John Roberts was born in 1893 to Noah and Lydia according to 1901 census Roberts lived at Brierley Hill Staffordshire he was aged 10 years old at that time, he lived with his sisters Ann E, Rosannah, and his brother George Henry Roberts. By the age of 18 the family had moved to 1 Palmer Street Halfway, Sheffield. He was a Labourer in a brickyard.
Private John Henry Roberts enlisted in Staveley, Derbyshire into the Notts and Derby (Sherwood Foresters) Regiment into the 1st 6th Battalion, he served in France and Flanders and was killed in action on 19 September 1915. His regimental number was 1890. John was buried at Chester Farm Cemetery, Ypres (Ieper) Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders (West Vlaanderen) Belgium.
Inscription says: “FOREVER IN OUR THOUGHTS”
The following insert below is taken from the Sheffield Independants 25th September 1915 (British Archive Newspa
pers).
“ANOTHER MOSBRO’ HERO. Official news was received yesterday that Private John Roberts, of the 1 Sherwood Foresters, was killed on 20th September. Captain W. R. Robinson, writing the mother conveying the sympathy officers and men, says: “He was good soldier. … We have been together so long that lose any man out of the company is to lose a piece of one’s own life also.” Percy Marper, a “chum.” also writer the sympathy of Private Roberts’ Mosbro” and Halfway comrades and says that “he was killed just in the same way as Percy Schwartz (another Mosbro’ lad) few weeks back—by the bursting a shrapnel shell in the dug-out.” Private Roberts, who had been in the Territorial* for some years, went out in February. was formerly a collier, working at the Beighton Pit”.
John would have been awarded the following medals:
The1915 Star Medal, the Victory medal and the British War Medal as listed below:
John’s mum Lydia would have been given the following war gratuity.
Credit to: https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk; https://www.cwgc.org; www.ancestry.co.uk/ Linda Taylor September 2018
