.1915 James Smith
18.06.1915 James Craig
11.07.1915 William Ewart Jacklin
08.08.1915 Ernest Cooper
09.08.1915 Norman Crossdale / Croysdale / Sweeting
09.08.1915 John James Kirk
09.08.1915 Francis Maskery
10.08.1915 John Rushe
17.08.1915 John Henry Belfitt
25.09.1915 Harry Ernest Skevington
25.09.1915 Arthur Wedgwood
06.11.1915 Arthur Heeley
 
And so for now I will wish you all a very Happy New Year and thank you for all your interest and support in 2014. 
 
 

Tuesday 11 November 2014

ARMISTICE DAY 2014



100 years from the onset of World War 1, The Great War, the War that would end all wars...... WE REMEMBER THEM.

As we know the war as experienced by our ancestors 100 years ago today did not quite go as anticipated; It wasn't over by Christmas for sure. 

By telling each mans story on the 100 year anniversary of their death I hope that not only will we remember them but we will also follow the highs and lows of the war as it dragged on from year to year.  We will gain an insight into how our ancestors lived life at that time, how they carried on at home, how marriages and births also figured highly in these years not only death.  The war altered life's path for many, many lives from soldiers venturing into foreign fields that they would have only read about before to children left fatherless with so many questions never to be answered. 

Only now 100 years on can we begin to unearth all of the resources that are available to tell the story of our fallen heroes.  Hopefully by piecing together these documents we can remember them with true honour and respect.

The St Barnabas Memorial Roll Call
 
Harry Adams
John Arthur Andrews
John Henry Belfitt
William Arthur Belfitt
George Henry Bennison
James Bennison
Ernest Booth
Joseph Booth
Edward Henry Burton
Arnold Calliss
Tom Clewley
John Collins
Ambrose Cooke
Ernest Cooper
Albert Cox
Arthur Cox
James Craig
David Cresswell
George Crossdale
Norman Crossdill / Sweeting
Arthur Crossdale / Croysdale
Leonard William Davidson
Amos Briscoe Freeman
Walter Furness
William Gardner
Ernest Gilberthorpe
Arthur Goodwin
William Gower
Harry Green
Harry Griffin
John William Hall
Arthur Heeley
John Ernest Holroyd
William Bamford Houston
William Husband
William Ewart Jacklin
John James Kirk
Wilfred Cecil Kirk
John Patrick Leeson
Harry Alfred Letts
William Henry Lockett
James Clement Longden
John William Longmate
George Martin
Francis Maskery
George Henry Mears
Harry Millband
Bernard Millington
Arthur James Mitchell
Frederick Mitchell
William Percy Morley
Frederick William Musgrove
Walter Musgrove
William Needham
John William Nurse
Thomas O'Brien
Walter Parkin
Arthur Cornelius Perks
George Edward Pratt
Arnold Purkiss
Thomas Henry Roberts
Victor Roberts
Norman Edward Rose
John Rushe
Abraham Savage
Frederick Arthur Sharman
Harry Ernest Skevington
Walter Elliott Skevington
James Smith
Harry Straw
John Edward Straw
Denis Redfern Stuart
Harry Tart
William Henry Tolley
Jonathan Vaughan
Jack Wardell / Wardle
Arthur Warren
Henry Warren
William Warren
Arthur Wedgwood
Frederick Arthur Whithorn
B Wilson *
William Wood
Thomas William Yates
Harry Young
 
LEST WE FORGET
X
 


* Possibly Bertram Wilson - further research needed for this name. 

Please contact me if you are connected to any of these families as I would love to hear from you.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday 31 October 2014

FREDERICK WILLIAM MUSGROVE

FREDERICK WILLIAM MUSGROVE

 



Private 3/169

2nd Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Missing presumed dead - 31st October 1914

Frederick William Musgrove was the son of a well known member of the Staveley and New Whittington communities.  His father was Inspector Jonas Musgrove. 

Fred was born on 11th November 1884 at 10 Speedwell Terrace in Staveley.  His mother was Emily Musgrove nee Wells.  He wasn't the first child born to Emily and Jonas he had an elder brother named George Henry and five elder sisters; Marian, Emily, Harriett, Gertrude and Agnes.  The Musgrove household would be a noisy one; the terraced cottages on Speedwell Terrace were stone built properties with stone flagstone floors.

He was baptised on 6th January 1885 at St John's Church in Staveley. 
Jonas Musgrove was born around 1847 in Selby, Yorkshire, Emily Wells was born around 1851 in North Anston, South Yorkshire.  The couple married in autumn of 1869 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

1891 Census www.ancestry.co.uk

By 1891 the Musgrove family had moved home to Chesterfield Road, Staveley.  They have two new editions to the family; Lillian aged 3 years old and baby John Wells aged just 11 months. 

It is evident from the places of birth of Fred and his siblings that the Musgrove family moved around the area, most likely in relation to Jonas' career progression -

*George Henry, Marian, Emily and Harriett born Beighton
*Gertrude born Belper
*Agnes born Mackworth
*Fred, Lillian and John born Staveley
*Walter born in New Whittington in 1892.

Like many families at that time the Musgrove family was a large one.  Fred's eldest sister left home and married John William Rodgers at St John's Church, Staveley on 16th December 1891.  Fred's youngest brother Walter was not born until the year after in 1892.  Marian and John Rodgers were also proud parents that same year in 1892 when they bore a daughter named Alberta Emily.

A few years later on 1st March 1894 Emily Musgrove another of Fred's elder sisters also married.  She wed a mechanical engineer named Ben Jackson Marson at St John's Parish Church, Staveley. 

Next to tie the knot was Fred's eldest brother George Henry on 11th July 1894.  He married Ann Jacques at St John's Parish Church, Staveley.  Jonas and Emily would be celebrating the marriage of their grown up children George Henry and Emily whilst nursing their youngest son Walter who was still a toddler. 

1895 Bulmers History www.ancestry.co.uk
At some time in between the 1891 and 1895 Jonas was promoted to Inspector of Derbyshire Police.  The family would be known and respected by the locals of the area.  The Bulmers History, Topography and Directory records Jonas Musgrove under the Staveley area as County Police Inspector in 1895.

By the 1901 census the lives of the Musgrove family had taken a different pathway.  Fred and his family are now living at 112 High Street, New Whittington.  Jonas is no longer described on the census as a police inspector, instead he has changed his career to become a licensed victualler. 

Fred was 16 years old by now and as did many of the local men he was working as a coal miner.  Harriett his sister had married George Buck on 12th September 1900 at Whittington.  George was a young police constable from Cannington in Somerset.  On the night of the 1901 census Emily was staying with Harriett and George at their home in Alfreton, Derbyshire.  


Frederick has a taste of the military life ....

Service record www.findmypast.co.uk 

On 22nd August 1901 Fred took the plunge and enlisted to the local Militia Regiment.  He signed up to the 3rd Derby Regiment at the recruiting office in Sheffield.  The service records tell that Fred was living at the Crown Hotel in New Whittington.  He was employed as a labourer for a Mr Richardson of Staveley. 


Fred appears to have exaggerated his age.  He would only have been 16 years and 9 months at the time of enlistment.






Private 8524....
Description from service records www.findmypast.co.uk
Fred was 5ft 5 3/8 inches tall, he weighed 105lbs had a fresh complexion with grey eyes and brown hair.  He had scars on his forehead and back of his hands. 

Fred would be what was known as a "saturday night soldier" meaning that he was a part time soldier.  Initially Fred was required to partake in 56 days worth of training, after that time he would return home and continue his everyday life, got to work each day at his regular employment.  He would have agreed to undertake regular training sessions and military camps, amounting to three to four weeks a year, this was often seen as a paid holiday for the local lads and was often the incentive to enlist.

J. Musgrove is documented as the father of Fred.  His address was Crown Hotel, New Whittington, Derbyshire.





Whilst Fred was serving with the colours life in New Whittington and the Musgrove household continued.  His siblings George, Marian, Emily and Harriett gave him more nieces and nephews.  Sad news came in 1902 when the youngest daughter of George died aged only 2 years old.  She was named Marian Zylpha taking the Christian name of her Aunty Marian. 

Agnes Musgrove another of Fred's sisters married Edward Hosey in 1903.  The couple had their first child a daughter named Emily after her Grandmother in 1907. 

Fred's younger siblings continued their studies; Lillian May and John Wells were both studying to qualify as teachers during this time.  Young Walter remained at school.

This close family was to have a terrible loss in 1905 when Fred's mother Emily sadly died.  She was aged only 54 years old.  From the story so far it would appear that Emily was a treasured mother who was always on hand to help her growing family when needed. 

Tragedy hits....



Hull Daily Mail 29th November 1907 page 3
www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

The sad news of the death of prominent figure Jonas Musgrove was reported in the Hull Daily Mail and the local newspaper the Derbyshire Times (30th November 1907 p8).  Jonas died on 28th November 1907 whilst visiting his sister Mrs T Upton at his birth town of Selby.  It appears that whilst he was there it was the annual festivities associated with the hiring fair of Martinmas. On the Monday he went along to the fair on Wide Street and partook in the entertainment enjoying a ride on the round-about.  Jonas must have lost his grip as the Derbyshire Times records...

"while the machine was in motion he seems to have dropped off one of the "cockerels" and falling, a large fracture of the skull was the consequence.  He was picked up by relatives and conveyed into Millgate, where he lost consciousness, and death ensued at noon on Thursday"
Probate entry for Jonas Musgrove www.ancestry.co.uk

Jonas was returned to New Whittington and was buried on 1st December 1907 at St Bartholomews Church.  He was aged 61 years old.  He left effects of £1184 11s 2d.  His eldest son George was the executor of his will. 

Life after Emily and Jonas....

The 1911 census finds the Musgrove family separated now their parents had passed away.  Fred had returned to live in Staveley, working as a coal miner he was lodging with Zilpha Willis and her son John Henry at 36 Lowgates.

The two younger siblings; Lillian May and Walter have moved along with their elder sister Gertrude to live at 95 Handley Road, New Whittington. 

Eldest boy George Henry has now taken over the running of the George & Dragon public house on Church Lane in the centre of Chesterfield.  May be he used his inheritance to buy his dream? 

Marian is living with her family not far away from Fred at Lowgates, Staveley.  She has four children now; Alberta Emily, Ida Emily Winifred, Wilfred Eric John and Marjorie Musgrove Rodgers. 

Emily is living in Barrow Hill which is the next village to Staveley.  She has two children; Emily and Roy.

Harriett and her police sergeant husband George Buck have been posted at Stoney Middleton on the edge of the Peak District.  The couple have two daughters; Edith Emily and Ella Musgrove. 

Agnes and Edward Hosey were running the Dusty Miller Inn at New Whittington.  They had three children named; Emily, John and Edward but sadly had lost two sons; John at 6 months of age, Edward under 1 month of age.

John Wells the baby of the family was now 20 years old and had left New Whittington to study at York Training College.  He was a student teacher residing at Lord Mayors Walk, York.  The college was a teacher training college for men only.

New beginnings....

Passenger lists Orvieto www.ancestry.co.uk
1914 brought opportunity and a great adventure for two of the Musgrove family.  Lillian May and Walter set of on the journey of a life time.  They travelled down to London and boarded the Orvieto ship on 13th March 1914 destined for Australia.

Lillian May had qualified as a teacher, Walter was a miner.  They travelled with Walter's friend George Huckle.  A whole new life awaited these young travellers..... if only the Great War had not reared its ugly head.

Back in blighty and Gertrude Mary Musgrove had her own reasons to celebrate in 1914, she married Sydney Vowles. 

Frederick's War....

Unfortunately Fred's service records from his WW1 service have not survived but we know that he enlisted at Pontefract.  The 3rd Reserve Battalion were based at Pontefract at this time and it was the training depot.

Fred joined the 2nd Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry  (KOYLI) and was now Private 3/169.  At the outbreak of WW1 the 2nd Battalion were stationed in Dublin, Ireland and mobilised immediately arriving in Le Harve on 16th August 1914.

The date on Fred's medal card stated that he entered the field of war on 19th September 1914 when he joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France.  Fred would join a demoralised and worn out battalion who had only weeks before been involved in the Battle of Mons.  The 2nd KOYLI had suffered great losses on 26th August in the battle of Le Cateau.  The war diary states that 600 of their battalion were either killed or missing presumed dead, this included 18 officers and 532 other ranks.  When the final trench was captured by the German troops,16 officers and 320 other ranks were taken prisoner.

The need to call up the reservists would be necessary and Fred may have been hastily mobilised after the wipe out the KOYLI suffered on that day.  He would meet his battalion at La Gobbine Wood during an unusually quiet period.  The days had been reported as "quiet all day" and "nothing happened all day".  There were notes regarding German troops patrolling the outer area of the woods, but other than that a well earned break was being enjoyed by the 2nd Battalion KOYLI.

The battalion moved on and arrived in nearby Missy on 25th September, reporting sniper fire along the way.  On 1st October Fred and his comrades were relieved by the 1st Essex Regiment and they set off on what would be many days worth of marching from village to village;

*2nd October Vasseny
*3rd October Violaine
*4th October Hartennes
*5th & 6th October Lagny
*7th October Fresnoy
*8th October Abbeville
*9th October Queschart

On 14th October the battalion suffered losses whilst an attack at Vermelles; 4 killed, 12 wounded and 2 missing.  Four days later on 18th October the battalion was stationed in the trenches at Lannoy.  On this day they reported 17 men killed and 82 men wounded.  They remained in the trenches for another two days until marching at 5.00am on 21st October.  They arrived in Lorgies on 22nd October  to hear word that the 2nd Battalion Kings Own Scottish Borders had attacked the German troops using their bayonets.

On 25th October Fred would witness enemy aircraft overhead, they fired heavy shell fire directly into the KOYLI trenches.  The attack lasted all day and the war diary reports that 2 men were buried alive when the loose soil was bombarded too heavily.  The dairy states "The men were considerably shaken but stuck splendidly to their posts".  The sheer bravery of Fred and his fellow men saw its reward when later that afternoon the German troops made an advance for their trenches only to be held off by the KOYLI.  On this day; 17 killed, 1 officer and 25 men wounded.

The battalion remained under heavy fire for the coming days, remaining in the trenches and sustaining heavy casualties during this period. 

The dairy entry for the 30th October tells that eventually the bombardment stopped, a quiet day until evening when "the enemy made a strong attack which was repulsed".  The KOYLI were relieved from this hell by the 2nd Battalion Garhwal Rifles.  They were now able to find relative safety and reflect on their lost comrades.

The war diary notes that their losses were roughly 300 men over the past week in the trenches at Richebourg L'Avoue, 2 officers were killed and 1 wounded.
Fred's war was over on 31st October 1914, when he was reported missing presumed dead.  After reading the war diary it may be that Fred was killed in any of those days previous to that date. 

Two years on in 1916 the family receive more sad news of the death of Walter the youngest of the Musgrove family.  At this time they may still not have come to terms with the fact that Fred was dead, the obituary for Walter tells...

"An elder brother of his was reported missing in the early stages of the war, and has not been heard of since"


Fred's "missing in action" or his death were never reported in the local newspaper.



Frederick William Musgrove, Private 3/169 is remembered at Le Touret Memorial in France.  He has no known grave but his name is engraved on panel 31 at the memorial.

Medal card Frederick Musgrove www.ancestry.co.uk



Fred was awarded the Victory, British, 14 Star and Clasp for his service.

Life went on....

The Musgrove family continued as best they could, each had taken a different path and with it came its own joys and sadness. 

George Henry Musgrove may have died in 1936 aged 65 years old.

Marian Annie lived through WW1 and died in 1933.  Her own son Wilfred Eric John Rodgers enlisted with the South Staffordshire Regiment on 22nd June 1918.  He was 18 years and 4 months old.  We can only imagine how Marian would feel having to chance losing her own son as she had her brother.  Wilfred survived and married Annie Laming in 1928.  He died in 1986 aged 86 years old.




Marian applied for her brother Frederick's 1914 Star medal in 1919.

Emily died in 1933.

Harriett may have died in Cleethorpes in 1958 but this would need to be confirmed.

Gertrude Mary spent the war years alone, whilst her new husband Sydney served with the Army Ordnance Corps from 8th December 1915 till his demobilisation on 20th March 1917.  They had at least one daughter; Mary Vowles was born in 1917.  After marriage Gertrude remained living on Handley Road until her death on 27th October 1952.  She had frequent visits from her younger brother John Wells and his family during this time. 

Lillian May arrived in Australia on 23rd April 1914 she wasted no time at all and married her sweetheart Samuel Huckle on 25th April 1914.  Samuel was a local lad born in New Whittington.  Lillian would most likely have grown up with him.  When she travelled out to Australia she was chaperoned by her own brother Walter and George Huckle.  George was the younger brother of Samuel. 

1943 Electoral Roll www.ancestry.co.uk

Lillian and Samuel lived at 59 Margate Street, Kogarah, New South Wales.  The 1943 electoral roll above shows that the two Huckle brothers remained close; Samuel and Lillian lived at number 59 and George and his wife Lucy lived at number 57. 

Lillian and Samuel had one daughter named Dorothy Musgrove Huckle.  George and Lucy had a son Ronald Huckle.  Lillian died in 1968, Samuel in 1973.  I will tell more of this story in the blog post for Walter Musgrove.

In 1911 John Wells was studying hard at teacher training college in York.  At the outbreak of WW1 he joined his fellow students and enlisted with the Old Boys Public School Regiment.  He joined at Manchester on 5th September 1914.  John was discharged on 21st June 1915 as medically unfit. 

Derbyshire Times 26th May 1944 p8

Life was an adventure for John as it was for Lillian and Walter.  John travelled as soon as the tensions of WW1 had settled; on 26th September 1919 he left London for Cape Town where her lived until his death on 18th May 1944. 

Despite the miles he did return to New Whittington on at least two occasions; he arrived in July 1925 with his wife Ethel and his 1 year old son John.  They stayed at his sister Gertrude's home at 95 Handley Road and are listed on the return journey as leaving Southampton on 11th December 1925 destined for Cape Town.  John travelled alone when his name appears on the passenger lists from London to Durban leaving on 18th November 1938.  He once again had stayed with his sister Gertrude in her new abode at 72 Handley Road, New Whittington. 

Walter arrived in Australia full of adventure, when the outbreak of WW1 was announced he was in the north of the island with George Huckle.  The pair made their way walking over 400 miles through a  fierce sandstorm and enlisted to fight for their King and Country.  Walter served with the Australian Expeditionary Force and sadly lost his life on 25th July 1916.  His story will be told on 25th July 2016.

Staveley Memorial....

Frederick and Walter Musgrove are not only remembered on the St Barnabas Memorial; their names also appear on the Staveley Memorial.




The story of Frederick William Musgrove and his family comes to an end for now.  I think, from the information that I have found on this family that they were a close and loving family who remained in contact despite the miles and tragedies life threw at them.

Please feel free to add comments by clicking on the little pen icon at the bottom of the screen.

If you have any more information on the Musgrove family I would love to hear from you and add to this post.



With thanks -

To the kind ladies Ann & Diane on Facebook who searched the Australian records for information on Lillian and Samuel Huckle.

To the knowledgeable Martin and Craig for answering my queries on 1914-1918 WW1 forum.

Reference and further reading -

Census
Medal Rolls
Service records
Soldiers who died in the Great War
Immigration records
Newspaper articles - Derbyshire Times and Hull Daily Mail
CWGC http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx

2nd Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry war diaries http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352257


Monday 20 October 2014

ARTHUR JAMES MITCHELL



Arthur James Mitchell

Private 9580

2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters Regiment

Killed In Action - 20th October 1914


Arthur James Mitchell was the first of the 85 men named on the St Barnabas War Memorial to lose his life during World War 1.  Here is the story of Arthur's life, his family and his war service....

Arthur was the eldest son of William and Lucy Mitchell.  He was born in 1884 in the village of Morton in Derbyshire, baptised on 25th July that year at St Leonard's Church, Shirland. 
The Mitchell family did not originate from Derbyshire though; William was born in Cockfield, Suffolk around 1854, the son of James and Mary Ann Mitchell. In 1871 William was still living at home with his parents, the main employment in the village was agricultural labour.  May be William sought more from life than working the land and took his chance on finding employment in Derbyshire.

By 1875 William had moved to Derbyshire and begun life’s adventure; he met and married Lucy Cooper at St John’s Church, Staveley nr Chesterfield on 17th May 1875.
Lucy was also new to these parts, her mother and father Sarah and John Cooper had moved here from Shefford in Bedfordshire sometime after the 1871 census.  William Mitchell and Lucy’s father John had one thing in common; they both worked in the coal mining industry.
Married life for William and Lucy Mitchell....

On the 1881 census John Cooper and his family were still living in Staveley at 10 Devonshire Terraces.  William and Lucy Mitchell had moved home again and now lived in Blackwell at 224 Primrose Hill.  There were no children to the young couple at this time, but a few years on in 1884 came their son Arthur James Mitchell, taking his middle name "James" from his paternal grandfather.

By 1888 the Mitchell family had moved to New Whittington.  A second son named William Henry was born in the village that year.  Not long after a sister for Arthur and William was born; Lucy was baptised on 23rd October 1890.  In 1891 the family were living on South Street in New Whittington.  Arthur was at school aged 7 years old.  His father William was still working as a coal miner.  Two more sisters followed over the coming years, one named Edith was born in 1892, she was baptised on 3rd November 1892. Rose Ellen was born on 17th November 1894, she was baptised on 21st December 1894.  George evened out the numbers and another brother for Arthur was born on 17th August 1899.  George was baptised on 14th September 1899.

The 1901 census finds the Mitchell family settled with their six children living at 87 South Street.  Arthur was now 17 years old and worked as a coal miner as did his father William.  The youngest child was George aged just 6 years old.

A whole new world out there....

At some time over the next few years Arthur decided that he too should seek adventure and broaden his horizons.  We know from his obituary that he was a reservist when he was mobilised to serve with the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Forester’s Regiment as war broke out in 1914.

As a reservist Arthur would have already served with the colours, meaning that he had most likely served seven years army service.  His army number of 9580 indicates that he joined some time in 1904. As he is recorded as living in New Whittington on the 1911 census which was taken on 2nd April; then he probably joined in the months of January, February or March to have fulfilled his 7 years with the colours and be released by April 1911.  On his enlistment he would have signed for 12 years’ service; 7 years with the colours and 5 years as a reserve soldier.




Unfortunately service records do not exist for Arthur but looking at the two Sherwood Forest Regiment's movements for those years he may have seen action in the following places -


1st Battalion
1904 Singapore
1906 Bangalor
1909 Secunderabad
2nd Battalion
1904 Aldershot
1907 Kinsale
1909 Fermoy
1910 Plymouth



1911 the eve of war....

On completion of his 7 years’ service Arthur returned to New Whittington, he was now back in civilian life, knowing that if his country needed him he may be called back up to serve.   On the 1911 census he was aged 27 years old and had returned to work as a coal miner.  The family still live at 87 South Street, nothing much had changed.  

Two of Arthur’s sisters were not at home; Lucy would now be 21 years old.  Her name has been written on the census but then a line crossed through it.  I have not found her on any other census return for that year so it does look like she may well have normally been living at home.  Lucy’s crossed out name may well have been an act of rebellion on behalf of the women’s suffrage movement that was popular at this time.  Lucy could very well have crossed through her own name on the census return as a protest if she was a suffragette; no vote, no information for the government!

Edith was aged 18 years old and worked as a domestic servant for the Woodcock family; the head named William was a mechanical engineering draughtsman.  The house was a seven roomed home at number 516 Chatsworth Road.  Edith would have been a busy girl with all those rooms to attend to. 

Happy times came in 1913 when the wedding bells rang at Edith’s marriage to Herbert William Woodland.  Herbert would add some colour to the Mitchell family with his Welsh tongue; he was born in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales.  Herbert had come to New Whittington to work in the mines; in 1911 he was living at 85 Stone Row, High Street, New Whittington with his family.  The couple tied the knot on 25th December 1913 at St Bartholomew’s Church in Old Whittington.

I would like to think that Arthur and his family had a joyful day as they celebrated not only Christmas but the marriage of his younger sister on that winters day in 1913.  This would be the last Christmas that the family would share, the last Christmas for many years to come where the country was at peace.  Let’s hope that for the Mitchell family it was a wonderful day which gave them all happy memories to hold on to in the coming years.

The year to change the future....

1914 dawned and with it came expectations of joy for the Mitchell family; Rose Ellen Mitchell was to marry in the spring months and Edith and Herbert Woodland were expecting their first child, the first grandchild for William and Lucy.  Arthur was to be an Uncle very shortly.  A baby girl was born on 15th May 1914, named Lucy after her Grandmother. 
Rose Ellen married the local postman, a Scottish chap by the name of James Craig.  Their marriage was registered in the April of 1914. 
Only week’s later events that shook the world would change the lives of the Mitchell family forever.  Arthur was probably listening intently to the news and was fully aware that he would be called upon to serve for his King and Country once more.  England declared war on Germany at 11pm on 4th August 1914.
On that same day the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Forester Regiment received orders to mobilise; this was commenced on 5th August at Sheffield.  On 6th August 350 reservists arrived from the depot.  Arthur may have been one of these men.  At this time the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters were stationed in India.

James Craig the husband of Rose Ellen was also to enlist in the weeks that followed; he arrived in France on 31st August 1914 with the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders.
Edith’s husband Herbert Woodland enlisted with the Lincolnshire Regiment at Sutton In Ashfield on 2nd September 1914.  He entered the theatre of war 9 months later after completing his basic training arriving in France on 16th June 1915.
In a few months the Mitchell family had seen three of its members leave for war; sons, husbands and fathers.  Wives and sisters left to cope and await their letters and news. 





Arthurs War....

On the 8th August the battalion took the train to Piershill Barracks at Edinburgh where they remained until they took up camp at Holyrood Park on 12th August.  The stay in Scotland was short and on 14th August the battalion set off to Cambridge.  They set up camp on Midsummer Common.  On the 19th August the battalion received 17 more men which took them up to war strength.  Of the men who had mobilised 11 were found to be unfit for service and returned to Sheffield the next day.  Another 5 men were sent from Sheffield on 22nd August to replace those found to be unfit.

Arthur and his battalion remained in Cambridge making preparations for battle until 7th September when they marched to Newmarket from where they boarded a train destined for Southampton.  Once at Southampton Arthur boarded the S.S Georgian which would take the battalion on to join the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F). The war diary tells how conditions on this ship were not very good.  S.S Georgian had been fitted out to transport horses and so there was little accommodation for the men.  Even the officers were forced to sleep on deck but luckily the weather was reported as “fine and sea smooth”.

They spent one day at sea and reached the port of St Nazaire at 5am on 10th September.  The sheer numbers of ships and men arriving in the harbour necessitated that the men on S.S Georgian remain on board until about 11pm on the 11th September when the trains to transport the men finally arrived.  It was a slow process of disembarkation and they were forced to leave some carts and wagons behind due to lack of space on the transport.  But eventually at 1.45pm on 12th September they set off, reaching the town of Coulommiers at 7pm on 13th September.  We can only imagine how exhausted Arthur and his fellow comrades would have felt during this long and arduous journey from England to join the B.E.F.

The war that would be over for Christmas was already looking like it was to be a bloody battle, one which the British Army was ill prepared for.  Only 2 weeks earlier on 23rd August the B.E.F had been forced to retreat at Mons, a humiliating defeat for British pride.

What would Arthur be thinking as he set out on his journey? He was older now and had already experienced army life; this earned Arthur and his comrades the nick name of “the old contemptibles”.  These professional soldiers would soon have the Germans brought to heal, they would save poor little Belgium and bring peace to their lives once more.

During the remaining two weeks of September Arthur would march many miles taking in the villages of Dove, Chateau Thierry, Parcy-Tigny, Chacrise and Dhuizel.  The weather was bad, the rain heavy and the roads were sludgy from the large amounts of heavy transport which was driving by.  Despite the terrible marching conditions and spending the evenings billeted in various farms along the way the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters were to receive great praise from General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien the distinguished veteran soldier.  When they met with him in Dhuizel on 18th September “the battalion filed past him in splendid order at the end of their long days march”.  The General praised their marching stating “he had not seen any marching so good in the expeditionary force”.  The men were said to have been “delighted” to have received such praise. 

The raised spirits were needed as a few hours later at 3am on 19th September the battalion received their first call to arms.  Heavy musket fire had been heard in the distance.  They crossed the River Aisne by a pontoon bridge at Bourg, took a short break; long enough to have breakfast then set off again towards Vendresse ending at Troyon to take over from the Black Watch in the trenches.  They were relieved that night by the Gloucester Regiment. 



This was the first time trench warfare had been used on such a large scale as a battle tactic.  The men did not have the appropriate tools to build such large trenches.  The 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters Diary uses the word "entrenched" which suggests that Arthur may have been involved in digging these trenches whilst standing above ground.  This system left the digger open to danger and in full view of the enemy.

On the 20th September it was reported that the Germans had taken over the trenches to right of the B.E.F line, these trenches were important to the defence of the surrounding B.E.F trenches and so an attack was made by the battalion to retake the trenches.  Arthur may have witnessed the Germans marching away members of the B.E.F who were now prisoners of war.  The battalions attack was met by heavy machine gun fire by the German army.  The trenches were taken back by the battalion however there were losses.

Arthur had survived the first battle he was to fight during the Great War.  It is not known if he was wounded.  The war diary noted that “all ranks behaved splendidly”.

The battalion remained in the trenches until they were relieved by the East Yorkshire Regiment on 22nd September.  They had been under heavy gun fire from the Germans throughout this entrenchment period.  On relief they moved back to the reserve trenches at Troyon.
From the reserve trenches they were able to account for the wounded and losses over the dates from the 20th, 21st and 22nd September –


"Officers – 5 killed 8 wounded
Other ranks - 44 killed 165 wounded"
After a mere two days rest the battalion returned to relieve the East Yorkshire Regiment in the previously regained trench.  After another day of heavy shell fire they were relieved and set of marching to the town of Pargnan.  They arrived around 2.30 am to find the town was being shelled by the enemy.  During the march more men were wounded and a note in the diary states “a very long trying day”.
On 28th September the battalion were stationed at Moullins.  A tragic accident occurred when Private 9428 T Goode was accidently shot by a sentry guard.  He was buried in Moullins Churchyard.
October followed much as did September, with Arthur and his comrades spending their time marching on and relieving in the trenches.  On 18th October the battalion marched from Fleurbaix travelling through the villages until they reached Ennettieres where they relieved the Durham Light Infantry.  At around 9pm the enemy began their bombardment of rifle and shell fire.    They remained in their positions on the 19ththe enemy’s rifles being very active”.
On the night of the 19th into the 20th October the men were employed in improving their trenches keeping their communications active, which was said to have been “considerably interfered with by the enemy’s fire".

At daybreak on 20th the enemy launched a much heavier attack on the battalion and at around 7.10 am it was reported that the battalion headquarters in the village had been shelled.  The Germans were gradually surrounding the position of the 18th Brigade.  Until eventually the enemy took hold of the right flank.  The B.E.F continued to fight and hold their position until 7pm that night when it was realised that they had been totally surrounded Captain Wilkin, his 10 officers and 484 men were to surrender and became prisoners of war.  Many of those 484 men would also be wounded.
The regimental history of the Sherwood Foresters states “not one of the trenches held by the 2nd Foresters was taken by direct attack, except some of those on the extreme right flank which were occupied by platoons out of sight of one another – five of these covering some 1500 yards of front”. 

It is also noted how immensely outnumbered the B.E.F was on those 48 hours of attack.  The official registers and rolls of the men were lost when the battalion headquarters was shelled so it is difficult to state exactly how many men suffered during those two days but the numbers are estimated in the regimental history as -


"Officers – 3 killed, 3 wounded, 10 captured
Non-commissioned officers and men – 610 missing and killed, 100 wounded
Other ranks – 484 captured, 126 killed and wounded"
 
Brigadier General Congreve wrote two days later of the battalion’s service, they “had done exceedingly well all day; it was just worn out and overwhelmed by superior numbers"

Arthur’s war was now over, the Mitchell family were to hear of their first loss and in fact this was the first death of those 85 men who are remembered on the St Barnabas Memorial.
Arthur can be remembered for the brave sacrifice he gave during an extremely difficult and outnumbered attack.  He helped protect the Bridge over the River Aisne in France which was crucial to the B.E.F’s future manoeuvres. 
Arthur has no known grave; his date of death is given as 20th October 1914.  He is remembered on Panel 7 at the Ploegstreet Memorial in Belgium.  He was aged 31 years old.
He was awarded the Victory, British, 14 Star and clasp for his service.
The sad news arrived home....
William and Lucy Mitchell were told of Arthur’s death from a friend who also lived in the village of New Whittington.  She was the wife of Sergeant Magness who was also serving with the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Forester Regiment.  He sent the sad news home on a postcard to her, asking that she pass the news on to William and Lucy.
The town’s local newspaper the Derbyshire Times dated 14th November 1914 p4 announced the death, no photo was published.
“NEW WHITTINGTON SOLDIER KILLED –
Information reached Whittington last weekend that one of our soldiers had fallen at the front.  The victim is Arthur Mitchell who resided with his parents in South Street, New Whittington.
Mitchell was 31 years of age, a reservist and belonged to the Notts & Derbys Reg.
The sad intelligence was conveyed by postcard sent by Corporal Magness of the same regiment to his wife at Whittington and asked that Mitchells parents should be told of his death”

The village of New Whittington would spend the coming years receiving messages similar to that of the postcard sent to Mrs Magness.  The Derbyshire Times would become a place of notification of these deaths, missing in action and of course some promotions and acts of bravery were also mentioned. 
Life went on....
Arthurs parents Lucy and William Mitchell saw a great deal of sadness in their lives, William died in 1929 Lucy in 1932.
Rose Ellen and her husband James Craig were proud to announce the birth of their little son in 1914.  He was named James G Craig.  Sadly this happiness was again over to soon as James was also killed in action on 18th June 1915.  James' story can be read here

Rose remained in New Whittington after Arthur's death.  On 9th November 1919 she married bachelor Walter Bostock.  Walter was aged 24 years of age and worked as a miner.  Rose's happiness didn't last long as in 1922 Walter died aged just 27 years old.  Rose was the same age, a young woman who had lost two husband's, she must have been distraught.

Although Rose had remarried she still signed for the medals due to James in 1919, 1921 and 1922 in the name of "R E Craig".  Rose may well have felt it her duty as wife to James to honour him and sign as she would have remained had it not been for the sad realities of war.

In 1939 Rose and her son James were living at 35 South Street, James worked as a pork butchers assistant.  Rose's nephews Arthur and Tom Clewley were also living with her.

Rose Bostock is registered as deceased in 1974 aged 79 years old.

I have not found any definite life story for James Gordon Craig, he may have married late in life to Louisa Cummins in 1967.  There is a death registered for a James Gordon Craig in Chesterfield in 1977.

Edith and Herbert Woodland bore another daughter named Edith she was born on 21st February 1916.  Herbert survived the war but unfortunately tragedy struck again for the Mitchell family when Edith his wife died in 1918.  She would leave Herbert with two toddlers to look after on his return from war service.  Herbert went on to marry Emma Cartledge in 1919.  He died in 1953.
William Henry the eldest Mitchell son married Lucy Jane Woodland in 1919.  Lucy Jane was the sister of Herbert Woodland.  They had four children - William J 1919, George 1921, Edith 1924 and Arthur 1926.  Were these two children named after their deceased Aunts and Uncle; Edith and Arthur?
William Henry I am afraid also came to a tragic end.  The Derbyshire Times reported that on 27th June 1928 he was cycling along Sheffield Road near to the junction of Hardwick Street when two lorries swerved to avoid a collision with each other.  William was hit by the lorries and died of his wounds.  His wife Lucy Jane sued the companies and was awarded £600 damages for her and her four children in 1929. 

Lucy Mitchell married George Clewley in 1915.  They settled in New Whittington and began married life.  George was the brother of Tom Clewley, sadly Tom lost his life in the early days of the Battle of the Somme.  He was killed in action on 5th July 1916.  The story of Tom and his Clewley family can be read here (after 5th July 2016).  

Lucy and George had their first child a son on 25th July 1915, they named him Arthur.  Their second son was born in late 1916, he was named after his brave Uncle Tom Clewley. They went on to have two more children; Agnes Ellen in December 1917 and George Henry in January 1920.  

Lucy's husband George was not in good health, he had a heart condition which meant he had given up his employment at Staveley Coal and Iron Company in the early 1920's.  He died aged 36 years old in September 1924 and was buried at St Bartholomew's Church, New Whittington.  

What became of Lucy is unknown at this time, I have not found a death or a marriage for her as yet.  George and Lucy's son Tom Clewley was killed in action on 10th March 1944 whilst serving with the Royal Armoured Corps in Italy.  
What became of George Mitchell I have not been able to confirm at this time. 

Arthur Mitchell was witness at the wedding of another fallen hero of New Whittington; George Henry Mears story can be read here.
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If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on Arthur Mitchell or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

If you are descendant of the Mitchell family and would like to add your own family "story" then please do feel free to contact me.

I hope that I have not given details of living persons, if so please advise and I will remove immediately.

Please note all information has been taken from online indexes and sources.  Due to the sheer numbers of people to be researched I am unable to purchase vital event certificates to confirm my research.

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With thanks to -
Members of the WW1 Forum for all their expert advice when I have needed it http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/
Mike Briggs for the pages of the Regimental History of the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters.
Reference and further reading -
Census
Medal Rolls
Service Records
Newspaper articles - Derbyshire Times
The Long Long Trail http://www.1914-1918.net