G/87275 Pte Leonard Stephen Sadgrove, 23rd Bn Royal Fusiliers

G/87275 Pte Leonard Stephen Sadgrove of the 23rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers was one of 471 soldiers to die on the 7th September 1918.

Leonard was a south Londoner: born in Greenwich, living in Lee and enlisted at Camberwell. According to Soldiers Died in The Great War he had formerly served with a Training Reserve Battalion (number Tr/Lon/63997) and with the 52nd (Young Soldiers' Battalion) of the Royal Fusiliers.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes that Leonard was 18 years old when he died and that he was the "son of James Henry and Louisa Blanche Sadgrove of 24 Brandram Road, Lewisham, London. His brother James Thomas Sadgrove also fell."

The 1901 census shows Leonard as a one year old infant living with his parents and siblings in Greenwich. James is noted as being seven years old on the 1901 census. He was killed in action on 6th September 1916 and thus the boys' parents had the unhappy duty of commemorating their sons' deaths on consecutive days in September.

Leonard is buried in Sanders Keep Military Cemetery in Graincourt Les Havrincourt whilst his brother James has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme. His number with the 5th London Regiment is recorded as 300080; a number which was not actually issued until 1917 when the Territorial Force was re-numbered. At this point then, James was not officially recorded as having been killed, simply missing in action. His death in action would have been "presumed" later in 1917. The number also tells us that James was a pre-war Territroial and enlisted with the 5th Londons in early 1912.

Remembering today, Leonard and James Sadgrove.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, 1901 Census)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission