George Henry Ford

He enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters and was posted to the 16th (Chatsworth Rifles) battalion. Earlier in January 1918, the battalion had been in the area of Ypres, in Belgium where although in a rest area were providing large working parties which went up into the front line to deliver much needed stores, or to work on some repair or other to the trenches and dug-outs. On the 14th January the battalion received Christmas parcels from the Nottinghamshire Christmas Parcel committee and these were distributed to the men immediately. Having moved to dug-outs on the canal bank they were much inconvenienced by the canal flooding, causing some discomfort to what should have been good dry dug-outs. On the 24th the battalion proceeded by train from Proven station moving to Mericourt L’Abbe where they arrived at 9.30am on the 25th, immediately marching to Suzanne where they took over a number of billets. Another move was now made, again by train, this time from Carnoy to Peronne, followed by a route march to Moislains where they remained one night before moving on to Railway Camp near Heudecourt, arriving there on the afternoon of the 30th. That night, the 30/31st the camp was bombed by enemy aircraft, the casualties being one killed and 5 wounded. Private Ford was unfortunately the soldier killed in the air raid. He is buried in the Fins New British cemetery, Sorel-Le-Grand, France.

An article in Daily Mail on-line dated 9th October 2012 re the return of his bible to the family, found in an attic inside bible is front page giving following details: 'Private G Ford 5 platoon, 'B' company 1/7 Sherwood Foresters, BEF, France, son of Mary E Ford and of Harry Ford born 28/12/1899'.