The Following Served during the Great War
Name	Regiment	Rank	Service No	Details
BENNETT, George Harry	5th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment	Private	-	-
Born on Pike Street, Shepshed George Bennet was one of the "Famous Fifty" and saw service on the frontline at Ypres, loos and Vimy Ridge before being wounded at Gommecourt on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme (1 July 1916). George was brought up by his sister Anna who married Ernest Hall. Ernest served with the 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment and was mortally wounded at Neuve Chappelle on the 13th March 1915. George survived the war after his injuries and received an honorary discharge on 18th June 1918. In 1940 George contracted tubercolosis to which he finally succumbed in 1945.
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CUTLER, W	Royal Navy	Stoker 1st Class	112526	-
Born on 14th March 1892 in Whitwick, W Cutler was a Pony Driver at Whitwick Colliery. He saw service afloat in HMS Hampshire and HMS Dreadnought. His medals are pictured right (from left to Right: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal).
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FAIRBROTHER, G	1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment	Private	-	-
Son of Mrs G Fairbrother, 26 School Lane, Whitwick, Private G Fairbrother was taken prisoner and held at Gottingen near Hanover. In a letter to his mother, of which the details appeared in the Coalville Times (Fri Mar 19 1915), he requested cheese, butter and chocolate in preference to cocoa be sent in any food parcels.
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GLYNN, Francis	Royal Engineers	Sapper	WR/179208	-
Sapper Francis Glynn lived at 119 North Street and originally enlisted into D Company of 5th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment. Francis was another member of the "Famous Fifty" who was likely transferred to the Royal Engineers for his mining skills.
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HUTCHINS, E	-	Private	-	-
Private Hutchins lived in St Johns Terrace and was wounded at Neuve Chappelle in March 1915, the Coalville Times of 26 March 1915 reported that he was recuperating in Runcorn, Cheshire.
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MEE, George Henry	Royal Navy	Able Seaman	-	-
Husband of Mrs Mee, 110 Church Lane, Whitwick. Able Seaman Mee was a native of Quorn and moved to Whitwick in 1910 to work at the colliery. Having been reported as killed in action, (see left) Able Seaman Mee became a prisoner of War.
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PERRY, S E	3rd Battalion Leicestershire Regiment	Lieutenant	12135	-
Son of Mr S Perry of Silver Street, Whitwick. Lieutenant Perry was gassed early in 1918 but survived the war to lead the contingent of ex-servicemen at the unveiling of the War Memorial in November 1921. Prior to the war he was a master of the Whitwick Scout Group. A Mr S E Perry was the Honourary Secretary of the Whitwick and Swannington Comforts Fund during the Second World War. At this time Mr Perry ran a drapers shop in Market Place.
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SHARP, Aubrey Temple	Machine Gun Corps	Lieutenant	-	-
Lieutenant Sharp was born in Whitwick in 1889, the Son of J J Sharp he resided at the White House on Loughborough Road. Aubrey was a Leicestershire Amateur Cricketer and right half for Halifax Town. Pre war he had served a number of years in the gunnery section of the territorial force. The Coalville Times of 7th August 1914 reported that he had previously resigned his commission but volunteered his services at the outbreak of hostilities. So swift was the response he was forced to leave Leicestershire a batsmen short in their match with Northants. After the war he resumed playing cricket and became Captain of Leicestershire in 1921. His highest score was 211 against Derbyshire in 1911 and he stopped playing in 1935 after breaking his leg in a game against Glamorgan. On his death in 1973 Wisden Almanac printed the following obituary: SHARP, AUBREY TEMPLE, who died in Leicester after a motor-car accident on February 15, aged 83, played for Leicestershire as an amateur from 1908 to 1934. He scored 5,263 runs, average 25.06, and brought off 61 catches. He turned out in matches during the Second World War when over 50. As captain in 1921, he headed the batting figures with 814 runs, including four of his eight centuries, average 40.70. In 1911 at Chesterfield, he and Major G. H. S. Fowke put on 262 for the sixth wicket-still a record for the county, Sharp playing his highest innings, 216. He was a solicitor.
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TOOKEY, James	7th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment	Private	17469	-
Private James Tookey was wounded at Mametz Wood on the 15 July 1916 during the Battle of Bazentin Ridge. After his injury James was transferred to "blighty" and found himself at the Pendlebury Red Cross Hospital in Stockport. His brother Percy was killed in action shortly after on the 19 September 1916.
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WATRET, W J	Leicestershire Regiment	Private	-	-
The Coalville Times of 12th October 1917 contained extracts from a letter which Private Watret sent to his mother Mrs J Watret of 18 Talbot Street, whitwick. In it he says that: We went over the top on September 26th and captured a lot of prisoners and ground, and I can tell you it was awful. Am glad to say I got through without a scratch, but W Sykes was wounded. The Germans tried hard to stop us, but they might as well have tried to stop a motor car going at full speed. Our lads did well, and took everything before them".