BORN – Oswestry
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation / St Oswald’s Church
JOB – Grocer
UNIT – 5 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry
RANK – Private 11378
THEATRE – Loos / Battle of Loos. 5 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. 25 September 1915
DIED – KIA 25 September 1915. Aged 38.
BURIED – Menin Gate, Ypres (grave unknown). (CWGC)
Valentine Richard Sperring was born at Oswestry in 1877, the second of three children with an elder sister (Mary) and younger sister (Matilda). His father was George Sperring, a joiner at railway works, his mother was Emma nee Walker. They lived at various addresses in Oswestry: in 1881 Lord Street, in 1891, 5 Castle Street and by 1911 at 15 Ash Road. In 1891 Valentine’s occupation is given as a page boy but by 1901 was in business as a grocer. He had married Sarah Evans in 1898; they would have a child, Veda, born in June 1900 but she died aged 17 days. Valentine and Sarah lived at their shop at 1 Beatrice Street. Also living with them as a boarder was Valentine’s business partner Thomas P Mansell. In May 1900 the two were charged under the Bread Act for selling loaves in St Martin’s without a set of weighing scales on their cart. The case was heard at Shrewsbury and they were acquitted with charges withdrawn – the bread in question had not been sold from the cart but was being delivered, having been ordered by a customer the previous day. The business partnership though seems to have dissolved shortly after. In 1902 Thomas P Mansell joined the army, but later deserted. He had been working as a grocer’s assistant in Nantwich.
By 1911 Valentine was back living with his parents at 15 Ash Road, employed as a grocer’s assistant. Sarah is not present; she was working as a maternity nurse in Ludlow. Valentine enlisted at the outbreak of war joining 5 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry at Shrewsbury. He went over to France with the battalion in May 1915. He was KIA on 25 September 1915 at Railway Wood, Ypres. The battalion were involved in a diversionary action to draw enemy troops away from the main assault at the Battle of Loos. Valentine has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate, Ypres. He is also commemorated on St Oswald’s Church, Oswestry war memorial.
Also killed during the same action were Lance Corporal 10761 Richard H Williams and Lance Corporal 6944 William Salter.
Acknowledgements.
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