Extract from Roll of Honour:

STONES, SHEPHERD, 2nd Lieut., 5th (Territorial) Battn. The Northumberland Fusiliers, yr. s. of John Herbert Stones of Sale, by his wife, Elizabeth (Ravenswood, Solihull, co. Warwick), 3rd dau. of the late Isaac Holmes, of Lyndale, Southport; b. Sale, co. Chester, 10 Oct. 1892; educ. Mintholme School, Southport, and Rydale Mount School, Colwyn Bay; subsequently entered the Birmingham Branch of Lloyds Bank; volunteered for foreign service and joined the 1st Birmingham Battn. of The Warwickshire Regt. on its formation in Sept. 1914, after the outbreak of war; obtained a commision in the Northumberland Fusiliers 17 Sept. 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from May, 1916, where he was Reserve Officer for the Lewis Gun Section, and passed through a course of instruction for company commanding, having at previous periods been acting capt., and was killed in action 3 Nov. following. Buried at Bazentin-le-Petit; unm.

Extract from North East War Memorials Project:

In Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension is the Commonwealth War Grave of Acting Captain Shepherd Stones, serving with 'A' Company, 1/5th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who died on the 03/11/1916.

Shepherd Stone was born at Northenden Road, Sale, Altrincham, Cheshire on the 10th October 1892, the second and youngest son of John Herbert Stones, [born 1863, died 2nd July 1893], a paper merchant, with his wife Elizabeth, [nee Holmes, born 1862, Whalley Range, Manchester], third daughter of the late Isaac Holmes, of Lyndale, Southport.

He had an older brother called Eric Stones born 1890, who also was killed in the War. He was in the 3rd Special Company of the Royal Engineers, service nu 197474, he died on the 9th April 1918.

Shepherd's father died in 1893, and his mother married a James Edwin Taylor in 1896 at Altrincham, [born in Camberwell in 1850, died 1914], he was a Gas and Electric Light fittings Manufacturer, residing in 1901 at Homer Road, Solihull, Warwickshire. He also had children from his previous marriage a George Frederick Taylor, born 1883, and an Ada Taylor born 1877, who married a Charles Vincent Parsons on the 18th May 1904.

Shepherd Stone was educated at Mintholme School, Southport, and the Methodist Boarding Rydal Mount School, Colwyn Bay. After leaving school, he was employed as a bank clerk with the Birmingham Branch of Lloyds Bank at New Street from the 24th May 1910.

By 1911 the family were still residing at 'Ravenswood', Homer Road, Solihull Warwickshire, also now with two servants.

Shepherd Stone enlisted into the 14th (Service) Battalion [1st Birmingham Battalion], of The Warwickshire Regiment on its formation in September 1914, after the outbreak of war, as a private.

The 'Birmingham Pals Battalions' were officially the 14th, 15th and 16th Service Battalions of The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The new regiments were set up by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham in August 1914. The Pals Regiments were the brainchild of Lord Derby, allowing young men to serve with their friends, neighbours, work colleagues or even teammates.'

They landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 95th Brigade in the 32nd Division in November 1915 for service on the Western Front, they then moved to Italy in November 1917 and back to France in April 1918.

He was gazetted a 2nd Lieutenant in the Northumberland Fusiliers on the 17th September 1915, and was in the 3/5th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. 2nd Lieutenant Shepherd Stones was sent overseas on the 13th May 1916. He was the Reserve Officer for the Lewis Gun Section, and as such was an acting captain for periods, offering instruction to company commanders.

He was killed on Friday 3rd November 1916 by a sniper shooting him in the head at 07:30 hrs. The battalion and HQ were also shelled whilst in the 'Hexham Road' trenches. They were to be relieved by the 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry Battalion. The battalion was located in the 'Cough Drop Trench' part of the 'Starfish' complex of trenches between Martinpuich and Flers, Buried at Bazentin-le-Petit. He was not married.

Source: de Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914-18 part three, page 259.

Shepherd Stones is remembered at Walker on W2.07. [http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=9255]

He is also remembered at the Solihull war memorial and his mother who by 1922 was residing at 'Edenhurst' Torquay, South Devon, paid for the restoration of the altar in St Anthony’s Chapel, St Alphege Church, Solihull, in remembrance of her only children, Eric and Shepherd Stones.

His mother applied for Shepherd Stones medals on the 8th February 1922.

Acknowledgments: Tracey Williams Heritage & Local Studies Librarian, and Peter Judge Lloyds Bank Archivist.

Lloyds Bank plc War Memorial
Solihull Life
Solihull War Memorial
The CWGC entry for 2nd Lieutenant Stones

Extract from Solihull Life:

24-year-old Second Lieutenant Shepherd Stones, known as “Shep”, was killed in action on 3rd November 1916, serving with the 5th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. The youngest of two children, he was born in Sale, Cheshire on 10th October 1892. His father, John Herbert Stones, a paper merchant, died on 2nd July 1893, aged 30, leaving his widow, Elizabeth (née Holmes) with two sons under the age of three. Tragically, both boys would be killed in the war.

Three years after being widowed, Elizabeth Stones married Joseph Edwin Taylor at Altrincham in 1896 and, by 1901, had moved to Ravenswood, Homer Road, Solihull with her husband, his children from his previous marriage, and her two sons, Eric (1891-1918) and Shepherd. Joseph Edwin Taylor died in 1914, aged 64.

Shepherd Stones was educated at Mintholme College, Southport, and Rydal Mount School, Colwyn Bay, which was a Methodist boys’ boarding school. By the time of the 1911 census, when he was 18, he had joined the Birmingham Branch of Lloyds Bank and was working as a bank clerk. After the outbreak of war, he volunteered for the Army and joined the 1st Birmingham Pals on their formation in September 1914. He didn’t serve overseas whilst in the ranks, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant with the Northumberland Fusiliers in September 1915.

He first entered a Theatre of War on 13th May 1916. During his time in France he was Reserve Officer for the Lewis Gun Section. The Battalon War Diary records that on the 3rd November 1916, the Battalion was stationed at Cough Drop Trench, Flers, Somme, when at 07:30 hrs that morning, 2nd Lieutenant Stones (‘A’ Coy) was sniped in the head.

He is buried at Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension and commemorated on a Special Memorial there. He is also commemorated on his father’s gravestone in Brooklands Cemetery, Sale and is included in the North East War Memorials Project. Locally, his name is included on the Solihull war memorial and his mother, Elizabeth, also paid for the restoration of the altar in St Anthony’s Chapel, St Alphege Church, Solihull, in remembrance of her only children, Eric and Shepherd Stones.