Harold Colton

9th (Service) Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment). The Battalion was raised at Derby in August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army and came under orders of 33rd Brigade, 11th (Northern) Division. It embarked at Liverpool in July 1915 for Gallipoli, landing at Suvla Bay on 7 August and was evacuated from Gallipoli in the December. After a period at Imbros and then Alexandria, Egypt, the Battalion left Egypt for France, disembarking at Marseilles in July 1916 where it stayed for the remainder of the war. Harold was medically evacuated from Gallipoli, probably in November 1915, and died from enteric fever at St David's Military Hospital, Malta, on 26 November. He is buried in a collective plot in Pieta Military Cemetery, Pieta, Malta (grave ref. D.IX.6). He qualified for the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. CWGC - History of Pieta Military Cemetery (extract): Pieta is about 2km from the town of Valletta. 'From the spring of 1915, the hospitals and convalescent depots established on the islands of Malta and Gozo dealt with over 135,000 sick and wounded, chiefly from the campaigns in Gallipoli and Salonika, although increased submarine activity in the Mediterranean meant that fewer hospital ships were sent to the island from May 1917 ... There are 1,303 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated at Pieta Military Cemetery. NOTE: The earth is shallow on Malta and during both wars, many joint or collective burials were made as graves had to be cut into the underlying rock ... Most of these graves are marked by recumbent markers on which several inscriptions could be carved, and for the sake of uniformity, the same type of marker was used for single graves.' (www.cwgc.org)

CWGC headstone personal inscription: 'Faithful unto death' Nottingham Evening Post, ‘In Memoriam,’ 22 December 1915: 'Colton. Private H Colton, 9th Sherwood Foresters, died of enteric fever, St David’s Hospital, Malta, November 25th. We never knew what pain he had, we never saw him die; we only know he passed away without a last goodbye. From his sorrowing mother.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘In Memoriam,’ 27 November 1916: 'Colton. In loving memory of my dear son, Private Harold Colton, who died November 26th 1915 at Malta. Ever in our thoughts. - From his loving mother.' (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, 'In Memoriam,' 26 November 1917: 'Colton. In loving memory of Private Harold Colton died Malta November 25th (sic) 1915 at Malta. Ever in our thoughts. From his loving mother, grandma Minnie (fiancée).' (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, 26 November 1918: Colton, In loving memory of Pte Harold Colton, who died (Malta) November 26th, 1915. Three sad years have passed away, but still we miss him every day. From his loving mother, sister, brother, grandma, grandfather and fiancee Minnie.’ (wwwbritishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘In Memoriam,’ 26 November 1919: 'Colton. In loving memory of Private Harold Colton, who died November 26th (sic) 1915 at Malta. Only those who have loved and lost can understand. From his loving mother, sister and brother, and grandma.' (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Notice 26 November 1920 also from his mother, sister, brother and grandma, Registers of Soldiers' Effects: his mother Eliza was his legatee. WW1 Pension Ledgers index cards: named his mother, Eliza Colton, 30 Lincoln Street, George Street, Nottingham.