John Chatfield, Middlesex Regiment

John Chatfield first makes an appearance in Chailey’s Parish Magazine in January 1916 when he appears in a special list of attested men.  He next appears in July 1916, noted as a private serving with the 14th Royal Sussex Regiment in England. 

In October 1916 he is reported serving with the 100th Training Reserve Battalion in England.  This was originally the 24th Middlesex, a reserve battalion which, had been re-designated as a training reserve battalion the previous month. 

In January 1917, the parish magazine reports that Chatfield is serving with the 4th Middlesex and in January 1918 that he is with the 6th Middlesex.  His tour of Middlesex battalions continues in August 1918 when it is noted that he is serving with the 5th Battalion and this information is then repeated monthly up to and including the final published roll call in July 1919. 

This John Chatfield is possibly the same man who appears on the 1901 census working as an 18 year old grocer’s assistant and living at North Common.  He was the son of John (aged 46) and Mary Ann Chatfield (aged 41) and the brother of Ella (aged nine) and Lucy (aged five). 

The National Archives notes a John Chatfield who served with the Middlesex Regiment and The Royal Defence Corps (numbers G/50680 and 97775 respectively) and this may or may not be the same man.