Raymond Albert Johnson

Lieutenant Raymond Albert Johnson, won the Military Cross on 13th November 1916 while serving with 16th Battalion Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment (Chatsworth Rifles). He was killed in action, during fighting at Villers Bretonneux in the Somme Valley, on 24th April 1918 and is buried in Adelaide Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux. Grave Reference II B 13

His brother Captain Frank Birley Johnson, served with the Sherwood Foresters (Notts. and Derbyshire Regiment) On 27th September 1916 it was reported in the Nottingham Evening Post that he was the first man to be issued with a Silver War Badge, no.1. A solicitor pre-war, of Duke William Mount, The Park, Nottingham, practising from 10 Hounds Gate, he died in the Coppice Mental Hospital on 24th May 1923.FIRST WAR BADGE. “AWARD TO A NOTTINGHAM OFFICER. “The first war badge and certificate for services rendered has been awarded to Captain F. B. (Frank Birley ) Johnson, Notts. and Derbyshire Regiment, of The Park, Nottingham.“The badge is of white metal, and bears the inscription “For King and Empire,” surrounding the letters “G.R.I.,” and the stamp No. 1 on the reverse side indicates that it is the first issued.“The certificate states that the badge is awarded for services rendered in his Majesty's military forces since August 4th, 1914, and that it is to be worn on the right breast, or in the right lapel of the jacket.” His brother, Lieutenant Raymond Albert Johnson, won the Military Cross on 13th November 1916 while serving with 16th Battalion Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment (Chatsworth Rifles). He was killed in action, serving with 1st Battalion on 24th April 1918 and is buried in Adelaide Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux.Article courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918