In Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of Acting Captain Shepherd Stones, serving with ‘A’ Company, 1/5th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who died 03/11/1916.
The son of Elizabeth Taylor (formerly Stones), of “Ravenswood,” Solihull, Warwickshire, and the late John Herbert Stones.
Shepherd Stone was born at Northenden Road, Sale, Altrincham, Cheshire on the 10th October 1892, the second and youngest son of John Herbert Stones, [born 1863, died 2nd July 1893], a paper merchant, with his wife Elizabeth, [nee Holmes, born 1862, Whalley Range, Manchester], third daughter of the late Isaac Holmes, of Lyndale, Southport.
He had an older brother Eric Stones born 1890, who also was killed in the War. He was in the 3rd Special Company of the Royal Engineers, service number 197474, he died on the 9th April 1918.
Shepherd’s father died in 1893, and his mother married James Edwin Taylor in 1896 at Altrincham, [born in Camberwell in 1850, died 1914], he was a Gas and Electric Light fittings Manufacturer, residing in 1901 at Homer Road, Solihull, Warwickshire. He also had children from his previous marriage a George Frederick Taylor, born 1883, and an Ada Taylor born 1877, who married a Charles Vincent Parsons on the 18th May 1904.
Shepherd Stone was educated at Mintholme School, Southport, and the Methodist Boarding Rydal Mount School, Colwyn Bay. After leaving school, he was employed as a bank clerk with the Birmingham Branch of Lloyds Bank at New Street from the 24th May 1910.
By 1911 the family were still residing at ‘Ravenswood’, Homer Road, Solihull Warwickshire, also now with two servants.
Shepherd Stone enlisted into the 14th (Service) Battalion [1st Birmingham Battalion], of The Warwickshire Regiment on its formation in September 1914, after the outbreak of war, as a private.
The ‘Birmingham Pals Battalions’ were officially the 14th, 15th and 16th Service Battalions of The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The new regiments were set up by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham in August 1914. The Pals Regiments were the brainchild of Lord Derby, allowing young men to serve with their friends, neighbours, work colleagues or even teammates.’
They landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 95th Brigade in the 32nd Division in November 1915 for service on the Western Front, they then moved to Italy in November 1917 and back to France in April 1918.
He was gazetted a 2nd Lieutenant in the Northumberland Fusiliers on the 17th September 1915, and was in the 3/5th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. 2nd Lieutenant Shepherd Stones was sent overseas on the 13th May 1916. He was the Reserve Officer for the Lewis Gun Section, and as such was an acting captain for periods, offering instruction to company commanders.
He was killed on Friday 3rd November 1916 by a sniper shooting him in the head at 07.30 hrs. The battalion and HQ were also shelled whilst in the ‘Hexham Road’ trenches. They were to be relieved by the 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry Battalion. The battalion was located in the ‘Cough Drop Trench’ part of the ‘Starfish’ complex of trenches between Martinpuich and Flers, Buried at Bazentin-le-Petit. He was not married.
Source: de Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour, 1914-18 part three, page 259.
His mother applied for Shepherd Stones medals on the 8th February 1922.
Acknowledgments: Tracey Williams Heritage & Local Studies Librarian, and Peter Judge Lloyds Bank Archivist.
Shepherd Stones is remembered at Walker on W2.07
He is also remembered on the Solihull war memorial and his mother who by 1922 was residing at ‘Edenhurst’ Torquay, South Devon, paid for the restoration of the altar in St Anthony’s Chapel, St Alphege Church, Solihull, in remembrance of her only children, Eric and Shepherd Stones.
