Joseph Edward Wilson

Private Joseph Edward Wilson enlisted at Derby whilst residing at Bulwell, he served with the 10th battalion Sherwood Foresters Regiment, he went to France on 14th July 1915.

Killed in action 5th July 1916 in the attack on the German positions at Fricourt/Fricourt Wood, France, during the Battle of the Somme.

Buried: Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-Labbe, France. Plot 1, Row C. Grave 13. There are three burials in the grave: 491918 Private L Moss, Royal Lancaster Regiment, 5th July 1916, (JE Wilson), 24/1396 Private CGR Allam, Tyneside Irish NF, 5th July 1916. (See below.)

CWGC history of Heilly Station Cemetery (extract): The village is about 19 k N-E of Amiens and 10k S-W of Albert. The 36th Casualty Clearing Station was at Heilly in April 1916 and the 38th CCS and 2/2nd London CCS later that year. The cemetery was begun in May 1916 and used by the three medical units until April 1917. 'The burials in this cemetery were carried out under extreme pressure and many of the graves are either too close together to be marked individually, or they contain multiple burials. Some headstones carry as many as three sets of casualty details, and in these cases, regimental badges have had to be omitted. Instead, these badges, 117 in all, have been carved on a cloister wall on the north side of the cemetery.' (www.cwgc.org)

Wilson qualified for the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

The CWGC record has no details of next of kin.

Research and information Peter Gillings