Name
Ernest William Folds
1894
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1917
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
266222
Hertfordshire Regiment
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 54 and 56.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
St Leonard's Church Lychgate, Sandridge,
Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford,
Not on the Wheathampstead memorials,
We are not aware of any Coleman Green memorial
Pre War
Ernest William was born in 1894 (baptised on 25 Mar 1894) in Coleman Green, Sandridge, a son of William Folds, agricultural labourer, and Clara (nee Matthews), and joined his siblings Walter E (born 1884), Arthur L (born 1886), Gertrude (born 1888) and Edith M (born 1878). On the 1901 Census Ernest was living at Coleman Green, Sandridge with parents, Arthur, Edith Ethel M (born 1890), Herbert H (born 1892), Edward Victor (born 1896), Evelyn C (born 1898) and Beatrice May (born 1900). On the 1911 Census Ernest was still living at Coleman Green, Sandridge with parents, Walter (now a farm labourer), Herbert (a cowman), Edward V, Evelyn, May Beatrice, Ronald G (born 1902) and Margaret G (born 1903).
The newspaper article that provided Ernest's photograph recorded him as of Coleman's Green.
Wartime Service
Ernest enlisted as Private 4178 in the Hertfordshire Regiment (Territorial Force) in Nov 1914 at Hertford. No Service Records could be found for Ernest.
He may have gone France in 1916 in a draft of reinforcements. His Medal card shows he first enlisted as Private 4178 Hertfordshire Regiment and then in the Territorial renumbering in 1917 he became Private 266222, Bedfordshire Regiment, but the CWGC has him as Private 266222 Hertfordshire Regiment. The latter is almost certainly accurate. He was with the Hertfordshire Regiment at Ypres for the battle of Pilkem, the opening of 3rd Ypres (also known as Passchendaele), when on 31 Jul 1917 the Hertfordshires advanced under heavy resistance, he was reported killed in this action.
His remains were not recovered and he is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.
The newspaper article states that he was initially reported at missing on the 31st July 1917 and then as killed.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £12 and arrears of £5 7s 10d was paid to his father. His brother Edward Victor Folds also served in Royal Field Artillery and died from malaria in Egypt on 5 Nov 1918. One pension card has Ernest and his Edward’s names and service numbers mixed on it. His Brother Herbert also enlisted as Private 4192 Hertfordshire Regiment but was discharged on 8 Feb 1915.
Ernest is also commemorated on his family’s grave in Sandridge (St. Leonard) Churchyard. His part of the inscription reads:
ALSO OF ERNEST WILLIAM FOLDS
BROTHER OF THE ABOVE (Walter Ernest Folds)
1ST HERTS REGT. KILLED IN ACTION AT ST JULIEN, BELGIUM JULY 31ST 1917. AGED 23 YEARS.
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild, Taff Williams, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
