Private Ernest Bateman

Army Number: 73070 (formerly 16954 South Staffordshire Regiment)

Battalion: 16th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derbys) Regiment.

Born and lived at Willenhall, Staffordshire. Husband of Ada Bateman, of 48, Clark’s Lane, Willenhall. He was a brass caster prior to enlisting at Wolverhampton on 7th January 1915 into the 4th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. He was posted to the 7th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment and went to Gallipoli on 20th November 1915. He went to France on 28th June 1916. He was then transferred to the 11th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derbys) Regiment on 11th July 1916. He suffered gunshot wounds to his chest on the 16th September 1917 and was sent from No.26 General Hospital, Etaples, France to England on Hospital Ship ‘Ville De Liege” 24th September 1917. He was admitted to No. 16 Canadian General Hospital at Orpington, Kent and was transferred to the convalescent depot at Ripon on 6th December 1917. On recovery, he returned to France and was posted to the16th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derbys) Regiment on 20th February 1918 and was killed in action, 21st March 1918, whilst holding the line near Sorrell Wood/Longeuval, France on the opening day of the German Spring Offensive or (Kaiserschlact)

Commemorated : Pozieres Memorial, France. Panel 52 to 54.

Private Ernest Bateman is also commemorated on the following local memorials:-
Willenhall Memorial Garden, Willenhall, Staffordshire.