GEORGE WILMOTT |
Private 116557
10th Btn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment)
Died 18th September 1918 aged 22.
Grave ref. panel 7, Vis-en-Artois Memorial, France
George Wilmott, son of George & Annie Wilmott, was born
at Selston and later lived at New Westwood. George was a pupil at Ironville
School in 1906 (along with fellow classmates Leslie Lemon and Harry Heald who
fell during WW1). George almost
lost his life in 1905 when he was saved from drowning by Percy Lemon, elder
brother of Leslie Lemon.
A newspaper article, dated 30th June 1905 records the following:-
“CODNOR PARK”
“RESCUE FROM DROWNING. Several boys were playing on
the bank between the canal and reservoir at Codnor Park on Friday, when one of
their number, named George Wilmott, of Westwood, accidentally fell into the deep
end of the reservoir – about 16ft of water. Being unable to swim he would certainly have been drowned but
for the plucky action of one of his companions, named Percy Lemon, of Westwood,
who jumped into the water and brought him to land.
Both lads are scholars at the Codnor Park and Ironville Church of England
Schools, Lemon being a member of the school swimming class, taught by the
headmaster, Mr W Carter-Pegg. Since
the formation of the class, some 18 months ago, upwards of 1,000 scholars have
been taught to swim and a number have since been instrumental in saving life.
The boy Lemon has won a number of prizes in the school annual swimming
sports and is now to be recommended for the Royal Humane Society’s Silver
Medal. This is the second case of
rescue from drowning by the boys of the school swimming class during the past
three weeks.”
Private George Wilmott enlisted at Eastwood,
Nottinghamshire, date unknown. He
was killed in action whilst in the attack on the German trenches near Lechelle,
France on Wednesday 18th September 1918, less than two months before the
Armistice, aged 22 years.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on panel 7 of the
Vis-En-Artois Memorial, France. The
Vis-En-Artois Cemetery also contains the Vis-En-Artois Memorial.
This memorial bears the names of over 9,000 men who fell during the
period from 8th August 1918 to the date of the Armistice in the
‘Advance To Victory’ in Picardy and Artois, between The Somme and Loos; and
have no known grave.
George’s younger brother 285345 Gunner Wilfred Wilmott,
Royal Field Artillery is recorded on the Jacksdale Memorial as having served
during the Great War but was actually also a casualty of the war, dying on 15th
December 1919, at the tender age of 20, from ‘Black Fever’ contracted whilst
serving his country. Wilfred is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Westwood
marked by a Commonwealth War Grave headstone.
George Wilmott is now recorded as ‘C’ Wilmott on the
Jacksdale Memorial but as ‘G’ Wilmott on the plaque situated inside St
Mary’s Church. On the original
unveiling Roll of Honour he is also listed as ‘G’ Wilmott.
His initial has therefore been wrongly recorded on the Jacksdale
Memorial, perhaps during its restoration and re-engraving in 1997. The name
plaques were badly eroded and it is likely that a ‘G’ was mistaken for a
‘C.’ The Sherwood Foresters
Roll of Honour records his name as George Willmott, being spelt with two
‘L’s.
It is interesting to note that Private John George Jepson,
(recorded on the Jacksdale Memorial, also of the 10th Btn Sherwood
Foresters, killed in action on 20th October 1918, also aged 22
years), has a service number of 116572. Only
15 numbers on from George Wilmott.
50140 Private James Ernest Green of
the Essex Regiment (formerly 64918 of the North Staffordshire Regiment)
killed in action on 12th October 1918, aged 26 years, is also
commemorated on Panel 7 of the Vis-En-Artois Memorial.
George’s rescuer of 1905, Percy Lemon, is also listed on
the Jacksdale Memorial as having served during World War One and was promoted
‘from the ranks’ to Lieutenant.
Details Last Updated – 29th Dec
2001