WILLIAM NEEDHAM

WILLIAM NEEDHAM

Private 14982

10th Battalion Sherwood Forester Regiment

Killed in action - 9th August 1916

William Needham was living in Cresswell when he enlisted with the Sherwood Foresters.  He was born in New Whittington around 1885. His life prior to WW1 has not been easy to follow, but in 1911 he was living with his siblings at 4 Cross London Street in New Whittington.  I have not found William recorded on a census living with his parents.  

Assuming that William shared the same mother and father as his siblings then he was the son of Joseph and Sarah Needham.  Joseph was a carpenter/joiner born in Sittinglow, Derbyshire.  Sarah was born in Chinley near Chapel-en-le-Frith on the outskirts of the Peak District.  Sarah nee Royle married Joseph Needham on 6th February 1866 at Chapel-En-Le-Frith in Derbyshire.

In 1871 Sarah was living at West Street, Whittington with her two children; John aged 4 and Mary aged 2. John was born in Combs, Derbyshire around 1867 and so it would appear that the family moved to New Whittington some time around 1868/9 as Mary was born in the village.  Joseph was not living with Sarah on census night, he may well have been working away from home.  

More children followed; Joseph in 1872, Sarah Ann in 1877, Herbert in 1878, Alice in 1880, Martha in 1882. William was born at some time around the end of 1884 to the beginning of 1885 and another son named James Wilfred was born at the end of 1885 **please see the bottom if this post for my comments regarding James Wilfred and William. 

Sadly two of the children died; Mary died in 1873 aged just 4 years old. She was buried at New Whittington on 10th August 1873.  On 4th September 1885 eldest son John died aged just 18 years old.  He was admitted to Chesterfield Royal Hospital where he later died.

By 1891 Sarah and had moved to London Street, still in the same village of New Whittington.  However, neither William or his father Joseph are noted on the census returns.  

1901 finds Sarah now living at 69 South Street and described on the census as "widow".  It looks likely that her husband Joseph had recently died that same year.  Her two children; Martha and James W were still living at home with her.  Once more there is no mention of William Needham.

Joseph her son was living a few doors away at number 66, he had married Edith Wrigglesworth on 21st October 1895. The couple had a young son named Herbert aged 4 years old.  

Sarah Ann, William's sister had married John William Thompson on 24th September 1899 at Chapeltown, Near Sheffield.  John was a pattern maker and they had one son named Charlie, he was one year old on the 1901 census.  The young family were living at Bredbury in Cheshire.


Herbert had married Minnie Fletcher on Christmas Eve 1900, the newly weds were living at 87 High Street, New Whittington.  Herbert worked as a coal miner hewer.

Alice had also married, she had become step mother to another of the soldiers named on the St Barnabas Memorial when she married Thomas O'Brien in 1900.  Alice and Thomas O'Brien were living at 16 Bamford Street in 1901, with Thomas' children from his first marriage; Mary, Catherine and Thomas and their own child a son named William.  (Thomas jnr was killed in action on 22nd February 1916, his story can be read here). 

1911 the eve of war....

Move on ten years to 1911 and William is finally found on the census returns living with his siblings; Herbert and Joe.  Their mother Sarah was not living in New Whittington, whether she had died or moved is not known at this time.

William was enumerated on the census return as "Willie" aged 25 he worked as a coal miner.  They were all living in Herbert's home at 4 Cross London Street, New Whittington.  Herbert and Minnie Needham now had a son; 10 year old Arthur. 

William's other brother Joe and his son Herbert were also living in the same household.  

Sarah and John Thompson were still living in Bredbury at 4 Dark Lane. They had two more children by now; William aged 3 and Evelyn aged 1 year.  

Alice and Thomas O'Brien were living at 116 Crown Yard, Thomas was employed as an locomotive engine driver.  They had his son Thomas living with them along with Annie, Margaret and John from their own marriage.

Martha was living at 65 South Street, New Whittington in 1911.  She had married her sweet heart Solomon Ward on 15th July 1903.  The couple had two sons; Enoch aged 7 and Arthur 6 months of age.

James Wilfred was not recorded on the 1911 census.

William's war....

Unfortunately William's service records have not survived, nor does he appear to have been given an obituary in any of the local newspapers. William served with the 10th Battalion Sherwood Forester Regiment, many of the local men also served in this regiment.  William was known as Private 14928.  

Not knowing when William enlisted or when he first went into action it is difficult to ascertain what service he saw.  On 1st July 1916 the 10th Battalion were given orders to move to prepare for battle.  They collected supplies from Becourt Wood and moved out towards Fricourt. On 2nd July the battalion began their advance on Fricourt Wood at 12 noon.  The advance was slow though and held up several times due to the positions being held by the enemy.

On the 3rd July they were given orders to attack Railway Alley along with the 7th Border Regiment and 7th Lincolnshire Regiment.  The war diary states that the attack was "in every way successful and the casualties comparatively light".  The attack resulted in the garrison of the enemy showing the white flag and surrendering.  The battalion were able to move on and occupy Crucifix Trench.  The night was spent consolidating and patrolling the newly acquired ground, however they were under continued bombardment from enemy attack and sniper fire. On 4th July the men were relieved from their duties and marched weary in the rain to billets at Ville.

August 1916 came and the battalion received orders to move from their billets near Albert to the trenches at Pommiers Redoubt.  That night and the following morning the men spent time collecting supplies.  On 3rd August they were given further orders that they were to leave by daylight on 4th August and move to relieve the 22nd Royal Fusiliers near to Mine Trench.  

No rest for the battalion as on 5th August they were moved on once more to relieve the 9th Duke of Wellington Regiment at Longueval.  This was no easy task as the ground had been so heavily shelled there was some large shell holes which were joining together which "made work extremely difficult".

The following days were spent carrying out several unsuccessful attacks on Delville Wood.  Each time the battalion were unable to push forward and "establish a line of posts outside the wood".  On 8th August the battalion were to relieve the 7th Lincolnshire Regiment.  This was once again not an easy manoeuvre and the battalion did not arrive in the trenches vacated until 7.30am on 9th August.  Within the battalion three of the companies were now stationed in the trenches at Montauban Alley, the fourth company was stationed in a new trench situated in between Longueval and Montauban.

The war diary gives the following statistics for casualties for the days of 4th to the 9th August 1916 -

"Officers - 7 wounded (1 of which with shell shock)

Other Ranks - 

38 killed,

5 died of wounds,

148 wounded,

23 missing"

William was killed in action on 9th August 1916.  He has no known grave but is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, France.  Ref pier and face 10C 10D and 11A.

Private 14928, William Needham was awarded the Victory and British Medals for his service.

Siblings names noted on Soldiers Effects register
co www.ancestry.co.uk

Piecing together the life of William Needham has not been a simple task, he does not appear on all of the British census returns.  However, the register of his effects and whom received the pension payments after William's death do confirm that his siblings were; Joseph, Herbert, Sarah A Thompson and Martha A Ward.  

Life went on....

Joseph Needham and Edith were still living in New Whittington at the time of WW1.  What became of them after that time in unknown for now.  If they remained in the New Whittington area then Joseph may have died in 1946.

Sarah Ann and John Thompson remained living in Bredbury, Cheshire. John died in 1922 aged just 51 years old.  Sarah was living alone at 4 Vernon Road, Bredbury in 1939.  Sarah may have died in 1958 but this would need further confirmation.

Herbert Needham appears to have remained in New Whittington.  On the 1939 Register Herbert and Minnie were living at 87 London Street. Herbert was out of work at the time.  

Alice and Thomas went on to have what appears to be a very turbulent marriage.  However, they had five children; William, Annie, Margaret, John and Sarah.  John died less than one year old in 1911.  Alice also died at a young age in 1915, she was just 36 years old.  Alice's story can be read in more detail here.

Martha and Solomon Ward also continued to live in New Whittington. They had another son named George in 1913.  The family were living at 63 South Street in 1939.  Martha died in 1951 aged 69 years of age.

James Wilfred Needham remain a mystery, if anyone can add anything to their story please contact me.

** MY THOUGHTS..... is William "Willie" Needham actually James Wilfred Needham??  No census records both males living with their siblings in the same year.  A check of the General Register Office birth registers confirm that the children of Joseph and Sarah Royle all had the birth mother as Royle; the only name not registered is William Needham.  This however could be an error, or maybe they never got round to registering both boys in 1885?? 

*****

If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on William Needham or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

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.

*****

Ref and further reading  -

Census

Parish registers
Medal rolls
Soldiers who died in the Great war

Register of soldiers effects
Service record - www.ancestry.co.uk

Newspaper articles - Derbyshire Times 12th September 1885, page 5

CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

War diaries - Piece WO-95-2008 

10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters http://www.naval-military-press.com/10th-s-bn-the-sherwood-foresters.-the-history-of-the-battalion-during-the-war.html

The capture and defence of Montauban July 1916 http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-the-somme-1916/the-capture-and-defence-of-montauban-1-13-july-1916/

JOHN WILLIAM LONGMATE

JOHN WILLIAM LONGMATE

Private 18951

10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters

Missing presumed dead - 14th February 1916

John William Longmate was the first born child of James and Emily Longmate.  He was born in Brimington close to New Whittington in 1896.

James William, John's father was a local man, born in Staveley he worked as a moulder at the local iron foundry.  James married Emily Augusta Evans on 1st January 1896 at St John The Baptist Church in the centre of Staveley Town. 

Not long after in 1897 John's little sister arrived, named Elizabeth she was born on 11th December 1897.  In 1901 the family were living at 9 Canal Row, Staveley.  Another son was born on 18th June 1901 named Robert Edward and then on 26th March 1904 James Harold was born.

 

1911 census
www.findmypast.co.uk

The 1911 census finds the family have moved home and were now living in New Whittington.  They lived at 105 High Street, James was still employed as an iron moulder and John now aged 14 was following in his fathers footsteps as an apprentice iron moulder.  Elizabeth, Robert and James Harold would all still have been attending school.  The census form also states that there was another child born to James and Emily which had sadly died. 

John William Longmates war....

Unfortunately the service records for John have not survived but a newspaper article states that John joined up in the November of 1914.  If this was correct then John would only have been around 18 years old when he enlisted.  He joined the 10th Battalion Sherwood Forester Regiment, a local regiment he probably went along with a friend or two to enlist.

The 10th Battalion was a service battalion, formed in September of 1914 at Derby it was part of Kitcheners New Army.  Known as K2 this call for men was the second recruitment drive in just over one month.  The men would be signing a contract for "General Service" to serve for up to three years or the remainder of the war, whichever was the longest. 

On arrival in France on 15th July 1915 the battalion rested before taking the train the next day to St Omer.  The next days were spent marching to various billets.  On 18th July the men marched into Ebblingham, the war diary tells "the French watched two companies march in - much impressed!".

By 27th July they had reached Hooge, where they remained until 3rd August.  In this time they "witnessed the loss of some trenches and the failure of a counter attack.... total casualties during their stay; 14 other ranks wounded".   Interestingly, the diary also recalls "each company except D Company was able to send its men into the trenches for 24 hrs instruction while in the Ouderdom Road and at Reninghelst, fortunately without any casualties". 

August 1915 saw the battalion remaining in the Ouderdom and Reninghelst area.  They were to witness a German mine explode at 6.50pm on 21st August.  The enemy then carried out a short bombardment on the trenches occupied by the 10th Battalion, but luckily there was no damage or any casualties. 

The men remained in the trenches at Chateau Lankhof for five days of heavy bombardment.  On 25th August "2/Lieut Wilmot + 4 O.R wounded by a whizzbang". 

On 31st to 1st September the men marched to trenches in Sanctuary Wood, they were detached from the 51st Brigade and now attached to the 9th Brigade "for a special purpose".  The battalion joined the 7th Border Regiment.  The war diary describes the trenches in detail stating "the trenches were in good condition but were not riveted at all nor were the approach trenches boarded in most of their length.  36 hours rain on 2nd & 3rd caused many of the trenches to fall in and made much of the approach trenches impassable.  During our stay of 14 days much of this was remedied; the approach and reserve trenches were widened and riveted and duck boarding put down practically throughout; parapets were rebuilt and riveted ".  The battalion worked both in daylight and under the stars, which enabled them to build a new communication trench which was aptly named "Sherwood Road". 

During the days when the battalion were busy carrying out the above duties, mending the trenches, the enemy were carrying out heavy bombardment of Sanctuary Wood and Zouave Wood.  The battalion suffered casualties;

1st September 2 other ranks wounded

2nd September 1 other rank killed, 4 wounded

3rd September 8 other ranks wounded

5th September 2/lt Howard wounded, 1 other rank wounded

6th September 2 other ranks wounded

7th September 1 other rank wounded

8th September 2/Lieut Hutcheson killed by a sniper

9th September 1 other rank wounded

11th September 4 other ranks wounded

12th September 2 other ranks wounded

13th September Major Young killed, 4 other ranks wounded.

After such a tiring two weeks the men were rewarded with a whole five days rest in which they spent their time resting, playing football and boxing.  The relaxation time was over all too soon and they were soon back in the thick of it.  On 25th and 26th September the battalion took part in the battle at Hooge.  Their objective being to protect the right flank from attack, however over the two days they came under heavy enemy shell fire; total casualties - 2/Lieut Chandler and Chapman slightly wounded, 7 other ranks killed, 50 other ranks wounded and 1 other rank missing.

John may well have been present at the end of October 1915 when the men were relieving in the trenches near Sanctuary Wood, when "bands were heard playing in the enemy's line, on two or three occasions".  The war diary goes on to tell "on two fine mornings the enemy aeroplanes were extremely active and dropped smoke bombs on some material lying in the open, which was promptly shelled".

Christmas 1915 was spent in the trenches near Ypres.  On Christmas eve Lieutenant A G Shaw was shot dead by an enemy sniper.  "Christmas day was a quiet day in the trenches, troops were warned against relaxing their vigilance and there was a little artillery action".

The war diary finishes 1915 with the following entry, describing the 30th and 31st and the month of December 1915 -

"These two days were spent in rest camp.

Casualties for month of December

Lieut A. G. Shaw killed

22 O.R killed

38 O.R wounded

9 O.R wounded slightly at duty.

A very tiring and trying month for all ranks"

1916 dawns....

John and his comrades remained in the rest camp, they ate a New Years dinner "to the satisfaction of all ranks" and a second draft of 57 ordinary ranks arrived to make up the falling numbers.  Maybe, 1916 was going to be a good year? Were the men feeling positive optimism?

On 3rd January 1916 the battalion were marched to the Ypres ramparts to relieve the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers.  On 7th January the men took the train back to St Omer.  They billeted in Houlle and Malterie Houlle and rested whilst attempting to re-equip the battalion "as much as possible". 

During their time in Houlle a programme of training was undertaken, some of the men were sent to Brigade Schools for machine gun and signalling instruction.  The other men remained in camp and carried out Company Training.  Much football was played and on 19th January the 10th Battalion took on the 79th Brigade Royal Field Artillery in the divisional league.  Unfortunately they were beaten by 2 goals to 1.

After enjoying one month of rest, training and football the men must have been in better spirits and so from 5th to 8th of February the battalion moved off via train journey back to the front.  They relived the 7th Lincolnshires south east of Ypres on 13th February 1916.  The night of 13th February "past quietly with the exception of occasional H.E shrapnel"

14th February 1916....

By 12 noon the war diary reported "1 O.R killed, 7 O.R wounded including 3 slightly at duty"  What happened next was written as a report after the events had occurred.  The four company's of the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters were occupied in the front line and support trenches, there were no men in reserve.

The night of the 13th was described as "relatively quiet" however, this would prove to be the lull before the storm that was to come in the future hours.  At 8.30am on 14th February the enemy commenced intermittent bombardment using "trench mortars, rifle grenades and some guns".  This continued until 3.30pm when "the enemy commenced a terrific bombardment in the front line".  Communication with the front line was soon cut off but the heavy shelling could be seen from the Brigade Headquarters and "as much retaliation was called for as could be obtained".

This retaliation commenced at 4pm but there seems to have been a misjudgement of exactly how bad the enemy's attach was, the 10th Battalion wrote  "we had great difficulty in impressing the Artillery with the seriousness of the situation.  At the height of the bombardment a message was received "is that sufficient".  The Artillery attack was not sufficient , described as "inadequate and poor in comparison with that coming over".  The Company Commander decided that it would be of no use to send any more men as the "front trenches were battered to the ground".

At 5.30pm it was reported that a mine had exploded in one of the trenches. The chilling events that followed are taken from the war diary....

"The Germans, preceded by a large number of bombers, who from some accounts were dressed in khaki, with white bands on their right arms, jumped into our front line trenches as the guns lifted and must have been well across "no mans land" before the bombardment lifted"

Once in our trenches the Germans found little resistance, what troops were left would have been worn out, most likely wounded and most definitely in shock  of the tragic situation which had just unfolded.  The enemy moved through the communication trenches but were stopped in their tracks by the B.E.F in the support trenches.

It was decided that a counter attack would take place and the 7th Lincolnshire Regiment and the 7th Border Regiment were brought in to back up the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.  The outcome of this attack was summed up in one small sentence "The counter attack was not successful".

Private John William Longmate lost his life at an unknown time during the tragic events of 14th February 1916.  The surviving men of the Battalion were relieved in the trenches on 15th February.  A counter attack with bombs was also ordered, but sadly this to was unsuccessful.

Missing in action....

 

Derbyshire Times 4th March 1916 p5

The news that there was worry over John's whereabouts soon arrived in New Whittington.  His "missing" status was reported in the Derbyshire Times at the end of February.  Just two weeks after John's given date of death.  The report also gave John's place of work before the war as Staveley Company's Ireland Colliery.

A more detailed article with a photograph of John was placed in the Derbyshire Times on 4th March 1916.  It reported that John had been present at Ypres, where there had been heavy fighting and that John had not been heard of since that time.

Local connections....

A local man named Charlie Millband had written to James and Emily Longmate to inform them that John was missing in action.  Charlie was the brother of Henry Millband who was fighting alongside John with the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.  Henry was also reported missing in action on the same day.  At the time of the deaths of John and Henry, Charlie Millband was serving with the 7th Battalion Leicester Regiment but in a cruel twist of fate he was transferred to the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters on 28th February 1916, just two weeks after his own brother had been killed whilst serving with them. 

As the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters suffered high loses over the early weeks of February 1916, Charlie would have been one of the men transferred to make up the numbers, but sadly it would be his own brothers and friends he was replacing.  Charlie no doubt spoke to members of the 10th who had been present with John and Henry at Ypres and would be fully aware of the state of fighting on the days leading up to the men's deaths.

Finally the sad news arrives....

Derbyshire Times 22nd April 1916 p4

At last the agonising wait for John's family and friends was finally over when in April a soldier wrote to James and Emily to inform them that he had found John's body.  The unnamed soldier had removed any personal possessions he could find on John which included his regimental pay book, photos, postcards and his jack knife.  These were all returned to James and Emily along with his letter.

John Longmate, Private 18951 is remembered at The Menin Gate Memorial in the Belgian city of Ypres.  His name can be found inscribed on the panel 39 or 41.

John was awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and 15 Star for his service.


Life went on....

James & Emily Longmate lived at 105 Chesterfield Avenue, New Whittington at the time of John's death.  The family appear to have remained in the surrounding area. 

Probate entry for James William Longmate
www.findmypast.co.uk

Emily died in 1943, James four years later on 10th June 1947.  His address was 48 Laburnum Street, Hollingwood.  His probate entry tells that the executor of the will was Robert Edward Longmate, blacksmith (his son).  The amount was £417 7s 5d.

Elizabeth Longmate may have married Oliver Barson in 1924.  Oliver was around the same age as her brother John, they had both worked in the iron moulding trade before the Great War.  Elizabeth and Oliver may have had a daughter named Joan in 1928.  In 1939 the family were living in the Staveley area.  Oliver died in 1956 and Elizabeth died in 1981.

Robert Edward Longmate died in 1975. 

James Harold Longmate may have married Muriel Mapes in 1942.  He died in 1980 aged 76 years old.

*****

If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on John William Longmate or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

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.

*****

Ref and further reading  -Census
Parish registers
Medal rolls
Soldiers who died in the Great war
Register of soldiers effects
Probate register
Newspaper articles - Derbyshire Times
CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

Illustrations via the Internet Archive  free book images.

War diary 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters - Ref WO 95 2002/2-1

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/centenary-unit-war-diaries/

www.ancestry.co.uk
www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
www.findmypast.co.uk
http://www.1914-1918.net/notts.htm





HENRY MILLBAND

HENRY "HARRY" MILLBAND

Private 15143

10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters

Missing presumed dead - 14th February 1916

 

Henry was affectionately known as "Harry".  He was born on 9th May 1894 in Asfordby, Leicestershire.  Harry was the son of Charles and Ada Millband.  He was baptised at Asfordby on 3rd June 1894.

Charles Millband married Ada Roberts on 1st August 1892 at St Nicholas Church in Nottingham. 

Harry had a younger brother, named after their father, Charles jnr was born on 5th November 1896. 

 







Electoral Roll 1897 showing Charles Millband (senior)
www.findmypast.co.uk





 

 

 

 

 

Harry and Charles lost their father at an young age, Charles snr died in 1898, he was only 29 years old.  Only a year earlier in 1897 Charles had been included in the list of electors for the Asfordby area.  The family address was Bowley's Cottages, Asfordby, Melton Mowbray. 

Henry Millband school logbook entry 29th June 1897

www.findmypast.co.uk

The boys attended Asfordby Church of England School; Henry started school on 29th June 1897.  The entry in the school register simply gives the mothers name as "Ada" his father was not documented.  Charles jnr's first day was 8th January 1900, his address was given as Church Lane, his father was named as Charles Millband.   

A new start for Ada Millband....

Ada married John Randell in the summer of 1900, John was a locomotive engine driver at the blast furnace.  On the 1901 census the Randall family were living at Pump Lane, Asfordby.  Harry is recorded as the "son of" John and is named as Henry Randall.  Ada and John also had a son of their own named John he was just 4 months old. 

Charles jnr was not living with Harry and his mother Ada in 1901.  He had been adopted by William and Bathsheba Miller.  Bathsheba was the sister of Charles snr, the Aunt of Harry and Charles jnr.  Poor Ada probably found it too much to provide for two young sons after her husbands death.  It would have been common practice at that time for a family member to take in a child and help with their upkeep.  William and Bathsheba married in 1892, they lived Heanor in 1901.

 

Harry is recorded as leaving Asfordby Church of England school on 28th August 1905, the family most likely moved to New Whittington at sometime in the summer of this year. 


1911 the eve of the Great War....

1911 census Henry Millband

The Randall family had one more family member by now, Cecil Walter was born in Asfordby in 1905.  Harry, aged 16 years old, worked as a fitters labourer at the blast furnace.  

The family had moved home and now lived at 38 Devonshire Cottages, Barrow Hill.

 

Charles Millband was still living with his adoptive parents William and Bathsheba.  They lived at 69 Ebenezer Street, Langley Mill.  William and Bathsheba had never had any children of their own so I would hope that Charles was cherished and cared for well by the Miller couple.  Charles was aged 14 years and worked as a hosiery trimmer.  Another nephew named Ernest Millband was also living with the family.

 

Harry's war....

 

Harry Millband does not have any surviving service records, neither have I found any newspaper articles to provide us snippets of information regarding Harry's service.  The date on Harry's medal card states that he first entered the field of war in France on 14th July 1915. 

 

The 10th Battalion was a service battalion, formed in September of 1914 at Derby it was part of Kitcheners New Army.  Known as K2, this call for men was the second recruitment drive in just over one month.  The men would be signing a contract for "General Service" to serve for up to three years or the remainder of the war, whichever was the longest.

 

The 10th Battalion were carrying out their final basic training at Winchester in the June of 1915.  Part of the 51st Infantry Brigade, the 17th Division.  They left Winchester on 14th July 1915 for Folkestone where they embarked for Boulogne, France. 

On arrival in France on 15th July 1915 the battalion rested before taking the train the next day to St Omer.  The next days were spent marching to various billets.  On 18th July the men marched into Ebblingham, the war diary tells "the French watched two companies march in - much impressed!".

 

By 27th July they had reached Hooge, where they remained until 3rd August.  In this time they "witnessed the loss of some trenches and the failure of a counter attack.... total casualties during their stay; 14 other ranks wounded".   Interestingly, the diary also recalls "each company except D Company was able to send its men into the trenches for 24 hrs instruction while in the Ouderdom Road and at Reninghelst, fortunately without any casualties". 

 

August 1915 saw the battalion remaining in the Ouderdom and Reninghelst area.  They were to witness a German mine explode at 6.50pm on 21st August.  The enemy then carried out a short bombardment on the trenches occupied by the 10th Battalion, but luckily there was no damage or any casualties. 

 

The men remained in the trenches at Chateau Lankhof for five days of heavy bombardment.  On 25th August "2/Lieut Wilmot + 4 O.R wounded by a whizzbang". 

 

 

On 31st to 1st September the men marched to trenches in Sanctuary Wood, they were detached from the 51st Brigade and now attached to the 9th Brigade "for a special purpose".  The battalion joined the 7th Border Regiment.  The war diary describes the trenches in detail stating "the trenches were in good condition but were not riveted at all nor were the approach trenches boarded in most of their length.  36 hours rain on 2nd & 3rd caused many of the trenches to fall in and made much of the approach trenches impassable.  During our stay of 14 days much of this was remedied; the approach and reserve trenches were widened and riveted and duck boarding put down practically throughout; parapets were rebuilt and riveted ".  The battalion worked both in daylight and under the stars, which enabled them to build a new communication trench which was aptly named "Sherwood Road". 
 

 

During the days when the battalion were busy carrying out the above duties, mending the trenches, the enemy were carrying out heavy bombardment of Sanctuary Wood and Zouave Wood.  The battalion suffered casualties;

 

1st September 2 other ranks wounded

2nd September 1 other rank killed, 4 wounded

3rd September 8 other ranks wounded

5th September 2/lt Howard wounded, 1 other rank wounded

6th September 2 other ranks wounded

7th September 1 other rank wounded

8th September 2/Lieut Hutcheson killed by a sniper

9th September 1 other rank wounded

11th September 4 other ranks wounded

12th September 2 other ranks wounded

13th September Major Young killed, 4 other ranks wounded.

After such a tiring two weeks the men were rewarded with a whole five days rest in which they spent their time resting, playing football and boxing.  The relaxation time was over too soon and they were soon back in the thick of it.  On 25th and 26th September the battalion took part in the battle at Hooge.  Their objective being to protect the right flank from attack, however over the two days they came under heavy enemy shell fire; total casualties - 2/Lieut Chandler and Chapman slightly wounded, 7 other ranks killed, 50 other ranks wounded and 1 other rank missing.

 

Harry may well have been present at the end of October 1915 when the men were relieving in the trenches near Sanctuary Wood, when "bands were heard playing in the enemy's line, on two or three occasions".  The war diary goes on to tell "on two fine mornings the enemy aeroplanes were extremely active and dropped smoke bombs on some material lying in the open, which was promptly shelled".

 

Christmas 1915 was spent in the trenches near Ypres.  On Christmas eve Lieutenant A G Shaw was shot dead by an enemy sniper.  "Christmas day was a quiet day in the trenches, troops were warned against relaxing their vigilance and there was a little artillery action".

The war diary finishes 1915 with the following entry, describing the 30th and 31st and the month of December 1915 -

"These two days were spent in rest camp.

Casualties for month of December

Lieut A. G. Shaw killed

22 O.R killed

38 O.R wounded

9 O.R wounded slightly at duty.

 

A very tiring and trying month for all ranks"

1916 dawns....

Harry and his comrades remained in the rest camp, they ate a New Years dinner "to the satisfaction of all ranks" and a second draft of 57 ordinary ranks arrived to make up the falling numbers.  Maybe, 1916 was going to be a good year? Were the men feeling positive optimism?

On 3rd January 1916 the battalion were marched to the Ypres ramparts to relieve the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers.  On 7th January the men took the train back to St Omer.  They billeted in Houlle and Malterie Houlle and rested whilst attempting to re-equip the battalion "as much as possible". 

During their time in Houlle a programme of training was undertaken, some of the men were sent to Brigade Schools for machine gun and signalling instruction.  The other men remained in camp and carried out Company Training.  Much football was played and on 19th January the 10th Battalion took on the 79th Brigade Royal Field Artillery in the divisional league.  Unfortunately they were beaten by 2 goals to 1.

After enjoying one month of rest, training and football the men must have been in better spirits and so from 5th to 8th of February the battalion moved off via train journey back to the front.  They relived the 7th Lincolnshires south east of Ypres on 13th February 1916.  The night of 13th February "past quietly with the exception of occasional H.E shrapnel"

14th February 1916....

By 12 noon the war diary reported "1 O.R killed, 7 O.R wounded including 3 slightly at duty"  What happened next was written as a report after the events had occurred.  The four company's of the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters were occupied in the front line and support trenches, there were no men in reserve.

The night of the 13th was described as "relatively quiet" however, this would prove to be the lull before the storm that was to come in the future hours.  At 8.30am on 14th February the enemy commenced intermittent bombardment using "trench mortars, rifle grenades and some guns".  This continued until 3.30pm when "the enemy commenced a terrific bombardment in the front line".  Communication with the front line was soon cut off but the heavy shelling could be seen from the Brigade Headquarters and "as much retaliation was called for as could be obtained".

This retaliation commenced at 4pm but there seems to have been a misjudgement of exactly how bad the enemy's attach was, the 10th Battalion wrote  "we had great difficulty in impressing the Artillery with the seriousness of the situation.  At the height of the bombardment a message was received "is that sufficient".  The Artillery attack was not sufficient , described as "inadequate and poor in comparison with that coming over".  The Company Commander decided that it would be of no use to send any more men as the "front trenches were battered to the ground".

At 5.30pm it was reported that a mine had exploded in one of the trenches. The chilling events that followed are taken from the war diary....

"The Germans, preceded by a large number of bombers, who from some accounts were dressed in khaki, with white bands on their right arms, jumped into our front line trenches as the guns lifted and must have been well across "no mans land" before the bombardment lifted"

Once in our trenches the Germans found little resistance, what troops were left would have been worn out, most likely wounded and most definitely in shock  of the tragic situation which had just unfolded.  The enemy moved through the communication trenches but were stopped in their tracks by the B.E.F in the support trenches.

It was decided that a counter attack would take place and the 7th Lincolnshire Regiment and the 7th Border Regiment were brought in to back up the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.  The outcome of this attack was summed up in one small sentence "The counter attack was not successful".

Private Henry Millband lost his life at an unknown time during the tragic events of 14th February 1916.  The surviving men of the Battalion were relieved in the trenches on 15th February.  A counter attack with bombs was also ordered, but sadly this to was unsuccessful.

 

Henry Millband, Private 18143 is remembered at The Menin Gate Memorial in the Belgian city of Ypres.  His name can be found inscribed on the panel 39 or 41.

Harry was awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and 15 Star for his service.

Life went on....


Ada Randell (formerly Millband) may have died in 1935 aged 60 years old. 

Charles Millband the brother of Harry also enlisted and served during the Great War.

Charles enlisted on 5th September 1914.  He was posted with the 7th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, Private 23836. 

He was 5ft 7 3/4 inches tall, weighed 125lbs.

His complexion was fair, with blue eyes and fair hair.

Charles religion was Wesleyan.

 

He remained with the Leicestershire Regiment until 27th February 1915, just two weeks after his brother Harry had been killed in action Charles was transferred to the 10th Battalion Sherwood Forester Regiment.  The same battalion as Harry had served with, which he and many fellow comrades had fallen on 14th February 1916.  How this must have felt for Charles we cannot imagine, he would be able to speak with Harry's surviving chums of the battalion, hear about the battle which took his elder brother, of the good times and the bad. 

Charles kindly wrote home to New Whittington as he is reported in the Derbyshire Times as having written to another local man's parents John Longmate, to inform them of his being reported as "missing in action". 

Charles served from 14th July 1915 until 18th August 1916 in France.  He was wounded on 6th August 1916 when he received a gun shot wound to the left hand.  He returned to England on 19th August 1916.  Charles was given recuperation time and then he was transferred to employment with the National Shell Filling Factory at Chillwell, Nottinghamshire. 

Charles was eventually discharged as being "no longer fit for war service" on 29th November 1917.  He was awarded the Silver War Badge on 17th January 1918 aged 23 years old, Charles was a civilian once more.

Charles may have married Florence Smith in 1918.  They were living in Nottingham in 1939 with three children.  There is a possible death registered for Charles Millband in Nottingham in 1962.


John "Herbert" Randall  & Cecil Randall I have been unable to find any definite records for the two half brothers of Harry Millband.  If anyone has any further information to add please contact me.


Asfordby Parish Hall Memorial....

Asfordby Parish Hall Memorial
with kind thanks to the Asfordby Parish Council

Harry Millband was not forgotten by his home village of Asfordby, he was remembered on the memorial which was erected in the Asfordby Parish Hall.

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With kind thanks to Asfordby Parish Council
for the photograph of the memorial
plaque.


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If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on Harry Millband or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

 

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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Ref and further reading  -

Census
Parish registers
School admission register - Ashfordby Church of England School
Medal rolls
Soldiers who died in the Great war
Register of soldiers effects
Probate register
Newspaper articles - Derbyshire Times
CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

Illustrations via the Internet Archive  free book images.

War diary 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters - Ref WO 95 2002/2-1

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/centenary-unit-war-diaries/

 

www.ancestry.co.uk
www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
www.findmypast.co.uk
http://www.1914-1918.net/notts.htm

Memorial Asfordby Hall and Asfordby history

http://asfordby.leicestershireparishcouncils.org/historyofasfordby.html