I am the ‘Unknown Soldier': my grave is where I fell.
I walk these lonely fields of death, these battlefields of hell. The years they have not aged me, nor time a fortress made, for time cannot erase here where a million souls are laid.
I am the ‘Unknown Soldier', cut down through folly slain; no name, no home, no resting place, so here I must remain.
I am the symbol of a war, a war that stands reviled, a war that stole my youth away and all my soul defiled.
This book is dedicated to the men of Bampton who died in the wars between 1914 and 2014
www.bamptonarchive.org
Preface
The names listed in the Index are taken from the Bampton War Memorials, of which there are four.
Some of the names are difficult to connect with Bampton, but by publishing them here I hope that someone may be able to throw some light on them.
I also understand that there are some Bampton men who fell in the wars whose names are not on the Memorials. If you know of any, please let the Archive know so that they can be included in an Addendum to be published later.
I am very grateful to Sarah Wearne for giving access to her extensive WW1 research, and also to those who have been able to contribute information: John Battersby, Janet Newman, Janet Rouse, amongst others.
The sources have been many and varied, and sometimes I have been overwhelmed with information and found it difficult to reduce it to a small paragraph; at other times, and they are many, the information has been very scarce. Where quotation marks have been used they signify information extracted from official War Reports, Regimental records or the diaries and letters of soldiers involved in that particular action, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records (CWGC).
Anthony Page Bampton 2014
Alphabetical Index
WW1
Colchester Cemetery
Applegate, Charles Herbert
Rank: Sergeant
Service No: SE/14721
Date of Death: 17/11/1917
Age 65
Regiment: Army Veterinary Corps No. 1 Vet. Hosp.
Grave Reference, E. 10. 24.
Colchester Cemetery
Charles Applegate
Charles was born in Tower Hamlets, London, in May, 1852. The son of a docker, he became a grocer in Birmingham before ending up in Yarnton, Oxfordshire, in 1901 as a saddler and harness maker with a wife and four sons.
In 1906 he and his family, now with the addition of three daughters, emigrated to Canada, only for Charles to return in 1915 to join the Army Veterinary Corps. With him came two of his sons, one of whom, Harold, q.v., was also to die in the war.
Applegate, Harold Charles
Rank: Private Service No: 415560
Date of Death: 16/09/1916
Age 28
Regiment: Canadian Infantry, 25th Bn. Vimy Memorial
Canadian soldiers take cover behind a boiler as they storm the German stronghold at the sugar factory at Courcelette on 15 September 1916.
Harold Charles Applegate
Harold was the son of Charles Herbert and Elizabeth Applegate and was born in Chesham in 1887. He was the oldest of four brothers and four sisters. Harold was a printer and emigrated to Canada in 1906 with his father and two brothers, leaving the rest of the family in Yarnton to follow in 1909. In April 1915 he volunteered for the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force, and died in the battle for Courcelette, Somme on the 16th September 1916 with no known grave - his name is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial.
“The assault started at 18:10, September 15th 1916, under an effective and intense artillery barrage. Soon, the 25th Battalion began its final push towards the ruins of the village. The arrival of the Canadians coincided with the sudden arrival of many burrowed Germans from their dug-outs. The German defenders had managed to be adequately concealed while the Canadian artillery was firing on the German trenches.
A terrible fight in hand-to-hand combat followed, with bayonets in hand, shovels, and lasted for fifteen minutes. Completely surrounded and cut off from the world for three days and three nights, the soldiers from Quebec and Nova Scotia nevertheless held the line.
Of the approximately 30 officers and 900 men at the beginning of the attack, only 6 officers and 118 men returned unharmed”.
Canadian Memory Project
After the war some of Harold’s brothers returned to the UK and lived in Bampton in “Roseville”.
Vis-en-Artois Memorial
Baston, John Alfred
Rank: Corporal
Service No: 48212
Date of Death: 29/09/1918
Age 31
Regiment: Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 1st Bn. Panel Reference, Panel 6.
Vis-en-Artois Memorial
Alfred Baston was the son of John and Bessie Baston, who lived on the Aston Road, Bampton. John Baston was a hairdresser and his son, Alfred, was a gardener.
Alfred joined the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and was killed on the 29th September, 1918; his war grave is in the Vis-en-Artois Memorial.
“At 12.30am on the 28th of September 1918 the 1st Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry received orders for an attack the following day. Their objective was the village of Beaucamp and the trench running diagonally behind the village known as "Lincoln Reserve". The lead battalions secured their objectives after some stiff resistance and the Cornwalls moved forward at 5pm to positions in front of Beaucamp. At 9pm the Cornwalls were ordered to pass through the East Surreys for an attack the following morning.
They moved out of their assembly positions in Surrey Road to the east of Villers Plouich at 1.30am and had only just arrived at their jumping off trench when the barrage began and they had to move straight off for the attack. Their immediate objective was "Newport Trench" on the La Vacquerie Road but they were unable to keep pace with the lifting barrage because the ground was so cut up. As a result the enemy machine gunners were able to recover and bring heavy fire on the advancing Cornwalls. Despite this they took their objective and at 12.30pm they pushed forward and captured their next objective of "Prentice Trench".
They had suffered casualties of 2 officers and around 75 other ranks”
Duke of Cornwall’s records
Birch, Robert Massy
Rank: Lieutenant
Service No: 289109
Date of Death: 28/07/1944
Age 20
Regiment: Rifle Brigade 1st Bn.
Grave Reference, VII. D. 5.
Banneville-la-Campagne cemetery
Robert was involved in the battle for Caen and it was during the heavy bombing by the Germans that he was killed.
“The Brigade found itself on an extremely exposed slope within 3,000 yds of the enemy. The inevitable reaction on the enemy’s part was not delayed and the Battalion suffered heavy losses before less vulnerable positions could be found, however, the number of sheltered areas was inadequate. Several days of inaction followed with daylight shelling and aerial bombardments at night, during which we lost Robert Birch. We were delighted to leave the Caen area with its open wheat fields and destroyed villages which had a very depressing effect on all of us. The bridge was repaired in Caen and we drove through the city and we could see the extent of the devastation caused by the bombing.”
Lillers Communal Cemetery
Brooks, John
Rank: Private Service No: 15860
Date of Death: 23/06/1915
Age 23
Regiment: Grenadier Guards, 1st Bn. Grave Reference II. A. 17. Lillers Communal Cemetery
John Brooks was born in 1892, the son of Britford and Sarah Brooks who lived in the Weald, Bampton. Britford was a labourer, as was his son, John. John joined the Grenadier Guards and was killed on the 23rd of June 1915. He was buried in Lillers Cemetery, France.
“The 7th Division moved into the Givenchy sector. It proved to be a very difficult line to hold, being subject to constant mining, sniping and trench mortar activity. A decision was taken to make a large-scale attack on the German front between a point East of Givenchy to just South of Rue d'Ouvert. To maintain contact between the main thrusts, the 1st Grenadier Guards of 20th Brigade would advance over the flat ground towards the village.
The infantry assault was preceded by 48 hours’ slow bombardment, aimed at destroying trenches and wire. The infantry advanced at 5.58pm, just after the miners of the 176th Tunnelling Company had blown a 3000-lb mine under the Duck's Bill position.
The German line in this area was formidable, with very deep trenches and dugouts that the weak British bombardment barely touched. Even before the artillery fire lifted, once the Germans saw them advancing they manned the parapets. Machine gun and rifle fire cut down most of the attacking troops. The attack was a complete failure, despite the enormous bravery. In one section, five out of thirteen men were hit while still in their own trench. Over 1000 officers and men were killed or wounded in this engagement”
“The Long Trail”
Busby, Harold Edward
Rank: Pilot Officer
Trade: Obs/W.Op.
Service No: 142566
Date of Death: 07/11/1942
Age 34
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 96 Sqdn. Grave Reference, Grave 11B.
Bampton Cemetery
Harold Edward Busby was the son of Isaac Edward and Adele Busby who lived in the High Street, Bampton where Isaac ran a draper and outfitters business. Harold joined the RAF and trained as an Observer/Wireless Operator with the rank of Pilot Officer. In October, 1942 he married Margaret H. Ross. On the 7th November, 1942 he lost his life when his plane suffered instrument failure whilst on a training exercise. The plane crashed into trees at Loxley, Warwickshire and both he and the pilot were killed: he was 34. His War Grave is in Bampton church yard.
Thiepval Memorial
Cato, Aubrey James
Rank: Private Service No: 32773
Date of Death: 09/10/1916
Age 24
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 6th Bn.
Panel Reference, Pier and Face 10 A and 10 D.
Thiepval Memorial
Thomas (a shepherd) and his wife Mary Ann Cato (nee Haynes) had two sons, Herbert Thomas, born in Wooton in 1892 and Aubrey James, born in 1893: Aubrey was a labourer. In 1901 the family moved to Plantation Cottage, Bampton.
“The fighting took place during worsening weather and dreadful battlefield conditions. Fourth Army's objectives necessitated, as a preliminary, the taking of Eaucourt L'Abbaye and an advance on the entire front was launched after a seven-hour bombardment, at 3.15pm on 1 October. The attack met fierce German resistance and it was not until the afternoon of 3 October that the objectives were secured. Rawlinson’s follow-up attack was delayed by atrocious weather. Starting at 1.45pm on 7 October, the advance involved six divisions and resulted in heavy British casualties and little success.”
Aubrey was killed on 9th October 1916 during the battle and has no known grave, He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in France. CWGC
Bampton War Grave
Clark, Sydney
Rank: Lance Corporal Service No: G/10624
Date of Death: 28/05/1915
Age 25
Regiment: Royal Fusiliers 3rd Bn. Grave Reference, B18. Bampton Cemetery
Royal Fusiliers on 22 August, 1914, resting in the square at Mons, Belgium, the day before the Battle of Mons
Sydney Clark
Sydney Clark was born in Bampton in 1890, the son of William and Sarah Clark who lived in the Buckland Road. William is listed as ‘Retired’ but from what we don’t know.
In 1914 Sydney was working as a porter in Harvey Nicholls in Knightsbridge. As was common in those days he ‘lived in’ with all the Harvey Nicholls staff, and that is his address at the time he volunteered for the Royal Fusiliers (London Regiment).
He was wounded in May, 1915 and invalided back to England where he died of his wound in Birmingham Hospital.
Collis, George
Rank: Private Service No: 5972
Date of Death: 25/09/1915
Age 34
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, "A" Coy. 2nd Bn.
Panel Reference, Panel 83 to 85. Loos Memorial
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Battle of Loos, September, 1915
George Collis was born in 1881, the son of Thomas and Barbara Collis of Kerwood’s Yard, Bampton, and his last address was given as Chain Lane, Bampton. George was a labourer, as was his father, Thomas. George volunteered and joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He died at Loos on the 25th September, 1915.
25 September 1915: morning
“3.00am : weather reports show conditions are likely to be less favourable; Haig issues orders for the release of gas at 5.50am, with the infantry attack timed 40 minutes later
3.30am : German troops go on to alert in front lines
5.50am : Heavy British bombardment hits German front line defences and cloud gas is released. The gas forms a 30 to 50 feet high blanket, moving forward slowly in places (although still short of the enemy positions at 6.25am)
6.00am : A diversionary attack at Givenchy was launched by 2nd Division. At first, the advancing battalions moved easily past well-cut wire and into the German front trench - which they found evacuated. Approaching the second line they were assailed by machine-gun fire and forced to take cover. Shortly after, they were counter-attacked and were among the first units this day to discover that German grenades were much more effective than British ones when it came to close-quarter fighting. By 9.40am the survivors of the Ox & Bucks were back in their original trench, having lost around 950 men in the process of achieving nothing positive.” Regimental records
George has no known grave; he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial in France.
Coverdale, John
Rank: Wing Commander Service No: 27048
Date of Death: 22/06/1943
Age 37
Service: Royal Air Force 431 Sqdn.
Awards: Mentioned in Despatches
Panel Reference Panel 118. Air Force Memorial, Runnymede
John Coverdale
John Coverdale lived with his wife, Margaret Ailsa and two daughters, Ann and Caroline, in Sandfords, Bampton.
On Dec. 1st 1942 W/C Coverdale arrived at the airfield in Burn in Northumberland with a complete crew to fly Wellington bombers.
“On the night of the 21st June, 1943 they took off at 23.33 hours in a Wellington HF518 to bomb Krefeld; there were 705 planes involved in the operation. It was a brilliant moonlit night with excellent visibility. Unfortunately 44 of the planes were lost, mostly due to night fighters in the bright moonlight, including that of John Coverdale. The loss of W/C Coverdale was a sad loss for the Squadron as he had been O.C. since the Squadron was formed. Through his personality and cheerfulness he had endeared himself to all.”
Royal Air Force records
Cox, Frederick John
Rank: Stoker 1st Class
Service No: SS/115225
Date of Death: 3/4/1917
Age 26
Service: Royal Navy, H.M.S. "Jason."
Panel Reference 23.
Chatham Naval Memorial
Frederick Cox was born in The Buildings, Station Road, Bampton in 1891, the son of George William and Mathilda Cox. He had a younger sister, Amelia.
Frederick was a labourer, as was his father. He was conscripted into the Royal Navy and became a Stoker, 1st Class. He served on HMS Jason and went down with his ship when it hit a mine off the island of Coll, west coast of Scotland, on the 3rd of April, 1917.
The sunken ship is his war grave.
“H.M.S. Jason was lost at 11.00 am on the 3rd April 1917 off the island of Coll (latitude 56 35'N longitude 6 28' W) through striking a mine laid by the German submarine U.78 on the 11th February 1917. The crew of the H.M.S Jason at the time of her loss was 98; 73 officers and men were saved: 25 men were lost.”
Admiralty report
Esquelbecq Military Cemetery
Cripps, Charles Edwin
Rank: Private Service No: 29862
Date of Death: 12/06/1918
Age 37
Regiment: Devonshire Regiment,13th Bn.
Grave Reference III. B. 13.
Esquelbecq Military Cemetary
Charles Edwin Cripps and family
Son of a Blacksmith, George and his wife, Mary, of Cheapside, Bampton. Charles had three brothers and two sisters; his youngest brother, James Thomas (qv) also served in the Army. Charles was the husband of Mary Ann Cripps of “Woodside”, Wellington College Station, Berks., and before joining the Army he worked as a gardener. He joined the Devonshire regiment and was killed on the 12th June 1918. He was 37.
“To the right the 8TH and 21ST Divisions had also been badly mauled during the preliminary bombardment, nevertheless a few pockets of British soldiers had put up a fierce resistance to the enemy attack. Amongst these had been the battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Anderson-Morshead, the battalion had been ordered to hold the Bois de Buttes, near Pontavert, and had done just that until the unit had been completely surrounded. Ordered by the Germans to surrender, the survivors had elected to fight on, the Colonel, along with twenty-eight officers and five hundred and fifty other ranks had perished to a man, not one had survived.”
Cripps, James Thomas
Rank: Private Service No: 51805
Date of Death: 29/09/1918
Age 32 Regiment: Worcestershire Regiment , 2nd Bn. Grave Reference, I. C. 2.
Pigeon Ravine Cemetery, Epehy
James
James was the younger brother of Charles Edwin Cripps q.v.
Born in 1886 to George and Mary Cripps of Rose Cottage, Bampton, he was a gardener, the same as his brother. James joined the Worcestershire Regiment, and in September 29th , 1918, he took part in…
“The two leading companies were to capture the sunken ‘Gloster Road’; then the two supporting companies would pass through and take ‘Pigeon Trench’ beyond. This turned out to be a disaster as they were mown down by the German machine guns.
“Of the four platoons which had led the attack every officer and man was killed by the storm of bullets at close range and they lay, riddled with bullets but still in line facing forward, their dead subaltern a few yards in front.”
Worcestershire Regimental Records
James died on 29th September 1918, just three months after his
Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
Daniels, Frank Rank: Private
Service No: 17208
Date of Death: 08/12/1915
Age 18 Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5th Bn. Grave Reference VIII. C. 65. Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
Frank Daniels was born in 1897, the son of William and Julia Daniels who ran a Saddlery in Queen Street, Bampton. William died and Julia re-married Joseph Cook, and the whole family lived in Back Lane, Aston. Joseph Cook was a groom and Frank worked with him as a stable boy.
Frank joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and died on the 8th December, 1915 at Potijze. For almost the entire period of the War the village of Potijze was held by the Commonwealth forces but stood directly behind the Allied trenches and was well within range of German guns. It was here that soldiers entered the communication and support trenches that led to the front-line. Although subject to constant shell fire, Potijze Chateau, a country house dating from the nineteenth century, remained intact throughout the war and was occupied and used by Commonwealth troops. The ground floor was used as an Advanced Dressing Station, while the first floor, which commanded views of the German lines, served as an observation post.
Arras Memorial
Dawe, Alfred Henry
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Date of Death: 11/04/1917
Regiment: King's Royal Rifle Corps 13th Bn. Panel Reference; Bay 7.
Arras Memorial
Monchy-le-Preux after the battle, 11th April,
The son of John Dawe and his wife of Ham Court, Bampton, Alfred died on the 11th April, 1917
Monchy-le-Preux, 10th April
“The 13th Battalion supported an attack on Monchy-le-Preux. The first objective, some 800 yards north-west of the village, was reached. Our artillery support was very inadequate and further advance was prevented by heavy enemy fire. At 3.45 a.m. on 11th April the two Rifle battalions (13th/60th and 13th/R.B.) attacked with negligible artillery support. Enemy fire was very heavy, but the village was captured by 9 a.m. During this advance four tanks had come up and gave invaluable assistance in dealing with enemy machine-gun nests. Several cavalry units arrived about 9 to 10 a.m. and gave most valuable help in holding the position. Cavalry had been brought up in the vain hope of a break-through.
Losses: Officers: killed 3, wounded 10; other Ranks 212. “
Regimental Records
Alfred has no known grave but is remembered on the Arras Memorial. The Dawes were sheep farmers but in 1917 John Dawe sold his entire flock of Oxford Down sheep as he didn’t think it worth while carrying on after the death of his son.
Dewe, Jack
Rank: Private Service No: 10280
Date of Death: 24/08/1916
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5th Bn.
Panel Reference, Pier and Face 10 A and 10 D. Thiepval Memorial
The Battle for Delville Wood July 1916
A soldier who fought at Delville Wood described it as follows:
“Every semblance of a trench seemed full of dead sodden, squelchy, swollen bodies. Fortunately the blackening faces were invisible except when Verey lights lit up the indescribable scene. Not a tree stood whole in that wood. Food and water were very short and we had not the faintest idea when any more would be obtainable.
We stood and lay on putrefying bodies and the wonder was that the disease (dysentery) did not finish off what the shells of the enemy had started.
There was hand-to-hand fighting with knives, bombs, and bayonets; cursing and brutality on both sides such as men can be responsible for when it is a question of ‘your life or mine’; mud and filthy stench; dysentery and unattended wounds; shortage of food and water and ammunition.”
A soldier’s diary
The Germans recaptured the Wood on the 24th August: it was retaken by the British on the 6th September.
Two other Bampton men died in Delville Wood; William Bernard Whiting and Harry Whiting q.v.
Taveta Military Cemetery
Early, John Henry
Rank: Private Service No: 3231
Date of Death: 12/02/1916
Age 19
Regiment: South African Infantry "B" Coy. 6th Regt.
Grave Reference V. A. 2. Taveta Military Cemetery
John Henry Early
The son of Edward Hampden Early and Ada Mary Mellor (Molly) Robinson, was born in Bampton in 1897.
At that time they were living in Bridge Street, Weald, and Edward was a merchant seaman holding a 2nd Mate certificate. Edward met and married Ada in South Africa, the wedding being conducted by her father, the Rev E. Robinson in 1892. They moved around, as Edward now had his Master’s certificate, but he died in mysterious circumstances, disappearing from his ship and leaving a note saying ‘ he was sorry’. No body was found, and he is listed as ‘Lost at Sea’.
John joined the South African Infantry in 1914 and was killed in a fight with a German Unit in Kenya in 1916 and is buried there.
His mother remained in Natal, South Africa and died there in 1946.
Etaples Military Cemetery
Edginton, A W
Rank: Corporal Service No: 8846
Date of Death: 26/03/1917
Age 33
Regiment: Army Veterinary Corps 12th Vet. Hosp.
Grave Reference XXII. C. 4A.
Etaples Military Cemetery
Horse casualties, 1917
A.W. Edginton
He was the illegitimate son of Annie Edginton; who married David Woodley of Weald, Bampton, Oxon; David Woodley , his wife, Annie, and their five children lived in a three- roomed house in School Lane (now Rosemary Lane), Bampton. One of their children is listed in the 1891 Census return as Albert W. Edginton; all the other children have the Woodley name. David Woodley is listed as a Chimney Sweep.
Albert died as the result of an accident at base camp at Etaples. He apparently fell into a vat of chemicals used to disinfect horses. Although his wife could not read or write she managed to get herself to France and saw her husband’s body before burial. The men of the Vet. Corps had a whip-round and gave her 15 guineas as a gift when she returned to England, so they must have thought a great deal of them both when you think how many men were dying in the war around them.
Gillett, Thomas Charles Widdows
Rank: Corporal
Service No: 241630
Date of Death: 01/08/1918
Age 34
Regiment: Gordon Highlanders 1st/5th Bn.
Grave Reference IV. E. 3. Cemetery Raperie, Villemontoire
Thomas was the son of Thomas O. Gillette, farmer of Bampton. Thomas married Edith Mary in 1911, and they lived in The Haven, Buckland Road, Bampton. Thomas died in the battle for Buzancy on the 1st August, 1918.
The Battle for Buzancy
“By 28 July 1918 the Division was opposite the village and Château of Buzancy which was held by the Germans.
On the previous day the Division received orders to capture the village. The 5th Battalion War Diary records the following:
“ The attack commenced at 12.28 p.m on the 1st August and 2 minutes later the line moved forward towards its objective. 300 yards further on a strong point was encountered but after a short fight the resistance was overcome and the advance passed on.
“The right flank then ran into trouble from a machine gun firing from an embrasure cut into the park wall. Lieutenant F.W. Lovie brought up his platoon of Gordon Highlanders, worked around the post and rushed it. He himself was wounded and his platoon suffered severely, but he had cleared the way for the advance to continue”.
Regimental records
Green, Henry Arthur
Rank: Private Service No: 109362
Date of Death: 02/06/1916
Age 24
Regiment: 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion Panel Reference, Panel 30, 32. Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial
May 1913, Bampton Station
Arthur Green and two friends set off for Canada, seen off by family and friends.
Son of James Edward and Elizabeth Green of Church Street, Bampton. His father was a builder and Henry assisted him. There were five sons and two daughters, three of the sons assisting their father, the others were at school.
Henry(known as Harry) emigrated to Canada (with two other Bampton boys) in May 1913 with £20 in his pocket.
In 1914 he joined the Canadian Mounted Rifle Battalion and returned to fight in France and died in the Battle for Mount Sorrel.
Battle of Mount Sorrel
“The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifle Battalion, were manning the 3rd Division's front on June 2, 1916, when the Germans launched their assault at the outset of the Battle of Mount Sorrel. There was an intense bombardment for 5 hours and the trenches were flattened, the Battalions positions were overrun by the Germans and 557 of its 692 members (80%) were killed, wounded or captured.”
War Office records
Harry's body was never recovered and he is remembered on the Menin Gate and on his parents’ gravestone in Bampton Churchyard.
Memorial
Hampton, Henry
Rank: Private Service No: 27922
Date of Death: 27/11/1917
Regiment: Grenadier Guards 3rd Bn.
Panel Reference Panel 2. Cambrai Memorial
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Harvey, Gerald Franklin
Rank: Lieutenant
Date of Death: 08/11/1915
Age 22
Service: Royal Flying Corps and Royal Field Artillery
Grave Reference II. A. 3. Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Rank: Guardsman Service No: 2736269
Date of Death: 05/08/1944
Age 30
Regiment: Welsh Guards 1st Bn. Grave Reference II. K. 26.
Bayeux War Cemetery
Son of Edwin James and Beatrice May Horne, of Mount Owen Farm, Bampton.
Edwin took part in the D-Day landings, and the Guards were involved in the heavy fighting for Caen in Normandy. He was killed in the fighting around Le Pont Esnault when the Welsh Guards were up against the 9th SS Panzer Division and suffered heavy casualties.
“After fighting an outstanding gallant action, 33 Other Ranks killed and 78 wounded.
“The most extra-ordinary incident of the fighting was when a Platoon of No. 3 Company met what purported to be a 3-tonner of our Battalion [Welsh Guards] coming down the road, with a German in front holding up his hands in surrender. One Guardsman unwisely believed this gesture, got out of his trench, and was immediately killed by a burst of fire.
“The PIAT then opened up on the 3-tonner and killed the remaining five occupants.
One of them, as he lay dying, was heard singing the ‘Horst Wessel’ song, his voice growing gradually fainter and fainter, until life expired - an eerie sound indeed - of such stuff are our opponents.”
War Diary Welsh Guards 4/5th August 1944
Road British Cemetery
Hunt, J
Rank: Private Service No: 24685
Date of Death: 17/06/1918
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 2nd/4th Bn.
Grave Reference, IV. C. 6.
St.Venant-Robecq Road British Cemetery
In June 1918 the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry were resting near Bethune when influenza broke out and had a devastating effect amongst both officers and other ranks, causing death in many cases. It is not known if this is the cause Hunt’s death, but no fighting appears to have taken place near that date.
Hunt S. A
Rank: Rifleman Service No: 551133
Date of Death: 01/05/1917
Regiment: London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles) 1st/16th Bn.
Grave Reference C. 24. Hibers Trench Cemetery, Wancourt
S.A. Hunt
The Battle for Bullecourt
“This was scheduled to coincide with the Australian attack at Bullecourt in order to present the Germans with a two–pronged assault. British commanders hoped that success in this venture would force the Germans to retreat further to the east. However, neither prong was able to make any significant advances and the attack was called off the following day after incurring heavy casualties.
“Men could not be spared for stretcher-bearing, the wounded made their own way to the rear ‘unless absolutely mangled.’ . . The firing line became crowded with men with ghastly wounds. The aid-post was a small place built overnight by the Pioneers, one sandbag overhead, not enough to stop the smallest shell, and we had for the most part to tend wounded in the roadway, fortunately sunken, with a little shelter from the banks. At times the shelling was so fierce that we were all forced to lie alongside the bank. Casualties passed through our hands in one endless procession; mangled bodies and shattered limbs, but one cannot be but callous and indifferent as practical assistance is needed here, not sympathy. To be sympathetic one would soon become useless. Working practically for 48 hours without rest and very little food, blood to the elbows as there is not enough water to drink much less to wash.”
Regimental records
Hunt, James William Farrand
Rank: Gunner
Service No: 51986
Date of Death: 24/05/1915
Age 36
Regiment/Service: Royal Horse Artillery "V" Bty.
Grave Reference VIII. D. 42. Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
Additional Information:
(Served as FAIRLEY), Son of Waddington Hunt.
J W F (Hunt) Fairley
James joined the army as Fairley rather than his real name of Hunt although the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists both names. Son of J. Waddington Hunt of Haven Cottage, Buckland Road, Bampton.
The Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge, 24 - 25 May 1915
“At 2.45am on 24 May (Whit Monday), a ferocious German artillery bombardment slammed down . The clamour of shells, machine-guns and rifle fire was accompanied by a simultaneous discharge of chlorine gas on the entire length of the British line, many defenders failed to don their respirators quickly enough and large numbers were overcome. By the end of the battle the size of the Ypres Salient had been reduced such that Ypres itself was closer to the line. In time it would be reduced by shelling until virtually nothing would remain standing. The British suffered around 59,275 casualties.”
Jackson,
G O D C
Rank: Lieutenant
Date of Death: 28/04/1917
Age 33
Regiment: Canadian Infantry 10th Bn.
Grave Reference VI. D. 10.
Aubigny Communal Cemetery
Canadian Infantry in “No Mans Land” April, 1917
Son of the late Rev. Joseph and Elizabeth Jackson, of Holy Trinity Vicarage, Bampton, Oxon. By the deaths of G. O. D. C. Jackson and his brother Lt. H. A. L. C. Jackson, of the same Regiment, on the same day and in the same action, this branch of the family became extinct.
He was killed during the fighting around Ypres, at the village of St. Julien where the Canadian 10th Battalion were dug in. The Germans released mustard gas and overran the position.
“There were now only 146 men and five officers left to defend a long stretch of trench, yet the thought of retreat never seemed to have occurred to them. Under Captain Lowry's leadership they beat back several fierce attacks in the next few hours. The German guns never slackened in their efforts to blot out the Canadians, and Major Ormond records in his diary that his men were being blown out of the trench in groups, mutilated beyond recognition by the rending high explosive.
“Towards 6 a.m. the enemy succeeded, by a series of short rushes, in working forward on the left of the 10th Battalion with machine guns. Our rifle fire was too weak to stop them. The greater part of our position was garrisoned now only by our dead and wounded. The survivors of the 10th Battalion were isolated. The position was hopeless.” There were no survivors.
Canadian Infantry records
Ecoivres Military Cemetery, Mont-St. Eloi
Jackson, H A L C
Rank: Lieutenant
Date of Death: 28/04/1917
Regiment: Canadian Infantry 10th Bn. Grave Reference V. H. 3.
Ecoivres Military Cemetery, Mont-St. Eloi
Son of the late Rev. Joseph and Elizabeth Jackson, of Holy Trinity Vicarage, Bampton, Oxon. By the deaths of H. A. L. C. Jackson and his brother Lt. G. O. D. C. Jackson, of the same Regiment, on the same day and in the same action, this branch of the family became extinct.
Hugo was killed along with his brother during the fighting around Ypres, at the village of St. Julien where the Canadian 10th Battalion were dug in. The Germans released Mustard gas and overran the position. There were no survivors.
See the report of the battle on the previous page.
Jameson, Edgar John
Rank: Private Service No: 10116
Date of Death: 07/04/1918
Age 22
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5th Bn. Grave Reference, III. BB. 11. St. Souplet British Cemetery
Edgar was the son of Edgar and Ada Jameson, who lived in Broad Street, Bampton. He was the eldest of four sons and four daughters. His father was an army pensioner and worked as the vegetable cook at New College, Oxford.
“The 2nd Ox and Bucks and other battalions of the regiment sustained heavy casualties as part of the defence of the Somme during the Battle of St. Quentin , the First Battle of Bapaume and in subsequent battles that saw the Germans achieve significant gains. After that offensive lost its momentum, the Germans launched Operation Georgette in April which the Ox and Bucks defended against in the Battle of the Lys and subsequent actions with heavy casualties, many caused by the German use of gas.”
Ox and Bucks records
Jameson, Harold Victor
Rank: Private Service No: 12451
Date of Death: 18/06/1918
Age 20
Regiment: Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders 2nd Bn.
Grave Reference III. B. 9. Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery
Men of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders wearing cotton-waste padrespirators against gas attacks.
Harold Victor Jameson
Harold was the son of Edgar, who was an army pensioner and worked as the vegetable cook at New College, Oxford, he married Ada Jameson, and they lived in Broad Street, Bampton and had two sons, Harold and Edgar.
Harold was the brother of Edgar(qv) who was killed two months before him. He died in France during the great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 that killed thousands of troops on both side.
Lay, Alfred
Rank: Gunner
Service No: 149
Date of Death: 10/02/1917
Age 34
Regiment: Royal Garrison Artillery 128th Heavy Bty. Grave Reference B204. Bampton Cemetery
Oldest of four sons of Mr and Mrs Charles Lay, of 4, Mill Green, Bampton, Alfred was a farm labourer and his father a stone mason. He is buried in Bampton Cemetery, unlike his brother Walter (q.v.) who was killed a year later and is buried in Sunken Road Cemetery, Boisleux-St. Marc, France.
The 128th Heavy Battery were involved in the Battle of the Somme and in the first week in February, 1917 they launched an attack on the Beaumont Hamel spur, to the north of Ancre, which the Germans had occupied. Alfred was wounded during this battle and died of his wounds in Woolwich Hospital on 10th February, 1917 and is buried in Bampton cemetery.
Lord Haig, in one of his dispatches, praised the work of the artillery during this operation.
Lay, Walter
Rank: Lance Corporal Service No: 10283
Date of Death: 12/09/1918
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 2nd Bn.
Grave Reference II. A. 8. Sunken Road Cemetery, Boisleux-St. Marc
Walter Lay was the son of Mr and Mrs Charles Lay, of 4, Mill Green, Bampton.
This is the second son they had lost, Alfred (q.v.) was killed in 1917. A third son was serving in India.
Walter was a farm labourer and his father a stonemason.
“At a few hours’ notice and in weather calculated to make any operation a fiasco, the Battalion on September 12 attacked Junction Post, a grass-bound breastwork where the enemy was offering a stubborn resistance. Though finally unsuccessful in result, the fighting, which was accompanied by driving storms of rain, produced two noteworthy incidents. Rowlerson, one of C Company’s platoon commanders, after reaching the German trenches, somehow lost touch and was captured with several of his men. In A Company an exploit was performed, which gained for the Battalion its second Victoria Cross. Lance-Corporal Wilcox came to close quarters with some enemy defending a piece of trench with four machine-guns. Each of these guns Lance-Corporal Wilcox, followed by his section, successively captured or put out of action. Wilcox was shortly afterwards wounded and was in hospital in England when news of the award arrived. His deed lent lustre to a profitless attack.”
Ox and Bucks history
It was during this battle that Walter was killed.
Becklingen War Grave Cemetery
Ledger, Harry
Rank: Squadron Leader
Trade: Pilot
Service No: 36124
Date of Death: 29/07/1942
Service: Royal Air Force 9 Sqdn. Grave Reference Coll. grave 26. H. 11-13.
Harry Ledger
Harry was married to Mary Eugenie Ledger who lived in Corner Cottage, Church View, Bampton until she died in 1977. Harry joined the RAF at the beginning of the Second World War.
“On the night of 28/29th July, 1942, 256 aircraft took off to bomb Hamburg. They ran into bad weather and many had to turn back with only 68 aircraft reaching Hamburg. Many fires were started but the worst incident was a direct hit on a hospital which killed 12 patients and nurses and injured 39. Nothing was heard from S/l Ledger’s Wellington after take off. It crashed in the Walle district of Bremen with the loss of all the crew except F/S Hunter who bailed out and became a prisoner of war.”
Air Ministry records
Aulnoy Communal Cemetery
Lock, Herbert Rank: Lance Corporal Service No: 865203
Date of Death: 01/11/1918
Age 30 Regiment: Canadian Infantry
"B" Coy. 44th Bn.
Grave Reference A.1. 13. Aulnoy Communal Cemetery
The eldest son of William and Alice Lock, of Market Place, Bampton, Herbert worked as a builder alongside his father before emigrating to Canada in 1911. William and Alice also ran the Lamb Inn, Buckland Road and they had three other children. Herbert volunteered for the Canadian Infantry and trained in Canada.He returned to Bampton on leave in 1918 and married Marjorie Clements of Minster Lovell.
Herbert died in a machine gun attack at Vallencenes on 1st November, 1918.
The assault on Valenciennes
“The main phase of the assault by the Canadian Corps began in the early morning of 1 November, attacking at 5.15am, behind a huge artillery barrage. Progress was halted by fierce machine-gun fire from Marly Steelworks. By nightfall the Canadians had edged into Marly and were securely lodged behind the line of the railway, just west of the city itself.”
Canadian Military History
Loveday, John
Rank: Lieutenant
Date of Death: 21/01/1940
Age 28
Service: Royal Navy
H.M.S. Exmouth.
Panel Reference, Panel 37, Column 1.
Portsmouth Naval Memorial
John’s ship, H.M.S. Exmouth was sunk by U boat 22 on 21st January 1940 with the loss of all hands. Eighteen bodies were later recovered and buried in a cemetery at Wick.
“The wreck of Exmouth was discovered in the Moray Firth in July 2001 by an independent expedition, with their findings being verified by Historic Scotland. The wreck is one of those listed as a 'protected place' under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.”
A relatives’ association for the crew of Exmouth was formed in 2001, and holds services in memory of those lost.
Lushington, Cecil Henry Gosset
Rank: Lieutenant
Date of Death: 03/07/1916
Age 31 Regiment: Worcestershire Regiment
"A" Coy. 10th Bn.
Panel Reference Pier and Face 5 A and 6 C. Thiepval Memorial
10th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment 3rd July 1916
“The Brigade attacked the La Boisselle salient, and orders were sent for the Brigade to move up after midnight. The 10th Worcestershire moved forward across the open space shortly after 3 a.m. amid blazing gun-fire. The platoons rushed forward, crossed "No Man's Land " and charged the German defences. “A fierce fight followed with bomb and bayonet over successive lines of trenches. The companies became confused, control became impossible and the platoons stormed forward as best they could, led by their subalterns and N.C.Os.”
Battalion records
The battalion lost a third of its fighting strength, including 9 officers, one of whom was Lieutenant Lushington.
Mackie, Jason
Royal Marine died on 14 May, 2009
Age 21
Royal Marines Armoured Support Group of the Welsh Guards
“Jason was born in Harare (Zimbabwe) in 1987. The youngest of three boys, he was an active, happy, fulfilled child with the most infectious smile and personality. After moving to England in 2002 he attended Burford School where he achieved his A-Levels and then went on to Abingdon-Witney college to do a sports course while waiting to follow his older brother into the Royal Marines.
“He was so proud to have completed the commando course which meant he could wear his green beret with pride. He then joined 40 Commando Group in Taunton as a rifleman. He was part of the Armoured Support Group of the Welsh Guards when his vehicle hit an explosive device in the Basharan area in Helmand Province.
Jason died instantly doing what he was trained to do - a mission he was proud to be part of”.
Jason’s ashes were scattered in Zimbabwe and Bampton
Margetts, Charles
Rank: Private Service No: 922590
Date of Death: 25/10/1918
Age 21
Regiment: Canadian Infantry 16th Bn. Grave Reference, X. A. 6. Mons communal cemetery
Canadian Infantry advancing October 1918
“From the beginning of Canada's last Hundred Days of the war on 8 August, the Canadian Corps had suffered 30,000 casualties and reclaimed over 130 kilometres of French and Belgian territory. Currie's troops were exhausted. Despite substantial losses and battle fatigue, however, the Canadians continued to pursue the retreating defenders.
“Our troops had had a very arduous pursuit. It was decided we should stand fast until the flanking corps had made progress. On 25th October the attack was renewed and the Division cleared the ground near the Valenciennes Railway Station. At 6pm the enemy, after throwing a great weight of high explosive and gas shells, made a counter attack. The Argyll and Sutherlanders on the left, wearing gas masks, made a bayonet charge and drove them back - there was great loss of lives on both side”
Canada’s Hundred Days War
Canadian Military History
Martin A.G.
Rank: Ordinary Seaman
Service No: SS/9671
Date of Death: 03/11/1918
Age 18
Service: Royal Navy
H.M.S. " Pembroke."
Grave Reference B9. Bampton Cemetery
Arthur was the son of George and Elizabeth Martin who lived at Eton Villas, Broad Street, Bampton. George was a coachman to a private family. Arthur had three brothers and a sister.
H.M.S. Pembroke was not a sea going ‘ship’ in the 14-18 war but was a land based establishment .
Able Seaman Martin died from influenza on the 3rd November, 1918 in Chatham Naval barracks, he was 18.
HMS Hampshire
Moreton, William Albert
Rank: Boy 1st Class Service No: J/39321
Date of Death: 05/06/1916
Age 17
Service: Royal Navy H.M.S. Hampshire.
Panel Reference 14.
Portsmouth Naval Memorial
His actual name was Morton, the Navy registered him as Moreton. William was born in 1899, the son of Stephen and Elizabeth Morton; Stephen was a farm labourer. William grew up in Bampton, one of fifteen children, only five survived beyond infancy. He joined the Navy in May, 1915, occupation ‘Farmer’s boy, height 4’11’’, age 16. He joined HMS Hampshire in September, 1915.
“On Monday 5th June 1916, about 1 - 11/2 miles off Marwick Head in Orkney, H.M.S. Hampshire struck a German mine and sank. According to an official site the ship’s full complement at the time of sailing was 655 men plus 7 passengers who were Lord Kitchener and his staff.
The bodies of over 100 officers and men were recovered from the sea and were interred into one common grave where they now lie at rest at the Lyness Cemetery, Hoy, Orkney.”
William did not survive, and his body was never found. Nor was the body of Lord Kitchener ever recovered and only 12 men survived the sinking. Local newspaper reports of the incident suggest more lives would have been saved had the Navy given permission for the local lifeboat to be launched.
Nisbet, Robert Craig Murray
Rank:Private Service No: 27931
Date of Death: 28/10/1918
Age 20
Regiment: 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars "A" Sqdn.
Panel Reference Panel 1. Basra Memorial
Battle of Sharqat
“The 7th Hussars were stationed in Baghdad and in October were ordered to carry out an operation against the Turks at the Fat-ha Gorge on the Tigris. The brigade crossed the Tigris on 27th Oct and engaged in heavy fighting resulting in 70 casualties and a large loss of officers and NCOs. The Turks surrendered on 30th Oct and the war in Mesopotamia was over. The regiment had lost 224 all ranks killed, wounded, sick or missing. The regiment were awarded the honours KHAN BAGHDADI, SHARQAT
7
Robert was killed on the 28th October, two days before the end of the fighting.
RFA Industry
Norman, William
Rank: Lieutenant
Date of Death: 18/10/1918
Service: Royal Naval Reserve R.F.A. Industry.
Panel Reference 30. Portsmouth Naval Memorial
On the 1st September 1917 Lieutenant W Norman RNR was appointed in command of RFA “Industry”. He was killed in action on 18 October 1918 with nineteen other members of the crew when his ship was torpedoed and sunk by UB92 in the Irish Sea There were only four survivors.
James Christopher Oates was born in Tanworth, Warwickshire in 1877, son of Pimlott and Martha Oates. Pimlott Oates was a Doctor and Surgeon. The family moved to Bampton in 1880. James also became a Doctor/ Surgeon in 1900 and worked in Birmingham Hospital; he was in London in 1911 but there is no war record of him and he is not included on the Commonwealth War Graves listing. His name was crossed off the Medical Register in 1923 but we don’t know why.
There appears to be no reason why he should be on the War Memorial.
The 1923 Register shows that Dr James Christopher Oates has been 'crossed out' and 'S.14' penciled at the margin.
I believe this is a reference to Section 14 (XIV) of the Medical Act 1858: ‘where the person has died or is no longer contactable at their given address.’
The Medical Register has no further information about him. The given address in the Medical Register is a firm of Solicitors in Leek, Staffordshire that no longer exists and none of the Solicitors practising there now responded to my enquiries.
There is no record of him in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists nor in any of the Army Lists.
Poole, William
Rank: Private Service No: 13055
Date of Death: 17/10/1915
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 5th Bn. Panel Reference Panel 37 and 39. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
The eldest son of James and Rhoda Poole, of School Lane, Bampton, he was an Insurance Agent.
Battle for Vimy Ridge Area
“In 1915 trench warfare commenced with both sides developing impregnable defences leading to high casualties in return for minimal gains. The Ox and Bucks were part of the second wave of the 5th Brigade attack and, during the course of the battle, suffered just under 400 casualties, the largest number the regiment had sustained in a single battle since the Siege of Badajoz (1812). They also saw action at Loos (25 September - 8 October), and took part in the subsidiary attack at Givenchy with 263 casualties on 25 September. The Battalion took part in the subsequent attack against the Hohenzollern Redoubt (13–19 October). Following the battle few Ox and Bucks officers remained, they had either become casualties or been promoted to take up positions in other battalions.”
Ox and Bucks Diarys’de good progress.
Ploegsteert Memorial
Poole, George
Rank: Private Service No: 9722
Date of Death: 25/09/1915
Age 29
Regiment: Royal Berkshire Regiment 2nd Bn.
Panel Reference Panel 7 and 8.
Ploegsteert Memorial
British troops going ‘over the top’, Loos, 25th September 1915
Son of James and Rhoda Poole, of School Lane, Bampton.
The Battle of Loos 7am 25th September, 1915
“The 2nd battalion attacked at Bois Grenier on the 25th September 1915 simultaneous to the battle of Loos, the attack was to prevent the enemy from moving reserves down and jeopardising any breakthrough at Loos. Diary entry for the Battalion, sustained the following casualties: Officers Killed: 7, Wounded: 5. Other Ranks: Killed 32, Missing 143, Wounded 216”
Regimental Diary
George died on this day.
Roberts, Ivor John
Rank: Corporal Service No: 5389304
Date of Death: 16/07/1944
Age 29
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1st Bn. Grave Reference III. E. 15. Brouay War Cemetery
Son of Moses and Annie Eliza Roberts; husband of Mollie Edith Roberts, of Bampton.
Ivor was a corporal in the 1st Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire regiment.
“On July 15th 1944 in the battle for Caen the first Battalion of the Oxs and Bucks Light Infantry were ordered to make a night attack on the heavily defended hamlet of Cahier in Normandy. The attack began at 3.0am the following morning. After 14 hours within 300yds of well dug in enemy machine guns and heavy mortar fire, the men moved forward, clearing the hedgerows of opposition, before joining the final assault. Cahier was taken but the battalion lost about a third of its fighting force amongst which was Ivor Roberts.”
Ox and Bucks Regimental Diary
He is buried in Brouay war cemetery, Calvados, France.
Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
Saunders, William
Rank: Private Service No: 16435
Date of Death: 09/07/1915
Age 19
Regiment: Hampshire Regiment 1st Bn. Panel Reference Panel 35. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
The father was a chauffeur and gardener and William a baker’s boy. There were three daughters and two brothers. In 1910 they lived in the Elephant & Castle pub in Bridge Street, but by 1912 they were in Lavender Square.
William was killed during the Battle of Ypres. The Hampshires were defending a few hundred yards of a canal bank south of Ypres. There was little activity in this area until the Germans decided to push towards Ypres on the 6th July. The resulting battle was small but bloody with great losses on both sides. The Germans gave up on the 10th but William had been killed on the 9th. Some six hundred men died in those few days fighting over a few hundred yards of canal bank.
Skinner, Daniel Rank: Private Service No: 25972
Date of Death: 20/09/1917
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 6th Bn.
Panel Reference Panel 96 to 98.
Tyne Cot Memorial
Daniel was a journeyman baker who lived in Bridge Street. He was the father of a young daughter at the time of his death.
Daniel died on the 20th of September 1917 in the Battle of Menin Road Ridge. This was a particularly bloody battle during which the Germans used gas. There were huge losses on both sides.
“Wet through by overnight rain the infantry were on their start positions by early morning of 20 September. At 5.40am 65,000 troops advanced on an eight mile front, screened by heavy mist and a stupefying bombardment. Keeping close to the barrage, the initial rush, across slippery ground, quickly overran enemy outposts; retaliatory fire strengthened and skilful fighting was needed to negotiate surviving strong points. By midday the four attacking Divisions on the Gheluvelt Plateau were on their final objectives. The simultaneous attack by Fifth Army kept up alongside on the left. The newly won positions were consolidated in anticipation of expected German counter-attacks.”
Ox and Bucks Regimental Diary
Smith, William
Rank: Sergeant
Service No: 202005
Date of Death: 24/03/1918
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry
2nd/4th Bn.
Panel Reference; Bay 6.
British wounded awaiting evacuation, 21st March, 1918
“At Languevoisin on March 23 we find the relics of the 2/4th Oxfords under the command of Major Bennett, who had been providing rear-guards at the crossings of the Somme. By March 24 the position was unaltered; the troops were still lining the ridge east of Verlaines and awaited the enemy's next move with their field of fire in many cases masked by that of their comrades. Against this type of defence the enemy's tactics did not require to be as infallible as they perhaps seemed. Our pity is drawn to these English troops, disorganised, without their own proper commanders, unsupplied with rations—the stop-gaps thrust forward in the last stages of a retreat.
At 9 a.m. the enemy, whose patrols had during the night of March 23/24 been feeling their way up the slopes from the Somme Canal, commenced to press forward in earnest. The mixed troops, who were lining the ridge, had been 'down' too long to offer much resistance. They melted away, as leaderless troops will. Davenport, a gallant officer who to the very last never spared himself, was killed, shot through the head at Verlaines. The enemy, whose advanced artillery was already in action from behind Ham, had secured Esmery Hallon by the evening.”
The Story of the 2/4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Spurrett, Rowland George
Rank: Private Service No: SPTS/4157
Date of Death: 25/03/1918
Regiment: Royal Fusiliers 23rd Bn.
Panel Reference Bay 3. Arras Memorial
Rowland George Spurrett
Rowland was the son of Robert Spurrett and Jane Illot from Burford. They lived above their Grandmother’s shop on Bridge Street. Rowland was an agricultural engineer and he had three brothers and a sister.
A part of The Battle of the Somme 24th -26th March, 1918
“George was killed on the 25th March during this engagement. The Fusiliers had been fighting for 4 days and nights with no sleep and little food - the company was reduced to 26 men and 2 officers who were exhausted owing to hunger and prolonged lack of sleep. As they were falling back they received orders to turn around and re-take a village held by a strong detachment of Germans. There is no record of the outcome of this.”
Spurrett family history
Stroud, Bertie
Rank: Private Service No: 18277
Date of Death: 15/06/1915
Age 33
Regiment: Wiltshire Regiment 2nd Bn. Panel Reference, Panel 33 and 34. Le Touret Memorial
Son of the late Thomas and Susan Stroud, of Richmond, Surrey; husband of Ada Stroud, of Broad St., Bampton, and father of Rita Sweetenham and Roy Stroud, the organist. Roy was born the same year his father was killed.
Spring offensive, 1915
“The Wiltshires moved into the Givenchy sector but it proved to be a very difficult line to hold, being subject to constant mining, sniping and trench mortar activity. A decision was taken to make an attack on the German front and this was fixed for the evening of 15 June 1915. The German line in this area was formidable, with very deep trenches and dugouts that the weak British bombardment (not helped by poor observation through long grass and poor light) barely touched. Even before the artillery fire lifted, once the Germans saw the Wiltshires advancing, they manned the parapets. Machine gun and rifle fire cut down most of the attacking troops. The attack was a complete failure, despite the enormous bravery and dash of the Wiltshire Regiment.”
Bertie died in this attack.
Townsend, Frederick
Rank: Private Service No: 18423
Date of Death: 12/08/1916
Regiment: Royal Warwickshire Regiment 11th Bn.
Panel Reference, Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B. Thiepval Memorial
Men of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, advancing on Thiepval, 6th August, 1916
Son of David and Louisa Townsend of South Terrace, Weald, Bampton. Frederick was a carter.
The battle for Thiepval, August, 1916
“The Battalion took part in a night assault on the German "Intermediate Line" north of the village of Bazentin le Petit. On August 12 at 2 p.m. orders came from Brigade for the battalion to attack 300 yards of Intermediate Line east of the direct Bazentin le Petit-Martinpuich road in the darkness at 10.30 p.m. The two sides were separated by a sandbagged and barbed wire barricade. Before 7 p.m. there was to be three hours of British bombardment by heavy guns and a further hour by 18 pounders before zero. The infantry were to move forward as close to the barrage as possible.
The men going over the top were met with machine gun fire. Collison found it difficult to describe the attack as only one officer from the storming party survived to the time he was writing; this was Captain Wilfred Little who was himself severely wounded (three others were killed in the attack). The attack only reached within twenty yards of the German line and the assaulting troops were forced back to their starting point.”
Royal Warwickshire War Diaries.
There were 162 casualties with 48 men killed.
Wells, John Rank Private Service No: 10203
Date of Death: 25/09/1915
Age 29
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 5th Bn.
Panel Reference, Panel 37 and 39. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
25th September, 1915
“5.50am : Heavy British bombardment hits German front line defences and cloud gas is released. The gas forms a 30 to 50 feet high blanket, moving forward slowly in places (although still short of the enemy positions at 6.25am), but is virtually standing still in the British assault positions in other areas.
6.00am : the now tired reserve Divisions complete their assembly at Noeux-les-Mines and Beuvry. At first, the advancing battalions moved easily past well-cut wire and into the German front trench - which they found evacuated. Approaching the second line they were assailed by machine-gun fire and forced to take cover. Shortly after, they were counter-attacked and were among the first units this day to discover that German grenades were much more effective than British ones when it came to close-quarter fighting. By 9.40am the survivors of the Ox & Bucks were back in their original trench, having lost around 950 men in the process of achieving nothing positive”.
Detail of battle from official report.
John Wells died in the advance of the 25th September. There were at least two thousand British troops killed in the 2 day battle.
Wells, Thomas
Rank: Private Service No: 6402
Date of Death: 21/10/1914
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 2nd Bn. Panel Reference Panel 37 and 39.
Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
Langemarck, October, 1914
Eldest son of William and Lucy Wells of Prospect Place, Bampton, William was a house painter and his son, Thomas, a farm labourer.There were five other sons and two daughters in the family in 1911.
Thomas died at Langemarck on the 21st October, 1914
October 21/22nd 1914
In a bitter two-day stretch of hand-to-hand fighting, German forces capture Langemarck from British defenders.
“The German forces advancing against Ypres had a numerical advantage over the British Expeditionary Force. After the initial rapid movement of the German offensive, the battle became a messy, desperate struggle for land and position, leaving the countryside and villages around it in a state of bloody devastation. A German artilleryman wrote on October 21 of his experience in the battle: "We pull forward, get our first glimpse of this battlefield, and have to get used to the terrible scenes and impressions: corpses, corpses and more corpses, rubble, and the remains of villages." After the German capture of Langemarck on October 22, fighting at Ypres continued for one more month, before the arrival of winter weather brought the battle to a halt. On the first day of the battle the Battalion lost 220 killed and wounded”
Laurence Binyon