Bottomore was one of 'Kitchener's Marines' who were transferred from the Sherwood Foresters to the RMLI. Des Turner notes '600 RMLI transfers came from 2 regiments - 200 from the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) and 400 from the Sherwood Foresters. They were predominantly ex-miners and labourers, fit men wanted for their ability to dig trenches and tunnels. The 200 KOYLI recruits were transferred to Plymouth Division RMLI and were given service numbers PLY/1(S) to PLY200(S). This was also the case for the Sherwood Foresters 200 who were dispatched to Portsmouth where already 30 men were recruited and so they became PO/31(S) to PO/230(S). 200 remaining Foresters went to Chatham and were numbered CH/1 to CH/200(S).'
One of his brothers died while serving with the Australians. Pte. Robert Bottomore, 35th Battalion Australian Imperial Force, died of pneumonia on 21st February 1919 and is buried in Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension. Though he was only 19 years old when he died, but he had a very troubled time in the military, twice being sentenced to periods of hard labour for desertion.
Article published on 2nd December 1915 in the Nottingham Evening Post :-
Pte. William Bottomore, R.M.L.I. Portsmouth Battalion, appeared in court on 2nd December 1915 charged with assaulting three men – knocking them out – the night before. He had been knocked out for six hours, due to concussion from a shell, at Gallipoli on 13th July 1915.
“WOUNDED SOLDIER ATTACKS CIVILIANS.
“TRIPLE ASSAULT ON RADFORD ROAD.
“Mad drunk, and striking out at everybody he met, was the description applied to William Bottomore, 33, a soldier, of Radford-road, when at the Nottingham Police-court to-day [2nd December 1915] he was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting Thomas Alvey, Leslie Middleton, and George Purdy.
“A police officer told the magistrates (Mr. F. Acton and .Mr. J. Cranford) that he found the man on Radford-road about half-past nine last night in the condition described above, and had great difficulty in removing him to the police-station; while Alvery [sic] related that he and a number of friends were walking up the road discussing cigarettes at “four a penny,” when prisoner, who was standing in the entrance to an alley, stepped out and, exclaiming “these are four a penny,” struck them with his fists and knocked them out.
“Prisoner: What were you saying about the King and the Army?
“Witness: Nothing.
“To Middleton, the chairman put the question: “Was there anything to lead him, as he was drunk, to suppose you were Germans, or was there anything said about the King and the Army at all?”
“Witness: No.
“Bottomore then went on to say that it was a long time since he had had any beer. He was home on sick leave after being wounded in the Dardanelles with the Marines. He had landed there with the Australians in July, had been in hospital in Malta, and was now home on three weeks’ convalescence.
“The Chairman: Then you come home and make beast of yourself, spoiling what you have done for your country. We are always glad to take into account the services of a man has rendered to the country, at this time especially, when we can do so properly, but this is a very bad case indeed. You have had all sorts of convictions before at this court. We have records here of six convictions, and here you choose to get drunk and attack well conducted civilians, who not appear to have said a word to provoke you at all.”
“Stating that they had also taken the drunk and disorderly charge into consideration, the Bench imposed a fine of 10s. for each assault.”
Above information is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918
