Name
(Walter) Lionel Sheaf
1898
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
21/03/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
72111
Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
2nd/7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ARRAS MEMORIAL
Bay 7.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
All Saints Church Memorial, St Paul's Walden, Whitwell Village Memorial, We are not aware of any memorials in Bendish
Pre War
Walter Lionel Sheaf (known as Lionel) was born in Bendish, St Paul's Walden, Herts in 1898, the son of Frank Sheaf, a hay binder, and Rose (nee Croft). Frank and Rose had been married in St Pauls Walden on 19 Feb 1898. Rose died in 1899. Frank married Clara Field on 3 Jan 1903.
On the 1901 Census Lionel was living with his grandparents Ebenezer and Sarah Sheaf, his widowed father Frank and uncle Hezekiah, at Bendish, St Paul's Walden, where his father and grandfather and uncle were working as agricultural labourers. Lionel and his father (Francis on the census form) remained in Bendish in 1911, and were living with his uncle and aunt, William Gathard and Henrietta Lotty (nee Sheaf, married 1897). His father was still living with his relatives William and Henrietta lived at Bendish, Whitwell, Welwyn on the 1939 Register.
Wartime Service
Lionel enlisted in Luton on 26 Jun 1916 giving his occupation as milkman and address as 46 Harcourt St., Luton, he was posted to Army Reserve on 27 Jun 1916 until 27 Nov 1916 when he was mobilised. He was given the Service Number 33149 and allocated to the Bedfordshire Regiment for training with 3rd (Reserve) Battalion.
He passed a class of instruction as a stretcher bearer in April 1917. Following his training Lionel was posted on 3rd Jul 1917 to 17 Infantry Base Depot in France, and on 6 Jul 1917 allocated to 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, this only lasted until 27 Jul 1917 when Lionel was transferred as Private 72111 to Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) serving with the 2nd/7th Battalion, B Company joining the in the field on 30 Jul 1917.
2/7th Battalion were part of 178 (2/1st Sherwood Forester) Brigade and were moved to the Ypres area to take part in the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) particularly battles of Menin Road (23-25 Sep 1917) and Polygon Wood (26-30 Sep 1917). The Division were relieved and were warned they were to exploit successes at Cambrai when moved to the Bapaume area. Lionel suffered from influenza in Nov 1917 and spent a month in hospital re-joining his unit in the field in early Jan 1918.
Lionel and the Division were at Bullecourt in Mar 1918 and were subject to heavy artillery bombardment on 21 Mar 1918 on the opening of the Battle of St Quentin (21 – 23 Mar 1918). He was initially reported as missing, later assumed as killed in action on 21 Mar 1918, aged 19. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £7 and pay owing of £17 14s 11d. No pension appears to have been paid.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
