12th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment
Nelson Green (baptised John Nelson) was born on 24 January 1894 to William and Sarah Jane Green who lived on the Green, Sheepscombe.
Nelson was in the building trade and was employed by Messrs Orchard and Peer at Woodchester Rectory. His father and brothers Percy, Frederick and Raymond, worked in the same company.
Nelson and his brothers were in the Sheepscombe Band, which lost four of its members as a result of the war. They also played cricket and Nelson was pictured as a boy in a 1908 cricket club photo.
Nelson volunteered in the first month of the war and entered France on 18 July 1915, the same as his brother Raymond.
Whilst in France Nelson wrote home in the year that he died to say: “The parcel turned up on the 6th, and though rather late was in good condition being such as would keep quite good for the duration of the war thanks to the committee. The parcel was an excellent one and I have thoroughly enjoyed the various good things. What pleased me more than the parcel itself is the wholehearted manner the good folk of Sheepscombe made the movement so great a success showing so well their appreciation of our efforts to defeat the country’s enemies.”
Lance Corporal John Nelson Green was killed in action near Ypres on 2 October 1917, aged 23. He is buried in the Hooge Crater Cemetery, Ypres. The cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917 and Nelson was one of the first buried there.
The War Diary for 2 October 1917 records: Battalion in Reserve Companies were consolidating and improving the trenches as far as possible during the day. The Company in Right Support suffered very badly from the enemy’s gas shells. 2/Lt JA Bardrick, 2/Lt H Wood and 2/Lt LC May were gassed and the Battalion lost about 100 Other Ranks, the majority of which were gassed.
Nelson Green was reported wounded in the Parish Magazine in May 1917. Then in October: Nelson Green was one of the first group of volunteers from the village and joined up in the first month of war. He was killed by a shell on October 2nd while being taken to the rear after being gassed.
Only a short time before he had been highly successful in some regimental sport, winning the Brigade prize for revolver shooting. The largely attended Memorial Service on 28 October showed
how highly he was respected by those that knew him and how greatly their neighbours sympathised with his parents and sister in this their second bereavement* through the war.
- All four of the Green Brothers went to war. Two survived but Nelson and Raymond were killed.
