Henry Styring mounted on his horse 'Tommy'. The photograph was taken in 1912 during a Mounted Infantry course.

My grandfather was Henry Styring born in Sheffield around 1890. He joined the Sherwood Foresters on 7 April 1908*. I believe he enlisted in Chesterfield with his friend Sam Elliott. They were posted at some stage to Crown Barracks, Plymouth, where, around 1911 they met two sisters, Elsie and Jane Riddle, Cornish girls. They married them around 1912 and became brothers-in law. Not long afterwards, they were posted to Hillsborough Barracks, Sheffield. My mother was born in August 1914 and within a week or so, WWI had started. My grandfather and his brother-in-law were amongst the first to go to France and within a few weeks, they were in action near the Aisne, east of Paris.

My grandfather was seriously wounded - shrapnel through the top of his leg - in a vicious battle and was left lying in a shell-hole. The Battalion retreated and his friend and brother-in-law, Sam, promised to get help back to him. My grandfather lay there for three days, drifting in and out of consciousness and hiding under corpses as the Germans occupied the area. Eventually, the Germans went away and he heard his name being called - Sam had been as good as his word and ensured that a search was undertaken. My grandfather was evacuated to a hospital (I believe in Navarre) and then back to the UK where he slowly recovered. He never had the opportunity to thank Sam Elliott who was killed in action a few weeks later in action near Ypres (see below for details).

Henry recovered from his wounds sufficiently to still be of use to the Army, but no longer in a combat capacity. The wound had resulted in a shortening of the leg and he was downgraded and employed as a military telephonist for the rest of the war as part of the Labour Corps. He was finally discharged on 10 April 1919 three days short of having served 11 years with the colours.

I remember that Grandad had a special shoe to compensate for his shortened leg and limped for the whole of his life. He died in 1972, aged 82.