The battalion formed a service company of volunteers to serve alongside the Regulars in the war, earning the Battle honour South Africa 1900–1902.

[24][25] When war broke out in Europe in August 1914, the units of the North Midland Division were undergoing their annual training camp, the Notts and Derby Brigade being at Hunmanby on the Yorkshire coast.

This was accepted by the majority of the men, the remainder (in the case of the Notts and Derby Brigade) being posted to a Provisional Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters, which was assigned a role in the defences around London.

[44][45] The battalion lost 41 men killed or died of wounds received on 1 July 1916; most are buried in Foncquevillers Military Cemetery or are listed on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme.

[48][49] The 46th Division was not used offensively again until September 1918, spending its time in tours of duty holding the front line in quiet sectors.

The reorganisation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front in early 1918 led to the disbandment of the 1/7th Sherwood Foresters, a draft of whom were sent to reinforce the 1/6th Bn.

However, the morning fog and initial smokescreen was clearing, there was stout resistance from German detachments on the high ground north of the village of Bellenglise, and the attack was held up by artillery fire and from machine guns on the far side of the canal.

Fearing that the delay would mean that the battalion lost its creeping barrage, the CO, Lt-Col The Rev Bernard Vann (a school chaplain in civilian life), dashed up to the firing line and got the attack moving again.

'The Foresters won the race, and in the fight that ensued Vann personally liquidated five gunners with his revolver, boot and riding crop'.

It met strong enemy resistance and was engaged in street fighting in Montbrehain, particularly around the cemetery, which had been fortified, and could not be held against German counter-attacks.

Direction keeping in the morning mist was difficult, and German machine gunners resisted fiercely, but the leading battalion, joined by the 6th, swept forwards and was on the objective by 09.45, and dug in there.

[67][68][69] During the summer the 178th Brigade moved to Curragh Camp and resumed training, while maintaining a 'Flying Column' ready to pacify outlying areas.

On 31 March 'the 2/6th advanced very steadily in open order through rifle and shell fire on Jeancourt [south-east of Le Verguier] and drove the Germans from that village and up the slopes of the ridge behind'.

[75] On the night of 2 April the brigade attacked Le Verguier, but the artillery cooperation plan was confused, and they ran into uncut barbed wire and suffered casualties.

By 4 December the decision had been made to withdraw from the Bourlon Salient, and 59th Division held covering positions on Flesquières Ridge while this was carried out.

A heavy German bombardment began at 05.00 and immediately cut all telephone lines; the brigade commander last heard from the signalling officer of 2/6th Bn at 05.05.

When the German infantry attack came in at 08.30 it was covered by morning mist and within an hour had penetrated and rolled up the line as parties of Sherwood Foresters were cut off and surrounded but fought on until they were overrun.

On 17 April (the 1st Battle of Kemmel) the Sherwood Foresters, without artillery support, held off fierce attacks by means of rifle and Lewis gun fire.

[50][92][93] By now the 59th Division had suffered such heavy casualties that it was temporarily disbanded in May and its battalions reduced to cadres sent to train new drafts at St Omer.

After the outbreak of the Easter Rising (see above) the Reserve Bns of the Sherwood Foresters moved to the Lincolnshire coast, building and manning anti-invasion defences.

[102][106][107] After the Fall of France, German day and night air raids and mine laying began along the East Coast of England, intensifying through June 1940.

[106] The regiment supplied a cadre of experienced officers and men to 232nd S/L Training Rgt at Devizes where it provided the basis for a new 547 S/L Bty formed on 16 January 1941.

In one notable engagement on the night of 8/9 May, Gunner Maycock in a detachment of 358 SL Bty, aboard a river barge named Clem, brought down a low-flying Heinkel He 111 bomber with a light machine gun.

[5][101][109][110][119][120] From August to December 1943, the regiment formed part of 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division, a reserve formation in South Eastern Command.

With the breakout from the Normandy bridgehead at the end of August, the brigade handed over this responsibility and began advancing across France with First Canadian Army.

The brigade acted both as an AA defence formation and as an Army Group Royal Artillery, with both HAA and LAA guns being employed against ground targets, beginning the day after their arrival and lasting until February 1945.

In October the Luftwaffe began low-level air drops of supplies to the beleaguered German garrison, and these were targeted by LAA guns working in cooperation with searchlights.

[126] By December, 502 Bty had been detached from 149 LAA Rgt and was deployed under 74th AA Bde to guard the vital bridges at Nijmegen, Grave and Mook.

Large numbers of German aircraft attacked or overflew these bridges in December during the Ardennes offensive, particularly on 1 January 1945 (Operation Bodenplatte).

[129] By mid-April, 21st Army Group had advanced so far into Germany that 107 Bde could be relieved at the Rhine bridges and moved up to rejoin the Canadians, who had swung into North Holland and reached the Frisian coast.