Gunner 118677 John Sherriff


Sheriff John 96 400x600 Sheriff John 96 361x600
Further photographs at the bottom of this page. All photographs, except headstone, courtesy of Reg Cooke.


Killed in Action on Monday, 29th October 1917, age 25.

Buried in Grave XII. C. 16. at The Huts Cemetery, Ieper, Belgium.

Royal Field Artillery, 315th Brigade, "B" Battery.

Husband of Mrs Hannah Sherriff , 4 Council Houses, Ballfields, Horseley Heath, Tipton, Staffs.
Born: Birmingham, Enlisted: Birmingham, Resident: Unknown.

First landed France & Flanders, post 31st December 1915.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on Commonwealth War Graves site.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/156758/


Genealogical Data

Birth of John Thomas Sherriff registered September quarter 1892 in Birmingham.

1901 Census
251 Bridge Street West, Birmingham.
Sarah Sherriff (35, Married, born Birmingham), and her 7 children: Lily (16, Press Worker (Brass), born Birmingham), Frank S. (14, Brass Filer, born Birmingham), Harriet E. (13, Felt Warehouse Girl, born Birmingham), Gertrude (11, born Birmingham), John (9, born Birmingham), James (5, born Birmingham), and William H. (7 months, born Birmingham).

1911 Census
4 Court 3 House, Guildford Street, Birmingham.
Samuel Goodwin Sherriff (49, Dry Cooper, born Birmingham), his wife Sarah (46, Home Duties, born Birmingham), and their 7 surviving children of 9: Samuel (24, Cycle Worker, born Birmingham), Harriet Edith (23, Scratch Brusher, born Birmingham), Gertrude (21, Lacquerer, born Birmingham), John Thomas (18, Cycle Worker, born Birmingham), James Henry (14, Errand Boy, born Birmingham), William H. (10, Scholar, born Birmingham), and Albert George (8, Scholar, born Birmingham).

Marriage of John Sherriff and Hannah Taylor registered June quarter 1912 in Birmingham. Two children were born, Martha Ann on 13th February 1914, and Thomas on 22 February 1916.


Personal Data

After John's death, his outstanding army pay and allowances amounted to £7/2/2d (7 pounds, 2 shillings and 2 pence); this was paid to his widow, Hannah, in February 1918. His War Gratuity was £6/10/0d (6 pounds and 10 shillings), this was also paid to his widow in November 1919. The value of the War Gratuity suggests that John had enlisted in April 1916.

John's widow, Mrs Hannah Sherriff, was awarded a Widow's Pension of £1/5/5d (1 pound, 5 shillings and 5 pence) per week from 20th May 1918 for herself and her 2 children. Her address at this time was 1 Court 5 House, Blews Street, Birmingham. By 1921 Hannah and her children had moved to Tipton and were living in Shepwash Lane, later they would move to Ballfields.

John's son, Thomas, joined the army in approximately 1933 and was killed on 24th March 1945 during Operation Varsity. He was serving as a paratrooper with the Airborne 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry - then part of the 6th Airborne Division. Operation Varsity was a joint American-British airborne operation to secure the east bank of the River Rhine and to help the land advance across the Rhine into Germany. The British were to capture the town of Hamminkeln, where Thomas Sheriff was to be killed. Varsity was the last large-scale airborne operation of WW2.


Action resulting in his death

The 315th Brigade Royal Field Artillery (315/RFA) was originally the Territorial 2/1st Northumberland Brigade RFA. They served as Divisional artillery for the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division from May 1916 to February 1917. Thereafter they became the 315th Army Field Artillery Brigade attached to General Sir Herbert Plumer's 2nd Army.

At the end of September 1917, the 315/RFA came under orders of the 21st Division Artillery, this was in preparation for the Battle of Broodseinde which began on 4th October. Sherriff’s ‘B’ Battery were located just south of the Menin Road in Artillery Wood, firing in support of 21st Division’s attack near Polygon Wood. This attack was generally successful for 21st Division, but with a large number of casualties.

The rains of October brought the horrendous mud with which the 3rd Battle of Ypres is synonymous. After the Battle of Poelcapelle on 9th October, the 2nd Battle of Passchendaele began on 26th October, ultimately resulting in the capture of the village of Passchendaele by Canadian troops on 6th November.

Gunner John Sherriff was killed in action on 29th October 1917, the 315/RFA War Diary records for that day: “1 Gunner killed, 1 Cpl Shoeing Smith, 1 Acting Bombardier, 5 Gunners and 3 Drivers of ‘B’ Battery wounded by hostile bombs”. The Gunner was John Sherriff.

John Sherriff is buried in The Huts Cemetery, near Dickebusch. This is 3½ miles south-west of Ypres and about 5½ miles from the location of ‘B’ Battery 315/RFA.


Newspaper Cuttings

Dudley Herald 12th May 1945
TIPTON SOLDIER KILLED IN ACTION
His Father Fell in the Last War
News has been received that Pte. T. Sherriff, 4 Ballfields, Horseley Heath, Tipton, who was serving with the Oxofrd and Bucks Light Infantry (6th Airborne Division), was killed in action with Western Europe.
He was the only son of Mrs. H. Sherriff, and had been in the Army for 12 years. He took part in three famous operations, namely the landing in Normandy, the battle for Holland, and the crossing of the Rhine. His father was killed in the last war in 1914. (Editor: Actually John Sherriff was killed in October 1917).


Sheriff John MemorialCard 96
Memorial Card for John Sherriff.

Sheriff Thomas 96
John Sherriff's son, Thomas, and his widow, Hannah.