Image ID: 14895

Sherwood Foresters Foreign Service Company at Normanton Barracks, Derby.

Normanton Barracks
Derby, Normanton by Derby
England

Sherwood Foresters before leaving for the Boer War at an unknown location (the picture was donated to Retford Library. W W Winter, the photographer was based in Derby) Update.. A web site user has identified this picture and gives the following information:- 'This picture is of the Volunteer Company prior to leaving the Depot at Normanton Barracks, Derby for foreign service in South Africa. The 1st Volunteer Company was formed on the 24th February 1900, and was taken on strength of the 1st Btn 10th April it was 115 strong & its Officers were Capt Turner Lee, 1st Notts, Lieut R.K.Ellis, 4th Notts Militia,Lieut F.A.C.Wright, 1st Derbyshire Volunteers. Pte 7353 Joseph Wingfield lived with his Father and Sister at The Gutter, off Nottingham Road, Belper. 7376 Cpl Oscar Taylor was formerly a Mining Engineer & came from Chesterfield, 7357 Pte R.A.Tinker from Derby later served in the Territorials and died in the 1950's. Sgt Blackwall came from an Army family in the Wirksworth area.' There is a long list of the names of soldiers present. Starting at the rear left :- Gregory, Lacey, Brown, Hickman, Swindell, Kelham, Blackney, Gamble, Jacks, Jackson, Crofts, MacMilan, Martin, Skevington, Herod, Hickinbottom. 2nd Row:- Ormesher, Farnesworth, Newbold, Wingfield, Walker, Cotterill, Clews, Dyson, Tattersall, Cooper, Edge, Champion, Moisey, Lane, Chatterton, Phillips, Smith, Forman, Wheewall, Austin, Soar, Goodlad, Johnson, Green. 3rd Row:- Piggford, Leek, Castleton, A Taylor W Taylor, Cotteril, Turner, Braddock, Frith, Hargreave, Atkin, Russell Warburton, Welbourne, Mason, White, Littlewood, McLeod, Jones, Stanley, Pick, Hardy, Gurnhill, Chappell, Sgt. Inst. Lattimore, Henson, E White, Brailsford, Fk. White Goodlad, Depledge, T Holmes, Norton, J Holmes, Peake, Walpole, Naylor, Bancroft, Laker, Poynter, Jones, Baker, Holland, Smith, Parker, Tinker, Simpson, Mills, Angliss, Hickinbottom. Front Row:- Cox, Millward, Manifold, Moreton, Bunting, Asman, Ward, Corporal Wild, Corporal Widnall, Sgt Mackenzie, Sgt Marshall, Colour Sgt Deniham. Lieutenant Kingdon Ellis. Capt Turner Lee, Lieutenant Cedric Wright, Sgt Blackwall, Corporal Essex, Sgt Austin, Corporal Taylor, Webourne, Heanes, Kirk, Taylor, Johnson, Malkin, P?. . The Sherwood Foresters have a distinguished history prior to World War 1. The Cardwell reforms of 1881 brought together the 45th and 95th Regiments of Foot with the Militia of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire plus the volunteer regiments of the two counties, to form The Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment). (It is of interest that it was not until 1902 that Nottinghamshire was added to the title.) The Regiment now consisted of: 1st Battalion (45th), 2nd Battalion (95th), 3rd (late Derbyshire Militia) and 4th (late Royal Sherwood Foresters) Militia Battalions, and 1st and 2nd (Derbyshire) and 3rd and 4th (Nottinghamshire) Volunteer Battalions. The Headquarters of the Regimental District was established in Derby. The outbreak of the Boer War in 1899 (1899-1902) found both regular battalions in Malta and during November of that year the 1st Battalion sailed for South Africa where they were to remain until the end of the War in 1902. They took part in most of the major battles and shared all the hard marching and privations of that long campaign. On one occasion they marched 400 miles in 45 days and were engaged with the enemy 28 times. The 4th Battalion and service companies of the Volunteer Battalions also took part in the campaign with great credit. The 2nd Battalion, still stationed in Malta, provided volunteers for the many mounted infantry companies. VCs were won by Cpl H Beet and Pte W Bees, while amongst the many other decorations bestowed on Foresters were no fewer than twenty-two Distinguished Conduct Medals.

Date: 23/02/2000

Organisation Reference: NCCN001302

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