John Henry Hoult

Hoult enlisted into the Army Reserve (Special Reserve) for 6 years on 22 June 1914 – Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment). After initial training, John Henry landed in France on 27 December 1914 and joined the 1st Battalion. He was given Field Punishment on at least three occasions. After a year on the Western Front, John Henry was granted leave – 20/27th December 1915. In 1916 he was attached to 170 Tunnelling Company as it was realised that men from the coal mines were ideal for digging the numerous tunnels on the front line. On 15 May 1916 he was in 22 Casualty Clearing Station suffering from gas poisoning and two days later was in hospital at Rouen. On 10 June 1916 he was fit enough to return to duty with 1st Battalion. In April 1917 John Henry was wounded in an unusual way. Whilst on a working party clearing the roads of mud at Aizecourt, John Henry’s spade hit a detonator , which exploded. John Henry received a slight wound to his cheek and an abrasion of his leg. On 27 August 1917, 8th Division of which the 1st Battalion were a part relieved the New Zealand Division near Warneton, south of Messines, Belgium. At some point in the couple of days after that John Henry was wounded and moved down the medical chain to the CCS at Remy Sidings near Poperinghe. He died of wounds on 30 August 1917 and was buried in the adjacent Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Grave Reference: XVII C 6

Field Punishment was introduced in 1881 following the abolition of flogging, and was a common punishment during World War I. A commanding officer could award field punishment for up to 28 days, while a court martial could award it for up to 90 days. Field Punishment Number One, often abbreviated to ‘F.P. No. 1’ or even just ‘No. 1’, consisted of the convicted man being placed in fetters and handcuffs or similar restraints and attached to a fixed object, such as a gun wheel or a fence post, for up to two hours per day. During the early part of World War I, the punishment was often applied with the arms stretched out and the legs tied together, giving rise to the nickname ‘crucifixion’. This was applied for up to three days out of four, up to 21 days total. It was usually applied in field punishment camps set up for this purpose a few miles behind the front line, but when the unit was on the move it would be carried out by the unit itself. It has been alleged that this punishment was sometimes applied within range of enemy fire. During World War I Field Punishment Number One was issued by the British Army on 60210 occasions. Field Punishment Number One was eventually abolished in 1923, when an amendment to the Army Act which specifically forbade attachment to a fixed object was passed by the House of Lords. (Wikipedia)