A 1st July Somme casualty

[Tony]

Hello,

I posted scans of a diary belonging to Pte. Sid Dore of the Sherwood Foresters in a thread here http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=576&st=0 a while back and this weekend I finally managed to get along to the Somme where he was killed on 1st July 1916.

Sid (whose unit was part of the 46th Division) was in B company, 1/7 Sherwood Foresters and so was probably in the 2nd wave of the diversionary attack on Gommecourt that morning at the far left of the line. The 1/7 were attacking the German strongpoint known as ?Little Z? near Gommecourt Wood.

The attack started all along the Somme front at 7.30am, Sid was probably dead or wounded somewhere near or in the German lines before 8am. My reasoning for this is because his diary must have been taken from him by a German, there?s German writing in it and I bought it in Germany from someone who did a house clearance.

Sid doesn?t have a known grave (Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery does has a number of graves for unknown Sherwood Foresters) and so is remembered on the Thiepval memorial along with more than 72000 other missing soldiers fighting in khaki.

I hope to find more info on Sid and if I do, I?ll post it here.

These pics show part of the Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery and some graves of unknown Sherwoods.

Tony

[Tony]

Looking at the battlefield from Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery. I believe the German line was just in front of the woods in the background. This is where the Sherwoods attacked on July 1st.

Not too far away in Fonquevillers there are two graves for Chinese labourers. I've never seen graves for Chinese labourers before but a lot of them must have died out there.

[Tony]

Thiepval Memorial and 2 of the 3 panels of missing Sherwoods.

Sid Dore?s name.

[Tony]

Thiepval memorial and some graves to French and British soldiers.

There were a very large number of wreaths and not just here at Thiepval. Many were in rememberance of the Germans although I only saw 1 wreath actually from Germany which was at the mine crater in La Boiselle, it stood out because of the black, red and gold colours of their flag.

[Tony]

The mine crater (known as Lochnagar Crater) at La Boiselle just off the Albert/Bapaume road: it was blown on 1st July 1916 under the German line at Sausage Valley using 60000 lbs of explosive. To get an idea of the size of this massive crater, there?s a park bench at the top.

[Tony]

The cross stands about 4m high and at the bottom in the middle are poppies.

The photo was taken looking towards Pozieres.

Edited July 4, 2005 by Tony

[Tony]

This is a French memorial in the village of Morval which is between Ginchy and Sailly Saillisel. All French villages no matter how small have a memorial.

I also visited my great great Uncle Bob who is buried in Hebuterne, he was killed while out fixing the wire on 28th October 1916 by a shell.

[Guest Rick Research]

A compelling and tragic story-- please keep us posted on your research progress!

My greatuncle was killed in action as a member of 50th Bn. A.I.F. three days after arriving at the front and in what, ironically, would be that Australian unit's last day of fighting in October 1918. As a "new guy" whose English may not have been that good (he was a Swedish national who had been living in Port Pirie) and who was not known to the other soldiers, his body was likewise "lost" when his papers were removed.

NOT by a German souvenir hunter (or someone who may have intended to get the diary back to his family "after the war" and then never could find them) but by an Official Idiot--

who removed his Paybook and wartime photo ID from when he had been a Swedish sailor. BOTH are in the Australian Archives to this day, neatly, tidily, moronically sent back all the way around the globe even as his now "unidentifiable" remains joined all the other Lost of this war. To FURTHER confuse the issue, the Official British notification to the Swedish Foreign Office translated a typo for "sailor" to "tailor" and managed to place his place of death NOT "in northern France" but "in the North Sea," which is all the family in Sweden knew for 75 years until I tracked what really happened down in Oz.

It is for us to remember the forgotten and the "lost."

[Tony]

What happened to his medals and plaque Rick?

[Guest Rick Research]

Squeak and Wilfred supposedly shipped to my great-grandmother in Sweden per British Official Paperwork-- family has NO recollection (all then alive are now dead, but I asked while there was still Living Memory). Plaques as I understand had to be applied for and far from everybody ever got one?

[Tony]

I contacted the Nottingham City library today (after receiving a very good tip from one of our members, Andrew Hesketh) where I spoke to a nice lady who informed me they would check their newspaper archives on microfiche.

I shall be contacted very soon (I hope) and am hoping for good news e.g. a photo.

Tony

[Bob Hunter]

Tony & Rick

I commend your efforts on behalf these fallen soldiers.

[Tony]

Hello,

I have some news on Sid which was passed on by one of our members (thanks Andrew) whose great Uncle served in the same unit and also fell in the same battle.

The following is part of Andrew's email:

I would suspect that Sid was one of the 24 men in the German front line trench as the five survivors of the incursion into the second line fell back (my reasons for assuming that Sid did not fall in No Man's Land are, firstly that his diary was recovered by a German, and secondly those who died in No Man's Land were recovered only as skeletal remains roughly a year later - though obviously many were never recovered).

I am still hoping to hear from the library in Nottingham but no news as yet.

Tony

[Dave B]

Fantastic Tony!....can you bring Sid's diary with you when you come over in October so I can have a look please mate....I would love to see it.

Dave

[Tony]

The Nottingham City Library called the other day to let me know they don?t have anything on Sid in their newspaper archives, no photo, no obituary, nothing. I?ll just have to hunt down his trio and plaque I suppose.

I have had invaluable help with the research (I actually haven?t done much at all) and was given some info on the men in the section Sid was in and thought some of you might like to know what happened to them.

L. Cpl. Spencer survived the war

Pte. Kent died non-combat causes on 11.8.16

Pte. Wilkeson survived the war. There?s no record of him serving in the Sherwood Foresters

Poor old Sid was killed in Action on 1.7.16 just before his 19th birthday and is remembered on the Thiepval memorial for the missing

Pte. Canadine died of wounds 28.6.16 aged 18

Pte. Davy (Signaller) survived the war

Pte. Danby survived the war

Pte. Woodford (Bomber); Thomas Cyril Woodford was killed in action on 1.7.16 and is buried in Foncquevillers Military Cemetery

Pte. Holland; Charles Ernest Holland was killed in Action on 1.7.16 and is remembered on the Thiepval memorial for the missing

Pte. Stringer (Bomber) survived the war

Pte. Keeley (Bomber), Thomas Keeley (Keetley (?) according to Sid's diary) was killed in Action on 1.7.16 and is remembered on the Thiepval memorial for the missing

Pte. Imerson (Bomber), no record of Pte Imerson in the Sherwood Foresters can be found

Tony

[Tony]

I don?t have more news on Sid but, If anyone is interested in reading about him and what the Sherwoods, in particular the 1/7 went through on the 1st July, there is an enormous amount to read here http://www.derbyshirelads.uwclub.net/

Tony

[Guest Andrew Hesketh]

I have had invaluable help with the research (I actually haven?t done much at all)

←

Not true Tony. Without your efforts none of this would have come to light. It's been a great pleasure collaborating with you on this.

(and thanks for the website plug!)

[Tony]

An update in case anyone is interested.

A kind collector has provided me with a photo of Sidney Dore and the following information:

Reported in Red Cross Enquiry List 1 September 1916 as unofficially wounded and missing 1.7.16

His body was recovered by the Germans but grave subsequently destroyed by shellfire.

Tony

[Tony]

The last two pages of his diary

[David Gregory]

Tony,

A great addition and a fitting close to a sad story. At least one of the many 1st of July KIA and MIA cases is not forgotten.

David