Joseph Spurr
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Joseph Spurr was born in 1889 in Nottingham and was the son of Joseph (senior) a chair maker and French polisher and Emma Spurr née Baker. His father Joseph senior was born in 1860 in Nottingham, his mother Emma Baker was born in 1858 in Nottinghamshire, they were married in 1878 in Nottingham, they had 3 other children, Emma b1879, Ellen b1883 and Robert Arthur b1887. Joseph married Annie Raven , in Nottingham in 1909 , they went onto have 2 children Joseph Walter was born on 3rd November 1910 in Nottingham and Arthur William was born on 16th March 1912 in Nottingham. In the 1911 census the family are living at 2 Cambridge Street, St Ann's Nottingham , Joseph is 21 yrs a carter working at a brewery, he is living with his wife Annie 20 yrs (b1891 Nottingham) and their son Joseph Walter 5 months. Following his death, his widow Annie received a letter dated 26th February 1916 from the War Office informing her she would be in receipt of a pension of 18 shillings and 6 pence a week for herself and two children to take effect on 28th February 1916.
Private Joseph Spurr, enlisted in Nottingham on 28th April 1908 into the territorial battalion, 1/7th Battalion Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment (Robin Hood Rifles) he was 18 years and 11 months old, he was a labourer working for the Nottingham Brewery Company and was living at 15 Rippons Place, Nottingham. He attended his annual camp every year and extended his service in 1913 and 1914. When war broke out he was embodied for service on 5th August 1914. He landed in France on 28th February 1915 and was killed in action on 10th August 1915., He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
Private Joseph Spurr, 1/7th Battalion Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment (Robin Hood Rifles), wrote home to reassure his family that he and his fellow Robin Hoods were well in a letter printed on 22nd March 1915. Sadly, he did not survive that summer, being killed in action on 10th August 1915. “SILLY RUMOURS.” “NOTTM. ROBIN HOOD'S DENIAL. “The cruel rumours concerning members of the Robin Hoods now at the front are referred to in a letter from one of their number, Pte. J. Spurr , to his sister in Nottingham. “I am very sorry to hear people are getting such silly rumours,” he writes. “We are quite all right, and it is not true that some have been killed. Our boys have only been in the trenches once, and had only one killed by accident, [2] so you need not take any notice of the rumours. We are now close up to our first battalion. I have just been talking to one of the men belonging to it, and he has been telling me that they 'went through it' last week, and had a lot of casualties, but killed more of the enemy than they themselves lost. I went and had a look round a church here yesterday. It is worth coming here to see the sights. The churches are the main objects of the German shell fire, and are about knocked to pieces.” Above article published in the Nottingham Evening Post dated 22nd March 1915 courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918. He died and is buried in Nottingham General Nottingham Post obituary (abridged), 23 August 1915: 'Spurr. Killed in action August 10th, Lance Corporal (sic) Joseph Spurr, 1/7th Sherwood Foresters, age 26, youngest son of Emma and the late Joseph Spurr.' Nottingham Post obituary (abridged), 25 August 1915. 'Spurr. Killed in action August 10th, Private Joseph Spurr, 1/7th 231 Sherwood Foresters, husband of Anne Spurr, 2 Cambridge Street, St Ann's Street.'
