William Thompson

William enlisted at Worksop on 1st November 1911 into the territorial army for a duration of 4 years, and served with the 1/8th battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) with serial number 1174. His service record shows that on enlistment he gave his age as 25 years , and was working as a plate layer for the Great Central Railway Company at Worksop, he was living at 84 Sandy Lane, Worksop, he completed his medical at Worksop on 31st October 1911. He was called up on 5th August 1914 on the outbreak of war and was trained at various camps until on 2nd March 1915 he embarked for France. He and his battalion were involved in heavy fighting on 13th-14th October 1915 to take The Hohenzollern Redoubt towards the end of the battle of Loos (British casualties during this time amounted to 62,000 men) and he was reported 'missing in action' at this time. On 5th January 1916 a court of inquiry was held at Medinghem, France instigated by the battalions commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Blackwall to collect evidence into the disappearance of 1174 private William Thompson of 1/8th battalion,Sherwood Foresters who had been reported missing after action at the Hohenzollern Redoubt between 13th and 14th October 1915. President of the inquiry was Captain F B Lawson and those officers in attendance were Lieutenant C L Hill and Second Leutenant C H Powell all of the 8th battalion.Evidence was heard from various comrades of William as to what had occurred during the attack and the result of the inquiry found that he had been killed in action on 14th October 1915. William Thompson's name is on a panel of the Loos Memorial, in the Pas de Calais area of France, as he has no known grave. The Memorial commemorates over twenty thousand soldiers who were killed in this area during the war, and have no known graves

The information on William Thompson was provided courtesy of the Beckingham and Saundby local history group.