John George Ballard

Army Service Record held by RHQ Grenadier Guards. He enlisted in the Grenadier Guards on 25 January 1911 on a short service engagement at the age of 19 years 8 months and joined at Caterham on 31 January 1911 (home service, 1911 census, military schedule, at Godstone, Surrey). He served three years with the Colours then was discharged to the Army Reserve in January 1914 on expiry of period of army service. He was recalled to the Colours on 4 August 1914 and went to France on 12 August 1914. He died on 7 November in the 4th Clearing Hospital of wounds to both legs and an arm sustained when a shell burst near him on 6 November. He was buried in Poperinghe Old Military Cemetery (grave ref I.M.44). He was awarded the 1914 star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

CWGC headstone personal inscription: 'Treasured memories from home' Report and photograph in South Notts Echo, 23 November 1914, with eye witness account by a fellow soldier, Private James Herbert Bradley, Grenadier Guards, who was also a former army reservist (Grenadier Guards) and a fellow policeman. Bradley, who survived the war, wrote the following to a friend who had sent them some cigars, "Smoking is our only comfort out here, but I am very sorry to say that poor Ballard won't be able to enjoy any of them, as he is wounded and perhaps he is now in England if he has got over it - which I hope he has. He got wounded on November 6th with a shell which burst against him. He was wounded in both legs and arms very severely"."My friends, it’s awful being at war. I have never had a bit of rest since I came out but I shall stick to it and do my duty for the good of the old country."I don’t know what will be the ending of it, but I can tell you it’s awful - the sights I see and the bursting of Black Marias, shells, and the whizzing of bullets. It’s enough to drive you off your head, but I have got used to all that now. It’s nothing to what it was at first. We have had some very big battles, then you see plenty of German dead and wounded lying about, but we do not get off scot free. We have a few but nothing compared to theirs."The other day we had our trenches in [a] beautiful wood and in about two hours the Germans smashed it up into match wood with their big shells, so you see what we poor beggars have to put up with. We lost a few men there but we have done some good work, and stuck to our trenches. We got praised very much by our Generals and the King also sent us a praiseworthy message for our gallant conduct in sticking to the position."The Germans keep us busy enough when they try to rush our position. They come in hundreds like fleas, and when you kill one, hundreds come to his funeral. It’s marvellous where they keep coming from. We shoot hundreds of them, but there always seem to be plenty more. It’s awful to see the sights after they have attacked us. They lie about like dead sheep. We get some funny things to contend with - Black Marias, or Jack Johnsons, or Coal Boxes. They go off three times worse than a clap of thunder, and they blow the earth up and make a hole that you could get a horse and cart into them comfortably. So fancy one of them dropping into your trench. I have had them drop not above ten yards away from me; it’s awful; you want a constitution like a horse to stand that, what with bullets and shells bursting." A photograph and an extract from the newspaper report of his death is on website, www.ournottinghamshire.org.uk/page/ballard_police_constable0_of_hucknall Nottingham Evening Post, 17 July 1915 and Mansfield Reporter, 23 July 1915 (extract): ‘Notts. Standing Joint Committee. Over 100 Policemen Join the Colours. The report of the Chief Constable (Capt. Tomasson) stated that during the past quarter … He regretted that Pc. AH Mitchell, who rejoined his regiment on the 4th August, was killed in action on April 30th, and that Pc. TA Kerry, who enlisted on the 7th September, was killed on the same day (sic-1 June 1915). Of the total of 104 members of the force who had joined the army four (sic) had been killed.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Note: Three other Nottinghamshire police constables had been killed by July 1915: George Ernest Chapman Coldstream Guards and Walter Slater Grenadier Guards (death confirmed 1916) both on 29 October 1914 and John George Ballard Grenadier Guards 7 November 1914.Stapleford & Sandiacre News, ‘In Memoriam’, 7 November 1919: ‘Ballard. In loving memory of Pte. John Ballard, Grenadier Guards, who died of wounds Nov.7th. 1914. Though thy grave is too far to see, Yet not too far to think of thee. From his Sisters and Brothers.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)