Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Arras Memorial, Faubourg d'Amiens | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.127 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 21C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Husband of Charlotte Ball (formerly Jones) of 51 Beeches Rd West Bromwich.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) |
1/5th Battalion August 1914 : in Derby. Part of Notts. & Derby Brigade in the North Midland Division. Moved on mobilisation to Harpenden and went on in November 1914 to Braintree. 25 February 1915 : landed in France. 12 May 1915 : formation became the 139th Brigade in 46th (North Midland) Division |
| Action : France & Flanders |
France & Flanders covers all the dates and corresponding locations which are outside the official battle nomenclature dates on the Western Front. Therefore the actions in which these men died could be considered 'normal' trench duty - the daily attrition losses which were an everyday fact of duty on the Western Front.
Detail :
KIRK, John, Sergeant Major, 1/5 Sherwood Foresters Killed in action 1/7/17 : The 5th Battalion History states he died on 1 Jul 1917 in the early hours of the morning in a 46th Division attack just West of Lens. This attack was one of a series designed to keep the enemy under pressure and not allow them to transfer reserves North after the Battle of Messines and before the projected opening of 3rd Ypres (on 31/7/1917). Zero hour was set for 0247 hrs and the job was to seize Alarm Trench and then push forward up Cotton and Amuler Trenches. The battle was fought in the dark in amongst the ruins of the pit villages that connect Lievin to Lens. B Coy lost direction soon after Zero and failed to keep in touch with the 2nd Foresters on their right (temporarily on loan from 6 Div to 139 Bde of 46 Div). The attack petered out in strengthening German counter attacks by 0630 hrs. By then, of the 278 Foresters who attacked, 162 including KIRK had fallen In the same attack his Brother Mason Captain Henry James COLES of the same battalion also fell. Sources; John Cotterill
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Aldershot Camp No. 1331 E.C. | Hampshire & IOW |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
21st March 1906 | 18th April 1906 | 16th May 1906 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley