Sham Shrubsole
b 1888 Sittingbourne, Kent, England
d 1916 Somme, France
British Medal Victory Medal 1914-15 Star
Private ‘Sham’ Shrubsall was born Strains Blackader Shrubsall in 1888 Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of Paul & Mary Shrubsall.
He was in The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Service no G5175 & died of his wounds in Aug 1916.
He was in the 8th (Service) Battalion which was raised in Canterbury, Kent in September 1914 as part of Kitchener’s Third New Army and joined the 72nd Brigade, 24th Division. They went to France at the end of August 1915. In 1916 they suffered in the German gas attack at Wulvergham and then moved to the Somme seeing action in the Battle of Delville Wood and the Battel of Guillemont. The Battle of Delville Wood was a seris of engagements during the Battle of the Somme. Delville Wood was a thick triangle of trees, chiefly oak and birch with dense hazel thickets, intersected by grassy rides, east of Longueval. As part of a general offensive starting on 14th July 1916, which became known as the Battle of Bazentin Ridge (14-17 July), the British were successful & then intended to capture the German 2nd position between Delville Wood and Bazentin le Petit. The attack achieved its objective and was a considerable though costly success. British attacks and German counter attacks continued for the next seven weeks into September. One assumes Sham must have been wounded in one of these attacks, wounds which were to cause his death on 28th August 1916. He is buried at La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, Somme, France.
