John Harwood Cash Fletcher
Educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Retford. Played for the Derby Thornhill Football Club. 1911: warehouseman (lace trade).
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
John Harwood Cash was the eldest child of John Keyworth Fletcher and his wife Mary Ellen (née Cash).
His parents were married at Mansfield SS Peter and Paul on 22 September 1885 and had four children: John Harwood Cash (b. Heanor 1886), Edith Evelyn (b. Mansfield 1888), George Vincent (b. Heanor 1891) and Ethel Nora (b. Mansfield 1893).
John, a lace manufacturer's assistant, and Mary with their childen John and Edith were living with Mary's parents, John and Maria Cash, at Portland House, Victoria Street, Mansfield, in 1891.
However, by 1901 the Fletchers had moved to Parkfield House, Derby Road, Heanor, and John snr. was recorded on the census as a lace manufacturer. The eldest child, John Harwood, was a boarder at King Edward VI Grammar School, Retford. The family was still living at Parkfield House in 1911 when both John Harwood and his brother George were listed on the census form as warehousemen (lace trade). However, the entry for John was struck through by his father and marked 'away'; he has not yet been traced on this census.
John Keyworth, a lace and net manufacturer employing 30 people (premises at 47 Stoney Street, Nottingham), his wife and their married daughter Edith and her husband Charles Edward Hingley (m. 1919) were living at Abbeywood, London Road, Newark, in 1921.
John Keyworth died on 29 November 1933; he and his wife were then living on Tavistock Drive, Mapperley Park, Nottingham. His widow was living on Cyprus Road, Mapperley Park, at the time of her death in November 1952. Mary Ellen's daughters, Edith Evelyn Hingley (widow) and Ethel Nora Windle (m. Philip Windle 1923), were awarded Probate.
John Harwood Cash married Alice Maud Fisher on 20 February 1912 at All Saints church, Sawley, Derbyshire. The couple had two children, Vera Eileen (b. 26 June 1913) and Silas Harwood (b. 14 February 1915).
His widow married James Field in 1924 (reg. O/N/D Tewkesbury) but he predeceased her and in 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, Alice Maud (Field) was living at 39 Millicent Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, with her two children, Vera a shorthand typist, and Silas a commercial traveller (radio & electrical).
Vera married (1) Richard S Taylor 1941 and (2) Noel S Barnes 1949, while Silas married Moyra Angela O'Mullane in 1944. Their mother died at 39 Selby Road, West Bridgford, on 26 June 1953; she was survived by her children.
John had served in the Sherwood Foresters before the war and was gazetted on 12th December 1905: '1st Nottinghamshire (Robin Hood) Volunteer Rifle Corps; John Harwood Cash Fletcher, Gent., to be Second Lieutenant.' Dated 13th December, 1905. He resigned from the Volunteer Rifle Corps when he married in 1912.
He rejoined after the outbreak of war and went out to France in May 1916. Weeks later on 1 July 1916, the 1/7th Battalion was in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
The 7th Sherwood Foresters took part in the 'Diversionary Attack' near Gommecourt. As with all of the attacking battalions the men of the 7th Sherwoods became seriously confused in the thick smoke and parties veered off to left and right, some entering the Z where they were quickly hunted down and killed by the men of the 91st RIR. Some men led by the bombing officer, 2nd Lt Burton, reached nearly as far as the German third line but the officer was fatally wounded and his small party was forced to withdraw where they met others desperately trying to defend a few traverses in the German front line. Bombed from either side and with their officers either dead or wounded the men were forced out.
John Harwood was killed in the action at Gommecourt on 1 July. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France (Pier and Face 10 C 10 D and 11 A).
He qualified for the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Derby Daily Telegraph, ‘Marriages’, 23 & 24 February 1912: ‘Fletcher-Fisher. On Feb 20th, at Sawley Parish Church by the Rev. Arthur E Clarke, John Harwood Cash Fletcher to Alice Maude Fisher, of Trent Lock.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Derby Daily Telegraph, 7 July 1916: ‘Local Casualties. Sherwood Casualties. The Sherwood Foresters have already taken a prominent part in the great offensive on the English front, and naturally they have suffered a number of casualties. News has already been received that several officers have fallen … Captain TJ Leman, Second-lieut. JHC Fletcher are reported missing but believed to have been killed. The latter, who is in his 30th year, and married, was in business with an uncle at Mansfield prior to the outbreak of war, and having formerly held a commission, volunteered for service about six months ago, and had only been on active service for five weeks. He is a nephew of Ald. T. Fletcher of Derby, and is well known in the town, having at one time frequently played with Derby Thornhill Football Club.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
The following article was published in the 'In memoriam' section of the 'Retfordian', a magazine which was an in-house publication of the King Edward VI Grammar School, Retford, and is from Jim Grundy's facebook pages 'Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918': 'Lieut Harwood Fletcher, who was an officer in the Robin Hoods for some years before the war, but had resigned on his marriage, re-joined his regiment and went out to France in May 1915. He saw a good deal of service, but on July 1st 1916, was posted as missing after operations in front of Gommecourt, where he was seen in the German second line, wounded. No further traces of the gallant officer could be found, to the intense grief of his mother, his widow, and two little children. News of his death was published on 8th July 1916 in the Nottingham Daily Express :-“Mr. J. K. Fletcher, of Arboretum-street, Nottingham, has received a telegram from the War Office announcing that his son, Second-Lieutenant J. Harwood C. Fletcher, of the Sherwood Foresters, had been reported missing, and believed killed. Lieutenant Fletcher, who is in his 30 year, and married, was in business with an uncle at Mansfield prior to the outbreak of war, and having formerly held a commission, volunteered for service about six months' ago, and had only been on active service for five weeks.”'
Probate John Harwood Cash Fletcher. Nottingham 8/3/1918; probate awarded to his widow (effects £96/9s/11d)
Nottingham Evening Post, 'Deaths', 30 June 1953: 'Alice Maud Field widow of James Field on 26 June. Cremation Wilford Hill Wednesday.'
John Harwood Cash Fletcher
Photograph published in the 'Retfordian' magazine following Fletcher's death.
John Harwood Cash Fletcher commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial
Thiepval Memorial, France (www.cwgc.org)