Harold Etcher

He enlisted with 4th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Special Reserve)13/8/1912, attested aged 17 years 7 months 13/[month illegible]/1914 (both military record Ancestry) went overseas 27/12/1914 (Medal Roll) was wounded in action 9/8/1915. He was awarded the MM 27/6/1918. He died 8/10/1918 from 'post haemorrhage and shock' (all from military record Ancestry).

The memorial lists 'Etches' dying aged 23 serving with 'Sherwoods'. Neither CWGC nor UKSWD list a Harold Etches and there is no Medal Roll entry. However there is a Medal Card for Harold Etcher 2nd Bn Sherwood Foresters (entered theatre 27/12/1914 d. 8/10/1918) and the birth of a Harold Etcher was registered Nottingham J/F/M 1896. The surviving military record lists him as Etches. These confusions probably resulted from s closely resembling r in some scripts at the end of words.There are no census records for either Harold Etches or Harold Etcher 1901 or 1911. Although the dates involved in this identification do not all tally - (he could not have been registered J/F/M 1896, enlisted mid 1914 aged 17 years 7 months and killed 8/10/1918 aged 23) - this is beyond doubt the man cited on the St Thomas Parish memorial.