1/5th Sherwood Foresters CO, 1st July 1916

[bmac]

Can someone confirm who was the CO of the 1/5th Sherwood Foresters killed on 1st July 1916. Official History says Lt Col D D Wilson but no casualty under this name is on either CWGC or Soldiers Died. A Maj F W Wragg was killed on 1st July though and as the CO of the 1/7th Sherwood Foresters also killed on the same day was a Major (Hinds) I wonder if Wragg is the correct person.

[Nick Thornicroft]

Lt.-Col. D.D. Wilson is on the CWGC database as serving with the 17th Indian Cavalry at the time of his death, & his nationality is therefore classed as "Indian",

although he is clearly of British descent. His name will not be found in the SDGW, as this only deals with casualties serving with British regiments at the time of death. It would seem likely Wilson was the CO of the 1/5th, attached from the Indian Cavalry, but someone with a Regimental History may be able to confirm this.

[bmac]

Thanks for that, Nick. Didn't think to check that area. I note that he is listed on the Neuve Chapelle Memorial which is a bit odd. I did another Google search and that referred me to Middlebrook's list of senior officer casualties in 'First Day on the Somme' and Lt Col D D Wilson is listed as 1/5th Sherwood Foresters CO.

[bmac]

Got it. Capt (temp Maj) D D Wilson, 17th Indian Cavalry was gazetted temp Lt Col on 29th March. The London Gazette says it was to a North Staffs battalion (?!) but this must be the right man.

[Nick Thornicroft]

The 1/5th Sherwood Foresters were in the extreme north of the line on July 1st, 1916, part of the "Gommecourt Diversion", & some miles from the battlefields which are generally accepted as "the Somme". Perhaps this accounts for Wilson's inclusion at Neuve Chapelle, although admittedly this is still some distance from Gommecourt.

Nick

[Andrew Hesketh]

Bill, Wilson is your man. He was transferred from the Indian army to command the 1/5th but presumably the bureaucracy of transfer had not been completed before his death. As a consequence, with no body recovered, he was commemorated with his former colleagues on the Indian army memorial at Neuve Chapelle.

[bmac]

Bill, Wilson is your man. He was transferred from the Indian army to command the 1/5th but presumably the bureaucracy of transfer had not been completed before his death.

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Andrew,

You're correct. The London Gazette didn't list his transfer until six weeks after his death and nearly five months after it happened.

Bill