Ernest Henry Foley
- Family History
- Military History
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- Photographs
Ernest Henry Foley was one of three brothers born to John Thomas Foley and Francis Sleight who had married in Chesterfield in 1892. Ernest was born in 1895 in Holmes, Yorks, whilst his brothers, John Thomas was born 1893 Derby and Percy in 1897 in Chesterfield. By 1901, the family were living in Kipper Street, Chesterfield where John Thomas senior was the manager of a large lodging house. Early in 1911, John died age 48. By now the three boys were all working, all employed in the local colliery. By the commencement of the war, John T was resident in Warsop, whilst Ernest was in Worksop. Both brothers joined the Sherwood Foresters, John in the 1st battalion and Ernest in the 9th. John went to France and Ernest to Gallipoli, Neither returned, John being killed on 11 March 1915
Ernest Henry Foley Army records show that Ernest Foley was resident in Worksop at the time of answering Lord Kitchener’s famous call for volunteers in August 1914. The 9th Sherwood Foresters was the first Forester Battalion of the New Army and in July 1915 found its way on the sea as part of the 11th (Northern) Division to the Greek island of Murdos from where its untrained and inexperienced men were landed in crowded tenders on to Cape Helles to relieve the men of the Royal Navy Division in the putrid fly blown and dysentery infected trenches, only to be removed after 10 days to take part in the landing at Suvla Bay further up the coast on 6/7 August when the command failed to secure the protective hills leaving 22,000 men of two divisions overlooked by the enemy. After suffering heavy casualties, the reduced battalion was ordered to capture a vital communication trench but was forced to withdraw by heavy machine gun fire, The battalion suffered 493 casualties within two weeks, half of its total strength. One of these casualties was Private Ernest Foley killed on 23 August 1915 and then buried in Lala Baba Cemetery on the peninsular. Courtesy of Robert Illett
Sources: CWGC, Medal Roll and Mansfield Chronicle Advertiser, 21/10/1915.
