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Born in Nottingham, his father was a miner and he in turn became a miner. Enlisted, and he was later commissioned in 1918, and appears to have been accepted for service in Ireland at the last minute.
1892 July 24. born Underwood, Nottinghamshire
1901 census born into a coal mining family living at Underwood, Nottingham
1911 census at Main St, Underwood, Nottinghamshire.
1915 July. Enlisted with Service No 28171 in Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derbys). On enlistment he lived on Main Street Underwood, near Eastwood Notts, later moving to Coates Road, Underwood, Nottinghamshire. He was at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, Aldershot and Whitley Camp. Corporal 28171 with Sherwood Foresters
1916 Mar 9. Landed in France. The 16th (Service) Battalion (Chatsworth Rifles)& 17th (Service) Battalion (Welbeck Rangers) landed in France 6 March 1916, so he may well have been with one of these battalion. The probability is with the Welback one, Welbeck being 15 miles from his home.
1916 Oct 9. Reported wounded on the Somme in the Times, Corporal W Noble 28171. He went to Base Hospital in France, after three weeks again volunteered to return to the line and re-joined the Sherwood Foresters. Promoted to Sergeant and led an attack into enemy lines winning praise and admiration from all. His C.O. recommended him for a commission, and he was sent to England for training in April 1917.
Attended Officer Training College at Newark in Nottinghamshire and gained his commission being Gazetted 2nd Lieut to the 3rd Battalion (a holding btn) The Sherwood Foresters 18th December 1917 stationed at Sunderland.
1917 Dec 17. Commissioned 2nd Lieut into Intelligence Corps then transferred to the Sherwood Foresters as a Lieut,
1918 Feb 22. Was with the 53rd Young Soldiers Battalion at Rugeley
1918 Apr 22 To the Expeditionary Force France joining the 1st Battalion on the 28th April 1918 at Blangy Wood.
1918 May 27 Wounded during the ordered retirement towards Guyencourt, returned to England 11th June 1918.
1918 absent voters list for Coates Road, Underwood, 2nd Lt William Noble of Notts and Derbys (ties him to censuses)
1918 Nov 28 The Army List gives him with The Sherwood Forester (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) Service Battalions. 9th,10th,11th,12th,15th,16th,& 17th Bn. Temporary 2nd Lieutenant Noble W 18 Dec 1917 attached 1st Battalion
1919 Nov 27 The Army List gives him with The Sherwood Forester (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) Service Battalions. 9th,10th,11th,12th,15th,16th,& 17th Bn. Temporary Lieutenant (1)* Noble W 18 Jun 1919
1920 Mar 13 Notts. & Derby Reg. Temp. Lt. W. Noble relinquishes his commission on completion of service, and retains the rank of Lt. Gazette Later Gazette corrects Notts. & Derby Reg The relinquishment of his commission by temp. Lt. W. Noble notified in Gaz., 26 Apr. 1920, is cancelled.
1921 Apr 1. Foresters. Temp. Lt. W. Noble relinquishes his com- mission on completion of service, and retains the rank of Lt.
1920 1 Jun Temp. Lt. W. Noble, Serv. Bn., Notts.& Derby. R. Commands and Staff Class GG. "Special Appointment" Gazette
1920 Nov 20 He was not in his room when the IRA came looking for him on Bloody Sunday at his lodgings at Ranelagh Rd, Dublin. Their mission was to kill Noble, and his lady, who were both believed to be responsible for the death of an IRA man called Doyle in the Dublin Mountains.
They pushed past the teenage girl who opened the door and walked straight up to the front first floor room where they expected to find Noble. He was not there but they found a "half naked" woman alone in the double bed. She is described as Noble's mistress. Noble had left on a mission at 7am, and they had no orders to shoot the woman if she was alone, so they left.
They nearly shot another lodger on the way out, but luckily for him Coghlan recognised the man as the source of their intelligence from that house.
Dolan beat the woman with a sword scabbard, and set fire to the room in his frustration. It took the IRA squad half an hour to put the flames out
This perhaps ties to the family story My aunt has also informed me that she was told a story about William having a lady friend before Eileen in Ireland who was tortured because she would not divulge any information about him, how true it is we are not sure. He married Eileen in 1939
1920 Nov 29 The Army List gives him with The Sherwood Forester (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) Service Battalions. Temporary Lieutenant Noble W 18 Jun 1919 (spec appt)
The family believe he married Eileen in Ireland and they had a daughter Christine. For some reason Noble couldn’t relate to Christine so she was brought up by Eileen’s mother as a younger sister. Christine is still alive and lives in America. They thought that he was working as a Kings Messenger and was spying for the government. He was involved in the Siege of Dublin Castle. Another family member says He had child with a woman whilst over there, and the family were most upset. They are all buried in Wilford Hill in Nottingham.
1923 Awarded MBE in New Year Honours List. Note that Noble, Attwood, and Carew get MBE as well, and Hyem an OBE, from the same batch of "Special Appointments" in 1920
1939 Jul/Sep Married in Notts to Eilleen O'Sullivan
1953 Nov 9. died at Basford Nottingham aged 62
British Intelligence in Dublin Castle