Biography of Private Thomas Kettle, (50186)
15th battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
Died 29th October 1917

Mother

• Name: Mary Sandall
• DOB: 1843
• Place Of Birth: Morton, Lincolnshire, England
• Marriage: 10th October 1866 Bourne

• None found

Marriage

• No marriage for Thomas has been found and we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.

Newspaper Mentions

• War Office Weekly Casualty List December 4th 1917
  KILLED
  SHERWOOD FORESTERS
  Kettle 50186 T. (Spalding)

• The Grimsby News Friday December 7th 1917
  LOCAL CASUALTIES.
  KILLED
  Sherwood Foresters
  Kettle, T. (Splading)

Military Records

Medals

• The British Medal
• The Victory Medal

Memorials

• UK:
• Bourne, Bourne War Memorial in the Memorial Gardens

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
• In memory of Private Thomas Kettle, 50186, 15th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) who died on 29 October 1917
• Remembered with honour, Tyne Cot Memorial.
• Panel 99 to 102 and 162 to 162A.

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

Military Service Timeline

• Thomas’ war records have not been found and like 60% of all WW1 records they are believed to have been destroyed in the Blitz when the warehouse containing them was bombed.

  It is known that Thomas enlisted in Lincoln and was posted to the 15th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment). Thomas was not entitled to a 1915 star and so we can assume that he first saw service abroad with the battalion after 1915. The 15th Battalion was a bantam battalion and took men who were 5ft 3inches and under. This normally meant that the men posted to the Battalion were physically very strong and usually came from a labouring or mining background.

  As we are not sure when Thomas was posted abroad we can only look at his last month with the regiment with any certainty that he was part of the actions that are described in the Battalion Diaries.

  Although the 15th battalion were ordered to Egypt in late 1915, this was cancelled and their first overseas posting was in February 1916 to France where the Battalion fought in the Battle Somme.

  We take up the story on the 1st October 1917 in the middle of the 3rd Battle of Ypres also known as the battle of Passchendaele. The Battalion had spent most of the year in the sector near Peronne, previously being in are Arras area.

  1st October 1917 – Aizecourt Le Bas
  Battalion conveyed to Peronne in Motor Lorries. Transport moving by road.

  2nd – 3rd October 1917 – Peronne
  Resting and refitting,. Battalion entrained at Peronne at 12 midnight 23rd inst. en route for XVII Corps area and detrained at Arras at 4-30am. 4th inst. proceeding by march route to billets at Warlus. Part of the battalion transport under command of 2nd Lieut R.T Wright. proceeded by road halting on the night of the 3rd inst at Bapaume and continuing march on the 4th inst. arrived at Warlus at 12 noon.

  3rd to 12th October – Warlus
  Re-organization of Companies and Battalion training.

  13th October – Warlus
  Battalion (Less “Z” Cmpany.) entrained at Arras Station at 12-54pm and detrained at Cassel at 8-30pm marching to billets at Arneke.

  Ltr “Z” Company entrained at Arras at 8-54pm and detrained at Cassel at 3am 14th inst.

  15th October – Arneke
  Battalion (Less transport) entrained at Arneke at 12 noon and detrained at Proven about 2-30pm marching to D4 camp

  16th October – Proven
  Entrained to Proven at 12 noon and detrained at Elverdinghe.
  Battalion relieved 1st Scots Guards at Rugby Camp. Transport moved by road and occupied camp near Woeston.

  17th to 20th October – Elverdinghe
  Reconnaisance of line South of Houthulst Forest preparatory to attack.
  Furnishing of working parties to assist in preparing forward gun positions.

  20th October
  At 5pm Battalion moved to Gouvy Farm near Boesinghe

  21st October
  Battalion moved to assembly positions as supporting Battalion to 105th Brigade in general attack on morning of 22nd inst on enemy positions South of Houthulst Forest.

  22nd October
  Operations South of Houthulst Forsest

  Casualties from 21st to 23rd
  Killed – 1 officer, 15 other ranks
  Wounded – 1 officer, 160 other ranks
  Missing – 1 officer, 20 other ranks

  24th October
  Relief of Battalion by 19th Durham Light Infantry completed at 3am Companies moved out independantly to billets at Larry Camp near Elverdinghe.

  25th to 28th October – Elverdinghe
  The Battalion relieved 5th Border Regiment in right sector Divisional Front by 7-30pm
  Enemy very quiet whilst relief was taking place. Between 9pm and 11pm enemy put down a strong defensive barrage close behind our forward line, remainder of night was quiet.

  30th October
  Casualties 1 officer and 4 other ranks killed. 1 officer and 14 other ranks wounded.
  At 4am enemy opened heavy artillery fire on the ground immediately behind our front line, developing in intensity at dawn. About 6am several of the enemy were seen running about in Wood East of Marechal House. Several were knowcked out by snipers at Ltr. “X” Company.
  Situation quietened down by 8am and remainder of day fairly calm.

  31st October
  Quiet on the whole. Occasional heavy bursts of artillery fire on Battalion H.Q. and support positions. From 4-30pm onwards the enemy sent over constant streams of gas shells on our back areas.

  Thomas Kettle was killed in action on the 29th October and we have to assume killed during the artillery barrage in the late evening on that night.

Sources

• WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
• British Newspaper Archive.
• Fold 3
• Find My Past
• Genealogist
• Forces War Records
• British Army Service Numbers
• War Gratuity Calculator
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• National Archives – Battalion War Diaries
• General Registry Office