Joseph Hollingsworth

Lance Corporal Joseph Hollingsworth enlisted initially in the Sherwood Foresters Regiment He transferred to the Royal Marines on 16th September 1914 and was serving with the R.M.L.I., Portsmouth Battalion, Royal Naval Division, when he embarked from Portsmouth on 17th November 1914. The Portsmouth Battalion served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force from 28th February 1915 and he was killed in action on 13th July 1915 at Gallipoli. Joseph has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial. Hollingsworth was one of 'Kitchener's Marines' who were transferred from the Sherwood Foresters to the RMLI. Des Turner notes '600 RMLI transfers came from 2 regiments - 200 from the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) and 400 from the Sherwood Foresters. They were predominantly ex-miners and labourers, fit men wanted for their ability to dig trenches and tunnels. The 200 KOYLI recruits were transferred to Plymouth Division RMLI and were given service numbers PLY/1(S) to PLY200(S). This was also the case for the Sherwood Foresters 200 who were dispatched to Portsmouth where already 30 men were recruited and so they became PO/31(S) to PO/230(S). 200 remaining Foresters went to Chatham and were numbered CH/1 to CH/200(S).'

Mansfield Reporter, 30 July 1915. ‘Warsop Lnce-Corporal Killed. News from the Dardanelles’ The report refers to Joseph Hollingsworth, PO/S/80. RMLI, serving in the Portsmouth Battalion with the RM Brigade of the Royal Naval Division who was killed in action near the Dardanelles on the 13th July.' (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Report published 30th July 1915 in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph:- “Mrs. S. A. Hollingsworth, of Appleton Street, Warsop, received news yesterday [29th July 1915] that her son, Lance-corporal Joseph Hollingsworth, who was serving with the Portsmouth Battalion with the R.M. Brigade of the Royal Naval Division, was killed in action near the Dardanelles on July 13th.” Report published on 1st October 1915 in the Mansfield and North Notts Advertiser :- A comrade, Pte. Herbert Ward, remembered him in a letter home. “Owing to the loss of our corporal in charge of the section, Lce.-Corpl. J. Hollingsworth took charge. After a short period at this place [ANZAC] we went to the place know as Acha Bara, [sic] where we clung together for weeks without getting [a] scratch or bruise, but not for long. The time soon came when the order was given for an attack over the parapet, and the good old boys went into the thick of it – it was one that I shall never forget. We did not come back the same as we went out, owing to the loss of our never-forgotten comrade, Lce.-Corpl. J. Hollingsworth... I shall never forget Lce.-Corpl. J. Hollingsworth pulling out of his pocket a watch prior to the event just mentioned. He said, ‘Look, the glass in my watch has been broken by a spent bullet whilst in my pocket.’ After his death I got the watch with the intention of bringing it back to Warsop. The watch is minus fingers and glass, but it is still going.” Report published 30th July 1915 in the Mansfield Reporter and Sutton Times :- “Mrs. S. A. Hollingsworth, of Appleton-street. yesterday (Thursday) morning, [29th July 1915] received news from the Admiralty that her son, Lance-Cpl. Joseph Hollingsworth, P.O./S/89, R.M.L.I., who was serving in the Portsmouth Battalion with the R.M. Brigade of the Royal Naval Division. was killed in action near the Dardanelles on the 13th July. Accompanying the lettr [sic] was one conveying the sympathy of the King and Queen. Lance-Corpl. Hollingsworth was well known, and equally well respected here. He joined the forces soon after the declaration of war. He was a member of the committee of the Conservative Club at the time of his enlistment. Much sympathy is felt for Mr. and Mrs. Hollingsworth.” Above reports courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War HUCKNALL 1914-1918