William Edgar Adkin

He was the son of William and Sarah Ellen Adkin (d.1913) and the brother of Thomas B (b.1884), Herbert (b.1892) and Violetta E (b.1896) Adkin. In 1901 they lived at 25 Randolph Street Nottingham. William snr later lived at 20 Foxhall Road Berridge Road Nottingham.

In 1901 he was a chemist's assistant. By 1911 he had become a professional soldier and was serving in India as a (corporal) mess waiter with 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters.

9920 Sergeant William Edgar Adkin served with 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) as a regular soldier and was in India with them in 1911. The battalion was in Bombay when war broke out and on 31 August received orders to prepare to embark for England. On 2nd September they embarked on the steamship Thongwa and exactly one month later, 2nd October, they arrived at Plymouth. After re-kitting and reorganisation, the battalion embarked for France on 4 November 1915. The Battle of Neuve Chapelle began on 10th March 1915 and William was listed as killed in action on 12th. However, it is likely he was killed on 11th as an entry in the battalion history seems to suggest - The CO's orderly was shot when carrying a message and - 'Two sergeants of the battalion - Sergeant Adkin being one - at once leapt from cover and ran to his help; they had just lifted him when they all came under cross-fire from enemy machine guns which riddled all three with bullets' William was one of 90 men killed during the battle with 265 men wounded and 87 missing. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Le Touret Memoria, France (Panel 26 and 27).

Research by John Morse