Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Arras Memorial, Faubourg d'Amiens | Bay 10 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.136 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 40A GQS | |
| 4. Memorial: | Liverpool Masonic Hall War Memorial | Col.4. Hope St. | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Capt. and Mrs. W. H. Taylor; husband of Mabel Sarah Taylor, of 2, Marine Crescent, Waterloo, Liverpool.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2/6 Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) |
2/6th Battalion Formed at Chesterfield on 14 September 1914 as a second line unit. Moved on 2 November to Buxton, with Bn HQ occupying the Empire Hotel. Moved to Luton in January 1915 and placed under command of 2nd Notts. & Derby Brigade in the 2nd North Midland Division. August 1915 : formation became the 176th Brigade, 59th (2nd North Midland) Division. Moved to Watford after a few weeks at Dunstable. Moved to Ireland in April 1916 to quell disturbances. Moved on 12 January 1917 to Fovant and landed at Boulogne 25 February 1917. 7 May 1918 : reduced to cadre. 31 July 1918 : disbanded in France. |
| Action : The First Battles of the Somme 1918 and associated actions |
21 March - 4 July 1918. The Battles of the Somme in 1918 were mostly concerned with stemming the German advance which started in March 1918 and which made considerable gains in the Somme/Arras sector. Utilising surplus troops which had become available following the surrender of Russia after the October Revolution, the Germans gambled on a massive campaign that could win the war in the west before the USA could bring its resources to bear. Initial gains were in places spectacular but eventually dogged resistance coupled with supply problems and sheer exhaustion closed down the battle. Other attacks were launched along the front to probe the Allied defences but the same pattern of initial gains followed by stalemate prevailed. British casualties were almost 345,000.
Detail :
John Cotterill Capt WilliamWadman TAYLOR 2/6th Bn KIA 21/3/18: Captain The Sherwood Foresters: Killed in Action 21.3.1918. War Graves Commission states is son of Capt W.H. Taylor but no Regiment given for father. No known grave. Commemorated Arras Memorial, France. A married 27 year old from Liverpool who is listed by CWGC as Army Service Corps. On 21 March 1918 the 2/6th Foresters of 59 Div were in the front line near Bullecourt. They were under bombardment from early in the morning until 0930 hrs when the Kaiser?s Spring Offensive hit them. 2/6th Foresters were on the left, 7th Foresters (Robin Hood Rifles) were on the right and 2/5th Foresters were in support. 59 Div, despite being an oft-derided 2nd Line TF Div, fought hard on 21 Mar, suffering 807 KIA. This is higher figure of KIA than any other Div in the British Army that day. 2/6 Foresters had the sad distinction of suffering the second highest number of KIA (131) of a Bn in the British Army that day. The only Bn that lost more was the Robin Hood Rifles. They may have been overrun but, unlike many other bns who surrendered with minimal casualties, they did not go down without a fight. It is not known what time the Bn was overwhelmed by the last message from them, by carrier pigeon, was received at 1015hrs, which stated that the Germans had broken through on their left and right but they were continuing to resist. The desperate manpower shortages of the Army in the spring of 1918 may lead one to assume that TAYLOR was one of those ?combed out? of the ASC into the infantry.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Goodacre No. 2495 E.C. | West Lancashire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
14th December 1916 | 11th January 1917 | 8th March 1917 |
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