Pte Hugh Dronfield - 1st Grenadier Guards

The following is from The Yorkshire Telegraph and Star dated 8th November 1915

The recipient of the wound Hugh Dronfield lived in the house next to ours one hundred years ago. He did recover from the wounds he received and returned to the Western Front. Less than a year later the same photograph appeared in the local newspaper (14th October 1916) - Hugh had been wounded for a second time!

He must have recovered from these wounds and was sent back yet again to the Front.  His medal card details read Grenadier Guards Regiment No. 17958, Private, Royal Engineers WR/273095,Royal Engineers 276042 both Sapper.It gives his medal details RE/102 B36 Page 4002 (twice) and Star (15) RE159 page 197. He entered France on 16.3.1915.

It is believed that Hugh transferred to the RE in mid 1916 - first to the Waterways/ Railways section of the RE and then to the Light Railways section shortly afterwards which may account for the two RE numbers less than three thousand apart. It was, however, definitely before February 1917.

Hugh was born in Sheffield on 9.February.1892. He was home on furlough on 18.8.1918 when he got married.

A basic outline of the Guards Division can be found here: http://www.1914-1918.net/gdiv.htm

1911 Census

First name(s)     Hugh
Last name     Dronfield
Relationship to household head     Son
Marital condition     Single Gender     Male
Age     19  Birth year     1892
Birth place     Yorkshire Sheffield
Occupation     Shaping And Planning Machine Hand
Address     103 School Road Sheffield
Parish     Ecclesall County     Yorkshire, Yorkshire (West Riding) Country     England
Registration district     Bierlow
Registration district number     509
Subdistrict     Ecclesall West Central Subdistrict number     2
Enumeration district     17 Piece number     27737 Piece Number Suffix     -
Schedule number     200 Schedule Suffix     -
Census reference     RG14PN27737 RG78PN1588 RD509 SD2 ED17 SN200
Record set     1911 Census for England & Wales
Category     Census, land & surveys
Subcategory     Census
Collections from     Great Britain

His next door nieghbour in Spring Hill Billie Thomas did not return from the war. He was killed on 7thOctober 1916 and is honoured on the Thiepval Memorial