Pte
Stephen William Wheeler
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1889 |
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Place of birth: Hackney, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Storekeeper |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 82036 |
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Enlistment date: 17/04/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Woolwich, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment), 1st Bn. attd. 15th Bn. (Attached) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 23/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Houthulst Forest, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 28 |
Memorial
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Ploegsteert Memorial Panel: 7G |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal — 28/04/1921 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 28/04/1921 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Stephen William Wheeler born in 1889 in Hackney, Middlesex worked as a storekeeper before the war. In April 1915 he enlisted and served as a Private in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby) Regiment 1st Battalion. Though in October 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele he was attached to the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby) Regiment, 15th Battalion, part of the 105th Brigade, of the 35th Division, which was positioned south of the Houthulst Forrest from the 21st of October onwards.
On the morning of the 22nd of October the 35th Division attacked German positions in the forest. The 15th Sherwood Foresters were supporting the two attacking Battalions (14th and 16th Cheshires) of the 105th Brigade. As the advance immediately encountered strong opposition the 15th Foresters were sent up to attack strongpoints on the edge of the ruined wood. When the 16th Cheshires on the right of the 105th Brigade’s front were beaten back by a German counterattack a platoon of the 15th Foresters were sent up to close the gap.
In the early morning of 23 October 1917 another German counterattack developed. It was aimed at the junction of the Brigade and the French Troops on their left, near Panama House. But the Cheshires and “X” Company of the 15th Foresters supported by an artillery barrage managed to fend of the attack.
Throughout the three days the 15th Foresters were in the frontline at Houthulst Forest they suffered a total of 198 casualties. Private Stephen William Wheeler Wheeler was one of them. The 28-year old was killed in action on the 23rd of October 1917. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial.
On the morning of the 22nd of October the 35th Division attacked German positions in the forest. The 15th Sherwood Foresters were supporting the two attacking Battalions (14th and 16th Cheshires) of the 105th Brigade. As the advance immediately encountered strong opposition the 15th Foresters were sent up to attack strongpoints on the edge of the ruined wood. When the 16th Cheshires on the right of the 105th Brigade’s front were beaten back by a German counterattack a platoon of the 15th Foresters were sent up to close the gap.
In the early morning of 23 October 1917 another German counterattack developed. It was aimed at the junction of the Brigade and the French Troops on their left, near Panama House. But the Cheshires and “X” Company of the 15th Foresters supported by an artillery barrage managed to fend of the attack.
Throughout the three days the 15th Foresters were in the frontline at Houthulst Forest they suffered a total of 198 casualties. Private Stephen William Wheeler Wheeler was one of them. The 28-year old was killed in action on the 23rd of October 1917. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial.
Sources 3
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24 Infantry Brigade: 1 Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire... , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1721/3). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Sources used |
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Bacon M. and Langley D.,The Blast War: A History of Nottingham's Bantams. 15th (S) Battalion Sherwood Foresters 1915-1919, (Nottingham, The Sherwood Press Ltd.), p. 48-49. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 140-141. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/867146 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=1ad453d0-cb0c-4718-bea9-a398f3b1520d |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4715005 |