James Walters

James Walters enlisted on 3 May 1915 and gave his date of birth as 15/09/1896, 18 years and 139 days, (He took three years off, actually 15/09/1899). On 20 May 1915 he was sent to 3rd Reserve Battalion Sherwood Foresters for training. He was posted to 9th Battalion Sherwood Foresters on 18 September 1915 although the actual date he arrived in Gallipoli would have been 10th October 1915. Re-enforcements left 3rd battalion on 13th September, arriving at Devonport on 14th. The transport ship Aeneas sailed on 15th arriving at Gibraltar on 19th. They arrived at Malta on 23rd and left the following day for Mudros on Lemnos, arriving on 27th September. An attempt was made to sail to Gallipoli on 9th October but rough seas forced the ship back. Eventually the men arrived at Suvla Bay on 10th October. James spent 3 months on Gallipoli followed by 6 months in Egypt. In late June they moved to France and the Arras sector. The 8th South Staffordshire's had suffered high losses during the first few days of July and therefore on 9th July, 223 men from the 9th battalion Sherwood Foresters were loaned to 8th South Staff's on the Somme. On 9th August 1916 the 8th South Staff's were ordered to relieve the Border Regiment in the front line trenches and by 4 am the relief was complete. Whilst the relief was in progress, reports came through that two platoons of 'B' company had been buried in a trench, which had been destroyed by a minnenwerfer (Trench Mortar). By 5.40 pm first casualty reports came in with one officer and eighteen other ranks wounded and three other ranks killed. By 6 pm, the figure had risen to thirteen other ranks killed, forty seven wounded and five missing. After the armistice Delville Wood Cemetery was made and graves from a number of battlefield cemeteries were concentrated, one of these men being James. His mother had been working to get her underage son out of the army or at least sent home until his 18th birthday. She had given his birth certificate to the army but too late to save her son. She visited his grave once in the 1930's. John Morse

Some sources cite his age at death as 16. CWGC lists him as 17. His birth certificate has 15 September 1899 so he was 16. He took three years off his date of birth when enlisting. In memoriam published 9th August 1917 in the Nottingham Evening Post “WALTERS. – In loving memory of Private James Walters, killed in action August 9th, 1916. A day of remembrance sad to recall. – From sorrowing mother, sisters, and brother.” Above in memoriam is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918