Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Edward Dring, a bread baker, born 1862 in Basford, Nottinghamshire (son of Thomas Dring, 1830-1901 and Sarah Bramley, 1833-1868) and his wife Sarah Agnes Dring (nee Baker, married in the April quarter of 1895 in the Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire district), born on the 27th April 1871 in Thringstone, Leicestershire and baptised on the 28th April 1872 in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Osgathorpe, Leicestershire (daughter of George Baker, 1843 and Emma Antill, 1844). Samuel Reginald was born in the January quarter of 1896 in Shepshed, Leicestershire and baptised on the 11th March 1896 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed, he had two half-blood siblings, Ada, born in the January quarter of 1890 and Liddy (Lydia), born in the October quarter of 1892 and baptised on the 8th November 1893 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed, both half-blood siblings were born in Shepshed, and sibling James Bernard Baker, born in the October quarter of 1898 in Shepshed and baptised on the 27th February 1899 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed, in March 1901 the family home was in Hotel Street, Coalville, Leicestershire. In April 1911 Samuel was employed as a colliery horse driver and was residing in the family home in Brook Terrace, Thringstone, together with his father a confectionary manufacturer and his mother. Samuel also had the following older half-blood siblings, Caroline, born in the April quarter of 1886 in Shepshed and baptised on the 8th November 1893 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed and Harriett Elizabeth, born in the October quarter of 1887 in Shepshed and baptised on the 8th November 1893 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed. Samuel’s father married Mary Ann Hayes in the January quarter of 1885 in the Loughborough, Leicestershire district, Mary was born in 1863 in Hyson Green, Nottinghamshire, and died in the 4th quarter of 1894 in Nottinghamshire aged 31. Samuel married Hannah Maria Blake in the April quarter of 1914 in the Loughborough, Leicestershire district, Hannah was born in the April quarter of 1895 in Shepshed, they resided at 40, Charnwood Road, Shepshed.
Samuel’s army service enlistment documents do not survive, therefore the currently available information pertaining to his military service has been obtained from the following sources: - 1921 HMSO Publication, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, WW1 Service Medal and Award Rolls, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards and Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers. All that is known of Samuel’s military service is that he had enlisted/attested in Loughborough, Leicestershire into the Leicestershire Regiment (Territorial Force), and had been allotted the service number 4183. He is then recorded as having been posted as a Private to the 1/5th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment. He first entered the theatre of war in France on the 28th October 1915 to join his Battalion. With the exception of the War Diary entries, there is no information that relates to his movements during his military service, however under the Army Council Instruction of 1917 that promulgated a new numbering system for all Territorial Force units, he was allotted the service number 241468. On the 28th April 1918 Samuel was officially reported as having been killed in action, he was buried in Fouquieres Churchyard Extension, France. Samuel was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. On the 25th November 1918 Samuel’s widow was awarded a weekly Army Pension of thirteen shillings and nine pence, to commence on the 20th November 1918.Awarded
The War Diary records: 28 Apr-18 - FOUQUIERES. Enemy again shelled the village but again did only slight material damage. Transport lines and Quartermasters Stores moved to BOIS DES MONTAGNES and PRIEUR ST. PRYE FOSSE respectively. Captain and Quartermaster A. O. HORLEY to Hospital sick. At 7.30 pm Battalion paraded and marched by platoons via BETHUNE and ESSARS to LE HAMEL. Enemy opened fire suddenly with about 50 gas shells onto road just as rear of “B” Company and head of “C” Company were entering ESSARS. Three were killed outright and 35 others gassed and wounded. Shelling lasted less than 3 minutes and was too quick to allow gas masks to be put on in some cases. Battalion relieved 8th SHERWOOD FORESTERS.
On Friday May 31st 1918 The Loughborough Echo published the following article. – Pte. S. R. Dring, Leicestershire Regt., is reported killed in action on April 21st last. His wife lives in Queen-street, Shepshed, and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T. Blake, Charnwood-road. Pte. S. R. Dring was formerly employed at the Whitwick Colliery, and he went to France about two years ago, being wounded in December 1916.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday May 31st, 1918

LOCAL CASUALTIES

Pte. S. R. Dring, Leicestershire Regiment, reported to have been killed in action on April 28th. His widow resides at Charnwood Road, Shepshed. He was formerly in the choir at Thringstone Church.

Coalville Times article - Friday June 14th, 1918

THRINGSTONE

MEMORIAL SERVICE

On Sunday, a memorial service was held at St. Andrew’s Church for the late Private R. Dring, killed in action on April 27th. The service was impressively conducted by the Vicar. Pte. Dring was a former choir boy.

Coalville Times article - Friday June 21st, 1918

IN MEMORIAM

In loving memory of my dear son, Samuel Reginald Dring, killed by gas shells, April 28th, 1918.

“Sleep on, dear son, in a hero’s grave,
A grave we may never see;
But as long as life and memory lasts,
We will remember thee.”

From his sorrowing Mother and Sisters Carrie, Harriett, Ada and Lydia.

Coalville Times article - Friday April 18th, 1919

IN MEMORIAM

In affectionate remembrance of my dear son, S. R. Dring, killed in action, April 28th, 1918.

“A year has passed, and still I miss him.”

From his devoted Mother.

Coalville Times article - Friday April 23rd, 1920

IN MEMORIAM

Dring – In loving memory of my dear son, Reggie Dring, killed in France, April 28th, 1918. Aged 22.

“Only a mother knows the pain
Of losing a son she loved so dearly
And to know she will never see him again.”

Only missed by his sorrowing Mother.

Coalville Times article - Friday May 21st, 1920

THRINGSTONE WAR MEMORIAL

UNVEILED BY COL. BOOTH AT THE PARISH CHURCH

A beautiful stained-glass window has been placed in St. Andrew’s Church, Thringstone, in memory of men from the parish who fell in the war, together with a brass tablet bearing all the names, and the unveiling was performed by Col. T. Booth at a special service last Sunday afternoon, when there was a crowded congregation, which included many relatives of the deceased soldiers.

The service was impressively conducted by the Vicar (the Rev. C. Shrewsbury) and opened with the singing of the hymn, “There is a Land of pure Delight.” Other hymns sung were, “O God our help in ages past,” “The Saints of God,” and “For all the Saints,” also the psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

The window, which faces the church entrance, depicts St. Alban, the first British martyr to die for the Christian faith, and inscribed, “Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his life’s end.”

The tablet by the side of the window bears the inscription, “To the greater glory of God, and in memory of the following who from this parish and congregation have given their lives for their country in the great war 1914 – 1919, this window is dedicated by the congregation and parishioners of St. Andrew’s.”

Here are 27 names, as follows:

1914
Pte. T. Jones, Durham Light Infantry.
1915
Pte. E. Hall, Leicestershire
Corp’l W. E. Moore, R.G.A.
Pte. I. Hall, Leicestershire
1916
Pte. E. Howe, Leicestershire
Sapper E. Robinson, Royal Engineers
Pte. L. Whitmore, Leicestershire
Pte. T. Squires, Leicestershire
Pte. M. Grainger, Leicestershire
1917
Pte. F. B. Bowler, Royal Dublin Fusiliers
Pte. R. Freeman, Leicestershire
Sapper H. Briers, Royal Engineers
A. J. Turner, telegraphist, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Pte. J. Squires, Leicestershire
Pte. L. Haywood, Scottish Rifles
Corp’l W. Sykes, Leicestershire
Pte. T. Bailey, Royal Scots
1918
Corp’l J. Bancroft, Leicestershire
Rfn. G. W. W. Howe, Rifle Brigade
Pte. J. Gee, York and Lancaster
2nd Lieut. T. F. McCarthy, Loyal North Lancashire
Pte. S. R. Dring, Leicestershire
J. T. Fortnam, Able Seaman, Royal Naval Division
L.-Corp’l A. Griffin, Sherwood Foresters
Pte. J. Morley, Suffolk
Pte. H. Freeman, Leicestershire
Pte. H. Lakin, Leicestershire

At the foot appear the words: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Having unveiled the memorial, Col. Booth proceeded to the other end of the church and from the chancel steps addressed the congregation as follows:

“My friends, I have been entrusted with the very solemn, but to me, the very proud duty, of coming here to address you, the members of this congregation on the subject of the memorial, that beautiful brass tablet which I have just had the honour to unveil, and I can assure you all that I am fully alive to the responsibility which that has involved upon me, and I am also very appreciative of the honour which it has imposed upon me. I am sure that as you heard those names read out, you could not fail to have been impressed, as I was, with the fact that these precious lives came from every class and from all ranks. What you may not have realised altogether is the width and scope of their sacrifice. I will try to explain what I mean. Reading out those names, I first find mention of men who went out at the start, in 1914, to help to stem the first wild onslaught of the Germans before we were ready; when everything was unprepared. Think of that. Then we pass on to other names of men who gave their lives in 1915, in those dull days in the trenches, when everything seemed dark, and when we appeared to be hammering our heads against a stone wall. Then I find more names in 1916, men who died in the great Battle of the Somme, which lasted for many weeks, but in which their services were rewarded by the first ray of hope which seemed to come to the nation. Then more names I find in 1917, men who took part in those hammering blows which we may regard as the period during which the war reached its height, when the storm seemed to be at its worst. Then in those terrible days in the early spring of 1918, I find more names, when the nation strained well-nigh to breaking point in her brave endeavour to stave off the last despairing effort of the Germans to overwhelm us on the soil of France. Lastly, and to me the most pathetic of all, are some few names of men who fell just as the dawn was breaking, a few days before the Armistice. Well, I have given a brief account of how those names covered that scope I spoke of at first. What then do we owe these men? I do not know whether you, or I, or anybody can yet appreciate the magnitude of that debt, but certain it is, we can never repay. What are we to do then – what must we do? Well, I think we must see to it that these men are never forgotten; that their names are never forgotten. This beautiful brass tablet and memorial window are the proof we intend to give that they shall not be forgotten. I think we must do more than this; we must see that we explain to the new generation that is coming on – explain to them what this tablet means; show them the names, and as they get older and more able to understand, explain to them what it stands for, what we really owe to these men; that we owe to them the peaceful possession of our houses, the freedom of the countryside to-day, the honour of our women and the safety of our little children. I think that is the duty for us in the future, and they will carry it on long after we are no more. Then, finally, I want to say a word to the members of this congregation who are relatives of the fallen. I know that nothing I can say is any real comfort; nothing that anybody can say is of any real comfort; but it may afford you some consolation to know that we, your fellow countrymen, are determined that the names of those beloved ones are not forgotten, and that brass tablet and window stand for all time as a witness to the noble and unselfish example of those brave souls, and I hope when you leave this church after this beautiful service, that you will feel as I do, and as all this congregation do I am sure, that their sacrifice has not been in vain.”

After the Benediction, the service closed with the singing of the National Anthem.

Research undertaken and submitted by Andy Murby 16/2/2018