Regimental cap badge
John Brough
Regimental Sergeant Major 5210 -1st Bn North Stafford
Killed in action on Thursday 21st March 1918
No known grave but is commemorated on the Pozieres
Memorial, Somme, France
John Brough, son of George and Ellen (of Audmore and Cowley), who had enlisted with
the North Staffordshire’s (the ‘black knots’) in 1897 rose through the ranks to Regimental
Sergeant Major.
He served in South Africa from November 1900 to April 1902 (for which he received the
King’s medal), was with the mounted infantry April-July 1906 was “very satisfactory all
round in the orderly room work” and gradually increased his “further service with the
colours” to 21 years.
In 1905 he had married Agnes Catherine Clark (from Ross) in Ross, Herefordshire.
In
1911
they
were
both
with
the
1
st
Bn.
North
Staffordshire
Regiment
at
Shorncliffe
Military
Camp
in
Cheriton,
Folkestone
in
Kent.
They
had
no
children.
At
the
time,
John
was
Colour
Sergeant (the colours are maroon, black and silver) to which rank he had been appointed
in October 1907.
In March 1913 he was promoted to Quarter Master Sergeant and in November 1914 to
Regimental Sergeant Major (he disembarked in France on the 10
th
of that month). He did
receive a further appointment, but relinquished it.
John was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal ‘in the field’, which was reported in
the London Gazette of 14
th
January 1916, and the silver Long Service Medal on the 1
st
April 1917.
He was reported missing on the 21
st
March 1918.
Later testament from sergeant F/J Harper, also of
the North Staffordshire Regiment, who had been
taken prisoner of war, stated that he had witnessed
the shooting of Regimental Sergeant Major John
Brough.
On the 21
st
November 1918 John’s widow, Agnes
Catherine Brough, then living at 53 Third Avenue,
Small Heath, Birmingham, was informed that from
the 25
th
of that month she was awarded a pension of
21/3d [£1 1s. 3d] a week. On the 12
th
May 1919
John’s silver Long Service medal and his D.C.M.
were forwarded to her.
John was also awarded the British War and Victory medals and, the 1914 Star. Also,
initially, the clasp to go with the star, although this was cancelled. After some pressing of
the War Office by the Stafford Infantry Records Officer, on behalf of Agnes, the clasp was
issued in March 1920.