Alex Reid

Private Alex Reid, enlisted at Nottingham whilst residing at Hucknall on 8th July 1907 , he gave his age as 18 yrs and 7 months, he resided at 56 George Street, Hucknall and was a coliery ganger. He was posted to the Sherwood Foresters Regiment and saw service in India. He landed in France on 4th November 1914 but was returned to England on 11th December 1914 due to frost bite he received on 24th November 1914. He was treated and recovered and returned to France on 3rd August 1915 where he served with the 2nd battalion Sherwood Foresters Regiment. He was killed in action on 5th October 1915 and is buried in Potijze Burial Ground.

Article published 11th November 1915 in the Hucknall Dispatch :- The first photograph this week is that of a fallen hero - Alex Reid, whose parents reside in George street, Hucknall. The War Office notification states that he was killed on October 5th by a shell, which was also responsible for the death of a comrade. He was in the 2nd Sherwood Foresters, and had been abroad for seven years. He went out to France in the early stages of the war, and with the exception of a period of rest in consequence of suffering from frozen feet, he has been actively engaged in the warfare all the time. He had almost completed his service in the Army, [1] and was about to be married." 1] He would’ve likely signed on for seven years’ service with the Regular Army with five more years to be served in the Special Reserve. Early in the war some men did return home having completed their term. However, this was swiftly done away with – everyone was in ‘for the duration’. Above article and information is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.