Joseph Crockett

Joseph Crockett enlisted in Nottingham on 30 November 1914 aged 35 years 8 months, he gave his address at 2 Silvester Terrace, Hucknall, his wife Emily was his next of kin , he was a coal miner and on 2 December was posted to Depot Battalion. On 9 December he was posted to 9th Battalion at Belton by Grantham. On 27 March 1915 he was posted to 3rd reserve battalion before his last posting to Garrison battalion on 24 August. 1 Garrison Bn Sherwood Foresters moved to Malta in October 1915 and then on to Egypt. Joseph's medal index card shows entry into theatre as 7 November 1915 which is consistent with the battalion's move to Egypt. On 24 August 1916 he went swimming in a backwater with another soldier and got into difficulties. Despite efforts to get him out of the water and revive him, he died. The Court of Inquiry concluded that it was accidental. John Morse

A court of enquiry was held on 24th August 1916 at Port Said, Egypt, held by Captain E Smith it concluded that his was an accidental death. An anonymous commanding officer wrote to his widow and was published in the Hucknall Dispatch on 14th September 1916 : "I do think that it was such hard luck on him after all he had been through, and I can tell you that he will be missed in the company, as he was liked very much by the men, and was also a good soldier." Above information is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918