
WENDOVER 1914-1918 WAR MEMORIAL
World
War 1 & 2 - Roll of Honour with detailed information
Compiled and copyright © John Tanner 2008 |
The
Wendover War Memorial is to be found at Manor Waste, Wendover and takes
the form of a Market Cross on aplinth with three stone steps surrounded
by concrete bollards and chain. There are 57 names for World War 1 and
22 for World War 2 although only World War 1 have been transcribed and
rsearched so far. The World War 2 additions cost £19 10s 0d but
had to be chnaged becuase they had been sitred wrongly and missed out
Arthur Frank SHRIMPTON, the laterations cost a further £11 2s
6d and the work was carried out in June 1948. The original memorial
was unveiled by the MArchioness of Lincolnshire June 1992 and the alterations
for World War 2 by Air Commodore J F Titmuss 10th November 1946. The
orginal memorial cost £278 raised by public subscription. A further
memorial to World War 1 is to be found within St Mary's Church in the
form of a metal plaque, those who appear on only the memorial or the
plaque are denoted here.
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Photographs
Copyright © John Tanner 2008 |
| BARLOW |
Patrick
Basil
|
Private
25676, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Youngest son of Sir Thomas
and Lady Barlow of Boswells and London. Born in Bloomsbury and educated
at Marlborough and New College Oxford, awarded MA degree. Director
of Barlow and Jones, Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers, Bolton.
Age 32. Enlisted Bolton. Died in hospital at Rouen 18th January
1917 from blood poisoning contracted while suffering from trench
foot. Throughout December 1916 and January 1917 the battalion was
billeted in the area of Combles, Meulte and Bronfay Camp between
spells in the front-line around Bouleaux Wood. Buried in St. Sever
Cemetery Extension Rouen; Block 0, Plot 6, Row 0, Grave I
|
BIGNALL |
Frederick
Hampton |
Private
9975, 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
Born Wendover. Enlisted Aylesbury 1914 Lived in Clay Lane. Killed
in action I3th November 1916 near Beaumont Hamel. On 13th November
1916 the battalion's objective was the Yellow Line (the German second
line). Leading elements of 5th Infantry Brigade captured the German
front line with little resistance. The battalion, coming up in support,
suffered some casualties from its own barrage and during heavy bombing
of Munich Trench. After crossing the Green Line the leading waves
appear to nave lost direction. They wheeled northwards in the mist
and fell into a communication trench, known as Lager Alley, running
east and west between the Green and Yellow Lines. This mistake was
discovered, and the Yellow Line was entered by disorganised elements
from, all companies. There was considerable fighting here, in Munich
Trench, and in Lager Alley. This resulted in the forward parties
being all but surrounded and a withdrawal, covered by bombers and
Lewis gunners, was carried out to the Green Line, which was consolidated.
The battalion lost one officer killed, two died of wounds, five
wounded and three missing. The casualties amongst the other ranks
were ten killed, one hundred and forty-nine wounded, and seventy-six
missing. The battalion was in action from 5.45 am on the 13th until
the night of the 15th/16th November. Originally buried in Redan
Ridge Cemetery Number 3, Beaumont Hamel. His grave was destroyed
by German shellfire in later fighting and he is now commemorated
on Special Memorial B7 in that cemetery.
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| BIRCH,
MM |
E
Frank |
Private
19223 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. Son of Thomas Birch of
Wellwick Cottages, Age 25. Born at Great Missenden. Enlisted at
Bedford in November 1914, while living at Croxley Green. Killed
in action 21st September 1918 near Basse Boulogne. On 20th September
the battalion failed in a dawn attack north-east from the Bellicourt
road against outposts of the Hindenburg Line. The attack was resumed
at 3pm on the 21st, however, the planned two hour barrage failed
out for the fire of C/IIO battery. 5^th Infantry Brigade, I8th Division,
took Dog Trench, Mill Lane, Pot Trench, Duncan Avenue and Duncan
Post by 3-.45pm. In addition some 150-200 prisoners were taken.
Proceeded to France 26th July 1915. Awarded
Military Medal in July 1917, while serving as a battalion signaller
in the Battle of Messines. Buried in Unicorn Cemetery Vendhuile;
Plot 3, How A, Grave 5.
|
BIRCH |
William |
Private
26400 5th Battalion. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
(Also
served as Private 7649 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry and as Private 26400 6th Battalion Oxfordshire and
Buckinghamshire Light Infantry). Son
of Mrs Harriet Birch of 4 Tring Road. Age 28. Born
in Ellesborough. Enlisted
at Oxford in 1914. Killed
in action 23rd March 1918 near Flavy. At 6.05am on 2Ist March the
battalion moved into the Battle Zone to meet the German attack.
They reached the Zone at II. 30am, having suffered heavy casualties
from shellfire. They took up positions on the Benay-Essigny road,
in the old second line. At night this line was abandoned and all
troops retired behind the canal line at Flavy. At 5.30am on the
22nd the battalion moved up from Petit Detroit to hold the canal
bank. This line was lost early on the morning of the 23rd. B Company
sent up to reinforce near Flavy station was entirely overwhelmed.
At 11.30am. the battalion retired before the enemy, fighting all
the way to Riez de Cugny. An intense machine-gun barrage v/as put
down by the Germans. They finally dug-in in a strong point near
the village. Since the 2Ist the battalion had lost 18 officers and
about 350 other ranks killed, wounded and missing. A
report in “The Wendover Magazine” of October 1917 states
that Birch had just come through his 15th action safely. Commemorated
on the Pozieres Memorial; Panels 50-51. (Possibly buried in Annois
Communal Cemetery.)
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| BISHOP |
Thomas
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Lance Corporal
2674-I3 2nd/4th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light
Infantry. (Also served as Private 20435 2nd/Ist Buckinghamshire
Battalion, Oxfordsnire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry). Light
Infantry. Son of Thomas and Laura Bishop of 'West on Turville. .
Husband of Esther Bishop of Tring Road. Born at Weston Turville.
Worked as a gardener.Age 36. Enlisted at Aylesbury in 1916. Died
of wounds I5th April 1918 at Aire-sur-la-Lys. On 12th April the
battalion took and held positions on the Robecq-Calonne road and
at Bacquerolles Farm. At 7.30am, in thick fog, the enemy attacked
to the battalion's left, requiring them to form a defensive flank.
The troops on the left flank then withdrew and C Company had to
carry out a local counter-attack to drive the Germans from a group
of houses. On the 14th, at 6.30am, C Company drove the enemy from
& further group of houses. Subsequently, in the belief that
some houses were not being& held by the enemy, a battle patrol,
consisting of a platoon of A Company was pushed out. After a short
advance the patrol came under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire.
There was an exchange of fire and the patrol withdrew, covered by
Lewis-gun fire. The battalion lost one officer wounded, three other
ranks killed, twenty-two wounded and one missing. Buried
in Aire Communal Cemetery; Plot 4, Row F, Grave 10.
|
BONHAM |
Arthur
T |
Private 265709 A Company, Ist/i4th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry. (Also served as Private 2365 Ist/Ist Buckinghamshire
Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.) Son
of Mary Ann Bonharn and the late Thomas Bonham of Aylesbury Road
. Age 21. Nicknamed Skier.Killed
in action 27th August 1917 near St. Julien. Enlisted at Aylesbury.
He went to France with the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, on 30
March 1915. Served with them in the Ploegsteert Wood area and in
front of Hebuterne. Commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial; Panels
96 to 98. “The Wendover Magazine” of August
1915 included the following:
“Private
Arthur Bonham, an old member of the Boys’ Brigade, has written
and interesting letter from the front, from which we have an extract:-
'We have not been in the trenches for about a fortnight no, but
up till then we had fours days in and four out. It was a fairly
quiet part of the line that we were in, though of course at times
it was rather warm, such as rapid firing, and a few shells flying
over, but we soon got used to them We used to hear at hone that
the Germans couldn’t shoot, but can’t they? I wouldn’t
give them half a chance if a I knew it. At present we are billeted
at a large village some miles behind the firing line, doing some
training, and it is very trying , as the weather is so hot, but
I dare say we shall have it still hotter before long. The woods
and country back here are looking grand, but as you get nearer the
firing line the villages and towns are battered about dreadful,
and at some of them there are churches in ruins which at one time
must have looked splendid and quite beautiful. We all have the same
wish as you, that it was all over and that we could get back home
again, but I am afraid that that will not be for some time yet.
It is quite amusing trying to make the French people understand
different things we want, but in most shops they are picking up
English wonderful, and can quite understand, but that is chiefly
where troops have been billeted.’”
He
fought with the battalion in the initial attacks on Pozieres in
the second half of July 1916. On the afternoon of the I4th August
the battalion was ordered to retake Skyline Trench, to the east
of Pozieres. It was decided that C Company would carry out a bombing,
attack, supported by a party from A Company supporting their right
flank. This operation was successful and C and D Companies occupied
Skyline Trench and Sixth Avenue. The battalion was then subjected
to heavy shell fire which destroyed the trenches and continued until
their relief on the evening of the I5th. On the I5th, while serving
in A Company, Bonham suffered a gunshot wound in the right leg.
He was evacuated to the 1st/2nd South Midland Field Ambulance, at
Warloy-Baillon, and went from there to Number 3 Canadian Stationary
Hospital, at Rouen, before going to England.
At
1.55pm on the 27th August 1917 the 1st/4th Battalion moved forward
from dug-outs in the canal bank at Reigersberg Camp. They moved
up to their assembly positions in the Triangle via Infantry route
4. The assembly trenches were reached at 4pm with very few casualties
despite having to pass through a heavy barrage. The battalion dug-in
on this position, with its HQ in a blockhouse north-east of Mon
du Hibou. At midnight they took over the frontline.
After
her son's death Mrs Bonham received a letter from an unknown officer
saying that he had died painlessly, and that his body had been taken
from. the battlefield for burial.
The
Wendover Magazine of October 1917 included the following: “Arthur
Bonham also fell in action with the Territorials a few days later
– August 27th. He was one of the original “Terriers”,
having joined up on Sept. 7, 1914, and having gone out to France
first on 30 March 1915. Badly wounded on August 16, 1916, he was
sent to Hospital in Hackney, and then to re-cuperate in Ireland.
Early this year he was sent out again to re-join his Battalion..
Second-Leiut. F W Caldwell wrote a most sympathetic letter to his
widowed mother to tell her of her great loss, and to her it is a
bitter blow, for sympathising friends will recall that she has lost
husband, one daughter , and a son within a few years. Arthur, before
the war, had been employed by the late Mr R White.” |
| BOWDEN |
Archibald |
Gunner
108061, D Battery, 11th Brigade, Royal .Field Artillery Son of Mr
and Mrs James Bowden of 6 Old Ford Cottages, Scrubwood. Age 23 Born
in Wendover. Enlisted at Aylesbury 4th September 1915. Carter. Killed
in action 24th September 1917 near Pilckem. D/11 Battery come into
the line on the 17th September. The batteries of the brigade were
distributed through the following map squares: C 1 a and c, C 7
a and b and 3 12 a and b, to the east-north-east of Pilckem. From
1.50am to 5am on the 24th the batteries, and Brigade HO at C I d
6 9, were subjected to heavy gas-shelling suffering one gunner killed.
Buried in Bluet Farm Cemetery; Plot I, Row F, Grave 51
The
Wendover Magazine of November 1917 included the following:
“News came through during the month of the deaths of Private
Jessie Slade and Gunner Archie Bowden…. Archie Bowden was
one of Jessie’s schoolmates at Wendover school, whence his
daily walk took him to Scrubwood. He also joined up before being
called up, and being fond of horses was drafted to the RFA. At the
Baptist Sunday School and at his work for Messers. Rance he had
always been quiet and obliging, and the shock to his parents (Mr
and Mrs James Bowden) and family when the news came of his death
on Sept. 204th was great.” |
BOWDEN |
William |
 Private
3/8118 3rd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry,
attached 2nd Battalion. Only son of Mrs Pearce of Tring. Road. Born
in Tring. Enlisted at Oxford. Died
of wounds 10th October 1914 at La Cour de Soupir. Buried in Soupir
Churchyard; Row B, Grave 7.
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| BUCKINGHAM |
Benjamin
Joseph |
 1st Mate SS Bishopstone.
Son of Benjamin and the late Sarah Buckingham. Husband of Kate Buckingham,
nee Wyatt, of "Elthorpe", Nightingale Road. Born in Great
Kirnble. Age 41. Killed
by enemy action 4th September 1917 in the English Channel.. The
B'ishopstone was a vessel of 2,513 tons, owned by Swansea Steamers
Ltd. It was registered for home trade and was plying a regular cargo
run from Portsmouth to I.e Havre. On the 4th September she was sunk
by a submarine in the English Channel, while on passage from Le
Havre (50º8’ N, 0º57’ W). Commemorated on the Mercantile
Marine Memorial, Tower Hill; Panel 3.
The
Wendover Magazine of October 1917 included the following: “Another
‘Ben’, but possibly not so well-known, for he had spent
thirty years at sea; and met a sailor’s death by drowning,
his vessel being sunk by a Hun pirate. Born at Kimble, he married
the daughter of Mr George Wyatt, who shares the home in Nightingale
Road, where the widow and little child live. He joined the Mercantile
Marine service as a youth, and since the war had twice before been
on board vessels sunk by the U boats, to meet his death with a third
this September.
‘The
sea and him in death….. ‘this now his rest for ever.’”
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BURNABY,
DSO |
Hugo
Beaumont |
Lieutenant-Colonel
1lth Battalion Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment (Also served as
Major with I5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. )
Youngest
son of the Rev. Sherard Beaumont Burnaby, vicar of Hampstead, and
Jane Mary 3'urnaby. Born in Hampstead on. the 5th May 1874. Educated
at Uppingham. Engaged in ranching in British Columbia from 1893
to 1899. In 1906 married Evelyn Violet, youngest daughter of the
late Major-General C H Smith. One son and two daughters. Ran a game
farming business at his home, Rocketer, near Great Missenden. Age
42
Killed
in action 8th September 1916 near Delville Wood.
On
I8th January 1900 enlisted in the 1st Wiltshire Company, 1st Battalion
Imperial Yeomanry. Embarked for South Africa on the 1st March 1900.
Commissioned as Lieutenant 1st March 1900. Promoted Captain in June
of that year and mentioned in despatches. In the London Gazette
of 31st October 1902 was awarded the DSO " in recognition of
services during operations in. South Africa. " On 26th September
1914 took up appointment as Major in the 15th Battalion Durham Light
Infantry at Halton Park. Moved with the battalion to Maidenhead
in April I9I5« On 5th July 1915 assumed command of the 1lth Lambeth
Battalion of the Queens. Took the battalion to France on the 5th
June I9I6.
On
the 8th September 1916 the battalion was in billets at Meault. He
went forward with his four Company Commanders and was killed while
reconnoitring the front line trenches. Buried in Danzig Alley Cemetery,
Mametz; Plot I, Row D, Grave 51.
The
Wendover Magazine of October 1916 included the following: “If
the worth of a man, apart from any professional honours he may have
attained, can be estimated by the general esteem in which he is
held, the Lieut-Col H B Burnaby, DSO, stands in no need of any obituary
panegyric. On all sides, from every class of the community, the
deepest and sincerest sorrow was expressed when the sad new circulated
through the village that he had died out in France.
On
Sept 8th, while he was inspecting his battalion of the East Surrey
Regiment, he was struck be a shell, and died almost immediately
afterwards. So passed away one of the best and most gallant of men.
Hugo
Beaumont Burnaby was the youngest some of the Rev S Beaumont Burnaby,
Vicar of Hampstead. He was born on May 5th 1874, and so was a little
over 42 on the day of his death.
After
being educated at Uppingham, he went to British Columbia at the
age of 19, and was engaged in ranching there until the outbreak
of the Boer War. Returning to England, he at once enlisted as a
trooper in the Imperial Yeomanry, and was sent out to the Front.
A born soldier – the phrase is now a hackneyed one, but it
was essentially true of Colonel Burnaby – he quickly made
his way. In March 1901, he was given his commission , and three
months later he was gazetted Captain.
The
work he did in the South African War was very distinguished –
far more distinguished, the writer has been told, then even the
high military honours conferred on him denoted. He was mentioned
in despatches, and was decorated with the Distinguished Service
Order.
He
was badly wounded in the war, and we remember how, he laughingly
told us that at few days before the outbreak of the present war
the last piece of shrapnel came out of his chin while he was shaving.
‘I shall just have time to go and collect some more,’
he said.
Returning
to England, he set about the founding of the Rocketter Game Farm,
starting in the smallest way, and, by dint of great perseverance
and industry, building up what was undoubtedly one of the best businesses
of its kind in England. He married in 1906 the youngest daughter
of Major-General C H Smith, CB.
He
was a very familiar figure in Wendover. Everybody knew him and everybody
liked him, and this universal popularity was not, as it so often
is, a mark of a weak character, but a testimony to his fine qualities.
He was always courteous, always considerate; he loved a joke, and
his laughter was infectious; he had a simplicity and directness
which were charming, and he had a joy of life which showed itself,
not only in his engaging smile and laughter, but in the very way
he walked and carried himself.
When
the war broke out, he was over forty, and though he sent in his
papers, the War Office did not believe at that time that they would
require officers of his age. This lack of military employment fretted
him, but, anxious to do what he could, he took charge of the guard
at the Chiltern Hills Water Works and of the Wendover Company of
Special Constabulary. By some natural instinct, he was a leader
of men, and he had the art of getting the most out of those under
him.. The writer, by no means an impressionable person, knows that
he did a lot of things for Colonel Burnaby in the Special Constabulary
simply because he seemed so pleased and grateful, and was so ready
to praise whatever was done.
About
six weeks after the war started, when the 21st Division came down
to Halton, tired of appealing to the War Office, he applied direct
to the Headquarters at Aylesbury, and was at once given his company
in the Durham Light Infantry. At this time he knew practically nothing
about drill, and we are writing this article on the table where,
with the aid of matches and much laughter, it was explained to him
how fours were formed. On the following day he was to begin his
new military duties by marching his company up from Aylesbury.
But
all things military came natural to him. During the training at
Halton he was at first stationed under canvass in the lower camp
– in that dreadful swamp of mud and water – he seemed
the most cheerful person in the whole place.
In
January 1915 he went to Maidenhead, and we have a letter in front
of us in which he declares that he is sick of what he calls Red
Tape and office work, and expresses his longing to get out to the
Front.
In
June 1915 he was appointed Colonel of a battalion of the East Surrey
Regiment. We saw several of the Durham Light Infantry the day he
left. In their gruff North Country way they cursed and swore at
the Powers-that-be for taking from them an officer they so dearly
loved. We are told that some of the men cried when he left, so great
an impression had his fine and engaging qualities made on them.
The
last time we saw him was at Marylebone Station. He was still wearing
his old Captain’s uniform., though he had already been appointed
to his Lieutenant-Colonelcy. We spoke and shook hands in the hurry
of getting out of and getting into a train, and that unknowingly
was our last glimpse of the tall, graceful, splendidly-built figure
of Lieutenant-Colonel Hugo Burnaby.
He
leaves behind him a widow, a son to carry on the name of Burnaby
and the traditions associated with that name, and two daughters.
It would be futile to express here any of the ordinary sentiments
of regret and sorrow, but if universal sympathy can assuage the
bitterness of such a loss, then perhaps the knowledge of how much
he is missed for miles round his home at Wendover Dene may be of
some comfort to his widow." |
| CAUDRY |
Charles
Henry |
Private 16320
1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment (Also served as Private 13495 9th
Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.) Born
in Wendover. Lived in Back Street. Enlisted at Oxford in 1914- Went
to France 2nd June 1915. Killed in action 1st July 1916 near Beaumont
Hamel. Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial; Pier 7, Face C.
On
1st July the battalion was in support to the 1st Battalion East
Lancashire Regiment. At 7.30am. the latter attacked from the British
front line on Redan Ridge north-west of Beaumont Hamel. They came
under heavy machine-gun fire as soon as they left their trenches..
Ten minutes later the 1st Hampshires left their trenches. A, B and
half of C Company formed the first wave. The remainder of C Company
were to assault a German trench on the left flank and D Company
were in reserve* As soon as they left the trenches heavy machine-gun
fire was bought on them from all directions. Casualties totalled
26 officers, all of those engaged, and 559 other ranks. |
CARTER |
Gordon
Geoffrey |
 Shoeing Smith
Corporal 205163 1st/1st Royal Bucks. Hussars, also served as 935.
Son of Thomas and Elizabeth Carter of High Street. Brother of Thomas.
Born in Wendover. Enlisted at Aylesbury in 1913. Served with the
regiment at Gallipoli from August to December 1915 when it returned
to Egypt following the evacuation.. Age 20. Died
of wounds 4th June 1917 at Kantara.
On
3Ist May the regiment was encamped in a branch gully off the Wadi
Guzze, near El Shellal. Four bombs were dropped on 1st Troop,, A
Squadron. Fourteen men, thirteen from A Squadron and one from. C,
were wounded, one dying within a few minutes. The remaining men
were evacuated to to. 24 General Hospital at Kantara. Eighteen horses
were killed by the bombs and the same number wounded.. One further
man died of wounds in, hospital that evening. Buried in Kantara
War Memorial Cemetery; Row C, Grave 73.
The
following letters were published in the Bucks Herald on
7th June 1917:
24
Stationary Hospital
Kantara
Dear
Mr and Mrs Carter
I
feel I must write a line of sympathy to the nearest and dearest
of Corpl.. Gordon Carter (935) Bucks Yeo. who died last night at
11.20pm. He had been badly wounded in the back by part of a bomb
dropped from a Taube, but of course everything had been done for
him that could be.
Yesterday
when looking for two men reported as dangerously ill I came across
him in the next tent and after sitting with him a little time, I
told him there were others I had to see who were very bad in the
next tent. I did not want to leave him, but as I had been sent for,
I told him I had to go but would come back again,. Although he was
obviously in pain and wanted me to stay, he said "Yes go and
comfort them, do not worry about me." He was a brave lad and
when I came back I sat with him. He said it was such a long time
for me to sit with him. He was so nice, and spoke so well of another
chaplain further up the line, I think, who used to come and see
him regularly.
Weil
don't worry about him. He only wanted sleep and rest. I prayed that
he might have this; and then after his medicine, I told him, “Now
you must go to sleep.” He smiled and said, “Oh no, Sir,
not before about two hours,” and then he settled himself quietly
and quite soon I left him resting, breathing quickly but asleep.
But in a little over two hours – it was then just 9 o'clock
(lights out) – he fell asleep and entered into that other
rest which always remains for the children of God.
May
he rest in peace and may God comfort your hearts. I hope I have
not written too much to distress you. But he was so nice a fellow
that I loved him, and wished I could have done more for him.
Yours
sincerely
A
J Bennet CF
PS
It will be such a long time before get this
you get this, but if you don't you will get my prayers.
8th
June 1 917
Dear
Mrs Carter - Before this reaches you, you will have heard the sad
new/s of the death of your son, No. 935 SS Corpl. G Carter and I
am writing to express my sympathy for you all in your great loss.
Your son was wounded on May 3Ist by a piece of a bomb dropped from
an enemy aeroplane, and was badly wounded in the back. It happened
in camp, so luckily, the doctors were able to attend to the wounded
in a very few minutes after the explosion. Your son was removed
to hospital at once, and he was taken down the line as far as the
hospital on the canal, where I understand he went under a serious
operation. At present we have not heard the full particulars, except
from the hospital staff, saying your son died in the hospital after
a serious operation. We hope for more details. He died on the evening
of June 4th.
Your
boy's death is a great loss to us all, as he was such a fine man,
and, soldier, and above all things, always a gentleman. I feel his
death myself very much; as I was in the same troop in England and
on the Peninsula, and when I received my commission I was given
the Troop which your son was in, and has been in ever since. He
was always happy, bright and cheerful, and was most popular with
all ranks. His loss is a great blow to us all.
A
few days before he was wounded he told me there was a chance that
his brother was corning out on a boat which was sunk. I hope for
your sakes that this has been found to be incorrect, as you have
enough to bear with the loss of one son. I will try to find out
further particulars, and will then write to you again.
With
deepest sympathy
I
am, yours sincerely
Fred
Archer 2nd Lieut.
B Squadron Royal Bucks Hussars
June
8th
Dear
Mr and Mrs Carter - It is with great regret (I am writing on behalf
of the 'Wendover boys) we hear of dear Gordon's death, caused by
a bomb. No words of mine can express our heartfelt, sympathy in
your sad bereavement, for ''Gordon was held in high esteem by all
ranks. Not only was he a first-class sportsman, but a soldier who
aid his duty as such-as only a Bucks man can.
The
sad fatality occurred on the morning of: May 3Ist. An aeroplane
came over our camp and dropped four bombss all of which fell on
the 1st Troop of A Squad doing serious damage to horses and men,
the same wounding Gordon. I arrived on the scene about half-an-hour
afterwards as we were some distance from A Squad. By that time Gordon
was dressed and gone so could not see him.
Only
a week before he came over to B Squad to tell me about 'Tom. Little
did any of us think that this sad occurrence would rob us of one
of the best pals a man could wish for, and all of us feel we have
lost a brother, I need not dwell on this sad subject any longer,
as we all know how you must feel, only we thought it our duty to
offer you our deepest sympathy, hoping it will comfort you to know
he did his duty and died a hero.
I
am yours sincerely
W
Simmons, Trooper
A
photograph of Gordon Carter’s grave was sent to his mother
by Private Albert Bishop 1st/7th Essex Regt., of Pound Street.
June
8th
|
| CARTER |
Thomas |
Private DM2/196369
895th MT Company, Army Service Corps. Son of Thomas and Elizabeth
Carter of High Street. Brother of Gordon Geoffrey. Born in Wendover.
Enlisted at Aylesbury.Died at sea 15th April 1917 in the Cyclades.
The 895th Mechanical Transport Company ASC (No 1 Mechanical Transport
Tractor Company) was formed at Deir-el-Belah, Egypt, on 13th April
19T7. On 15th April the SS Arcadian, a troopship of 6,939 tons sailing
from Alexandria to Salonika, was sunk by a submarine off the island
of Siphano in the Aegean. The ship was on the second leg of a voyage
to Marseille and bringing troops out from Britain. Two hundred and
seventy-one lives were lost in the sinking: 35 crew and 236 passengers.
Carter's body was recovered and his parents were told that he had
been buried in St George's cemetery on the island of Antiparos which
lies to the east of Siphano. The CWGC records that three special
memorials in Syra new British Cemetery bear the names of casualties
buried on Antiparos and Skarpanto whose graves had been washed away.
Commemorated on Special Memorial Grave'2 in Syra New British Cemetery.
|
DEERING |
Bertram |
Private G/7113
2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Also served in 16th Battalion). Son
of Mr and Mrs James Deering of Chandos Street. Born in Wendover.
Enlisted at Mill Hill. Age 19. Died of wounds 1st August 1915 on
Malta. Landed at Gallipoli 16th June 1915. On the 23rd July 1915
the battalion sailed for the Gallipoli Peninsula, having been at
rest on Lemnos. They landed at Gully Beach on the 24th and went
into bivouacs. On the 26th they were bombed from the air, suffering
four men wounded. At 6pm on the 28th they took over the front line
of Essex Knoll and Worcester Flat. On the 29th they lost one man
Killed and four wounded. Buried in Pieta Military Cemetery, Malta;
Plot B, Row 4, Grave 1.
The
Wendover Magazine of August 1915 included the following: “Bert
Deering, an old CLB boy, who joined the Royal Fusiliers, has been
fighting with his regiment on the Gallipoli Peninsula. In a card
we have received he announces that hew has been badly wounded while
charging the Turks, and is in hospital in Malta. He says he is getting
on well and hopes to be sent home on the next hospital ship.” |
| DEERING |
Walter
George |
 Private 19605
1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment (Also served as Private 8112 3rd
Bn. attd. 2nd Bn. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.)
Son of Walter and Sarah Deering of 1 Clay Lane, Born in Wendover.
Enlisted at Aylesbury. Age 21. Nicknamed Pednor. Killed
in action 6th Kay 1916 near La Targette.
On
the 6th May 1916 the battalion was holding the La Targette sector
below Vimy Ridge. The day began with the Stokes mortar being registered
on the German line. Lt. Brown was killed by a sniper. At 7.57pm
the enemy sprang a mine between the old and new craters at the top
of Birkin Trench. The battalion put a party into the valley between
the craters and prevented enfilade fire being brought on the position.
Two men were buried by the mine explosion. The near lip of the crater
was consolidated and a sap was dug to connect it with that blown
on the 3rd. One man was killed and one wounded in this operation.
At 8.13pm a British mine was blown to the north east of the top
of Grange Trench. The explosion formed a crescent shaped crater
measuring 45 by 80 feet and 60 feet deep. A Lewis gun was then moved
up and enfiladed an enemy working party. A further sap was dug from
Grange Trench to the crater's lip. A third sap was dug to the south
with a 'Y-fork in it and incorporating loop-hole plates. Other casualties
one NCO and one man killed, three wounded. Buried in Ecoivres Military
Cemetery, Mont St. Eloi; Plot 1, Row J, Grave 20
The
Wendover Magazine of July 1916 included the following:
“We
give below two copies of letters received by the parents of Will
Fantham and George Deering, whose deaths on May 8 we chronicled
in our last issue. It is not generally known that George had previously
been wounded in the head whilst with the Oxford and Bucks, and on
returning had been transferred to the Wiltshires.
1st
Wilts Regt.
BEF
15th May 1916
DEAR
MRS DEERING
Just
a few lines to tell you how very sorry I am that your son has been
killed.
He
was in my platoon, and I am extremely sorry to lose him.
He
died as bravely as anyone could, when we were taking a German mine
crater, being shot by a German machine gun, and his death was instantaneous.
He
has been buried in a cemetery at Mont St Eloi, and of course there
is a cross on his grave with his name and regiment.
Please
accept my deepest sympathy.
Yours
sincerely
G D Brown" |
DELL |
Cecil
Clark |
Lance Corporal
266125 2nd/Ist Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry. Son of William and Martha Dell of Wellwick Cottages
and, latterly, High Street Great Missenden. Enlisted at Aylesbury.
Age 21. Killed in action I9th July 1916 near Laventie.
On
the I9th July the battalion was holding the front line from Bond
Street to Picantin Avenue, opposite the German, salient known as
the Sugar Loaf. The British bombardment started at11am. By 5.30pm
nearly 100 men had been killed or wounded, out of rifle strength
of 20 officers and 622 other ranks. At 5.40pm the remaining 120
men of A and D Companies filed out into no-mans land by way of Rhondda
Sap. They formed up and lay down in four waves under German machine-gun
fire. When, at 6pm, they rose up to assault the German line they
were mowed down by machine-gun fire. C Company, carrying engineer
stores for consolidation, attempted to cross no-mans land but were
also cut down at 6.10pm. Orders for the renewal of the attack were
cancelled and B Company, with 80 survivors from the other companies,
took over the front, line. Casualties were as follows; four officers
killed, seven wounded and two missing; sixty-two other ranks killed,
one hundred and eighty wounded and sixty-five missing. Commemorated
on tne Loos Memorial; Panels 63-85.
The
Wendover Magazine of September 1916 included the following:
The
many friends whom Mr and Mrs Dell, of Wellwick, have in this part
of the County will deeply sympathize with them in their anxiety
respecting the fate of their eldest son Cecil, Lance-Corporal in
the 0. and B. Since he left the trenches on July 19 with his battalion
to attack the enemy not a scrap of reliable evidence can be obtained
respecting him, but there is a faint chance that he may be a prisoner
in Belgium, for it is said he was one of the few to get through
the wire and reach the German lines. George Wells has made enquiries,
but can only say that he heard he was wounded.
Will
Elliott (now wounded and in England) wrote to :Mrs Dell, and said
he was close to Cecil when they climbed the parapet to advance.
Cecil shouted "What oh. Will. How did you like the rum?"
the reason being, as Will quaintly adds, "as we had none."
Will saw him no more, as he was wounded himself in the stomach arid
thigh at the German "wire", and, after dressing his wounds
in a shell hole, took about two hours to crawl 300 yards to safety,
when he was placed in a shell-proof dug-out.
Enquiries
have been made in all directions respecting Cecil, and it is said
that he and Lance-Corporal Stevens were seen to "bomb"
their way to the German trenches. Another story says two were taken
prisoners. If so these may be the two.
Cecil's
Commanding Officer wrote as follows to Mrs Dell:-
August
15 1916
Madam
It
is with the greatest respect that I send you my deep sympathy in
your anxiety about your son. As you know, I thought the world of
your boy (Will) now in the First Battalion, and during the four
months I have been with this Battalion I soon found out the worth
of your other son (Cecil) too. I would give anything to be able
to send you news of him. But since July 19 there is none. As soon
as any news arrives I will write to you at once, but I am bound
to tell you that the chances are out faint that we shall get any
more news.
Yours
sincerely George W Bowyer |
| DORRELL |
Arthur
James |
Private 220505
8th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment (Also served as Private 265710
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 2/1st Bucks Battalion.
Son of James and Sarah Dorrell of London Road. Enlisted at Aylesbury
in 191 if Nicknamed Kruger. Age 20. Died
of wounds 26th August 1918 at Daours.
At
1am on the 24th of August, zero hour, the barrage opened and the
battalion moved forward. They halted on the road in W 29 a arid
c, east of Albert, for 20 minutes. The barrage then lifted and moved
forward at 100 yards every four minutes, halting on the line X 25
b 7 6 to X 19 b 5 7 for 10 minutes, and then moving on to the objective;
La Boiselle village. The German barrage replied at 1.06am, with
the majority of shells falling over. At 5.15am a message, timed
4.30am was received from the commander of B Company to say that
he was on the objective and in touch with the other companies. D
Company reported that they were on the first objective in support
of the other companies, who had over-shot the objective. C Company
had reached the objective but then been held up on the craters in
X20 a 7 3. At 10am a message was received from the commander of
A Company, timed 5.30am, saying that he was on position at X 20
a 5 5 but also reported Germans in the craters. Touch was now made
with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on the left. Considerable machine
gun fire was reported to be coming from north of La Boiselle and
the craters. There was also some firing up Avoca Valley . At 5pm
platoons from A and C Companies attacked the La Boiselle craters
under cover of a Stokes mortar bombardment. The objective was consolidated
by 9pm and 200 prisoners had been taken. Later a patrol from C Company
established a post at X 20 b 9 I. At 3am on the 25th they were relieved
by the 8th Battalion East Surrey Regiment and went to Square Trench
in map square E 7. The battalion remained here until 8prn on the
26th v/hen they moved up to clear Trones .Wood. The battalion’s
casualties throughout August were 79 killed, 225 wounded, 9 died
of wounds, 10 missing 8 wounded and missing. Buried in Daours Communal
Cemetery Extension; Plot 3, Row F, Grave 45. |
DRAKE |
Alfred |
A/2nd/Corporal
560602 Royal Engineers Signal Service X Corps HQ Signal Company,
serving in VII Corps area around Nurlu. Also served as Private (T)3971
Royal Engineers. Son of Alfred and Sarah Drake of York Buildings,
Tring Road. Born in Wendover, Lived at Hampstead. Enlisted Kilbuirn.
Husband of Annie Drake of Pimlico. Killed accidentally I6th January
1918 at Guyencourt-Saulcourt. Killed when the cellar in which he
was sleeping collapsed in on him. Buried in Saulcourt Churchyard
Extension; Row B, Grave 6.
After
his death Drake's commanding officer wrote to his parents. An extract
from the letter was published in the Bucks Herald on 2nd
February 1918:
I
always regarded him more as a friend than an NCO, and I nave never
met a man more to be relied on. He was buried in a little cemetery
quite near us, the service being carried out by the Assistant Chaplain.
I will get a cross made as soon as possible. |
| EDMONDS |
George |
Private 48053
4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, also served 3rd Battalion
Son of James and Emma Edmonds. Husband of Eva Edmonds of Clay Lane.
Born Wendover. Enlisted Aylesbury. Worked in the King's Head Brewery.
Nicknamed Tubby . Age 39. Killed in action 9th October 1917 near
Schrieboom
The
battalion relieved the 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers in the
front line at 3.30am on the 8th. W and X Companies were in the front
line, the latter astride the Ypres-Staden railway, in the old German
trenches, Bear and Leopard. Y and Z Companies were in support, with'
battalion HQ in Spring Farm. (U 22 c 1 1) Patrols were sent out
to the Broembeek. At 5.30 in the evening battalion HO moved to a
Blockhouse in Bear Trench, at U I7 c 8 1, Z Company moved up from
Martins Mill to shell holes behind X Company in Leopard Trench.
Tapes were laid out in front of the battalion. At 2.30am on the
9th they formed up on the tapes; Wand X Companies forming the first
wave, and Y and Z the second. One hour later the Newfoundland Regiment
formed up 150 yards in the rear. It had been raining continuously
for 24 hours. The barrage began at 5.20arn and advanced at 100 yards
every six minutes. The Broembeek was crossed and the first wave
gained its objectives, while maintaining touch with the Coldstream.
Guards on the left and the 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers on
the right. At 7am battalion HO moved forward to Namur Crossing (U
18 b 2 9). The barrage halted for one hour and then moved on at
100 yards every eight minutes. The second objective was taken with
the 1st Guards Brigade on the left and the Royal Fusiliers on the
right. Then the Newfoundland Regiment moved through and took the
third objective. The battalion had captured 6 officers and 200 other
ranks, with two machine-guns. They had lost 2 officers a
line-guns. They had lost 2 officers and twenty other ranks killed,
five officers and one hundred and seven other ranks wounded and
forty other ranks wounded. Commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial;
Panels 75 to 77
The
Wendover Magazine of October 1917 included the following:
Though
the official news has not come through, there is little doubt but
that poor Geo. Edmonds has paid the great sacrifice, for some of
his personal belongings have been returned to Mrs Edmonds. His bother
Alf is back in England – severe shell-shock. |
FAMTHAM |
Harry |
 Sapper 266804,
264th Railway Company Royal Engineers (Also served as Private 5878
2nd/5th Battalion Suffolk Regiment.) Son of Joseph and Elizabeth
Fantham of London Road. Husband of Isabella Fantham of Aylesbury.
Enlisted at Aylesbury in the autumn of 1916. Worked as a blacksmith.
Nicknamed Hoboy. Age 40. Uncle of William George Fantham. Died of
wounds 30th August 1917 at Boulogne. (39 General Hospital).
On
the 9th August the company continued work on a gun spur at Noordhofswijk
in map square H 6 b. On the 10th work began on extension of the
Great Midland line from C 25 a 4 7. Work continued on this until
the l6th. On this day they were shelled suffering one milled and
sixteen wounded. Two of the wounded men died the next day. Buried
in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery; Plot 7, Row I, Grave 22. Commemorated
on the family grave in Wendover Churchyard.
The
Wendover Magazine of October 1917 included the following:
Poor
Harry received severe injuries whilst with a working party of the
Royal Engineers in France, and lingered for some days in the 134th
General Hospital, Boulogne, before expiring. His wife had several
very kind letters from the Matron, but there was little hope of
his recovery, though his death was painless. He was 38 years old,
and leaves a young wife and two little children. He joined the army
in October last year, and was at first attached to the Suffolk Regiment.
He was a well known “Oddfellow”, and in civil life had
worked for a considerable time as a farrier for Mr Tom Carter, and
more recently at Mr J S Holland’s Brewery.

|
| FANTHAM |
William,
George |
 Private 2162
1st/5th Leicestershire Regiment Son of William and Jane Fantham
of The Pack Horse, Tring Road. Born in Wendover . Enlisted at Loughborough.
Age 22. Killed in action 8th May 1916 near Neuville St. Vaast. Landed
at Havre with battalion 28th February 1915.
At 1.45pm on
the 29th April the battalion paraded on the Duffin-Perin road and
took over the front line at Neuville St. Vaast using all four companies.
They remained in the line until 9pm on the 8th May, when they were
relieved by the King's Royal Rifle Corps. While not providing fatigue
parties the off duty troops rested in caves beneath Neuville St.
Vaast.
Commemorated
on the Thiepval Memorial; Pier and Face 2C and 3A. Commemorated
on the family grave in Wendover churchyard
The
Wendover Magazine of July 1916 included the following:
“We
give below copies of two letters received by the parents of Will
Fantham and George Deering, whose deaths on May 8 we chronicled
in our last issue........
France,
15th May 1916
DEAR
MR AND MRS FANTHAM,
I
take the privilege of witing these few lines to you over your son,
William Fantham (No. 2162). No doubt you have been informed before
now that he was killed in action on the night of May 8 whilst performing
one of the most dangerous duties that falls to our lot, that is,
of mining fatigue. He vwas at work down a sap with other comrades
when the Germans blew it in on them, burying him and another.
I
can assure you that all was done to get them out, but it was impossible
to save them. What makes it seem harder is that they would have
been out of it in about half an hour.
He
is a sad los to us, being very popular with all on account of his
cheerful disposition and his devotion to duty. No matter how hard
or dangerous the work, he was always game to the last.
I
was very sorry to lose him myself, as living with him at 71, Malvern
Road, Luton, during his first few months of training it makes me
feel a good deal, I can tell you. No doubt Mr Fantham and son will
remember me as Corporal on their visit to Luton.
I
can assure you we have lost one of the best.
You
have my greatest sympathy in your sad bereavement.
Believe
me,
Yours sincerely,
A HURST (Platoon Sergeant)
Leicester
Regiment
From
a comrade
France,
16th May 1916
DEAR
MRS FANTHAM
I
regret to write the followingt lines, and I am sorry to let you
know that William was killed on the 8th instant. He was one of the
best lads in the platoon, and he always seemed bright and jolly
up to his last end.
Ireceived
a small parcel for William, which I divided up between his comrades.
Will
you please accept from his comrades sincere thanks, and our expressions
of sympathy in your sad and sudden bereavement.
I
remain,
Yours sincerely,
J H Wooding (No 2156)
|
HARDING |
Edward
Thomas |
Private 8668 Q
Company, 1st Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
Son of George Harding, widower, of Aylesbury Road. Brother of Sam
and Sid. Age 27. Died 20th June 1916 near Ras al 'Ain. Enlisted
at Oxford in January 1908 and went to India in February 1910. Arrived
in Mesopotamia with the battalion on the 27th November 1914. Served
with them through the advance to Ctesiphon and during the siege
of Kut. At the fall of Kut 385 other ranks went into captivity.
Q Company marched out 58 strong, under the command of Sergeant Ward
DCM. Although weakened by the siege, they were marched 500 miles
from- Samarrah to Aleppo, in conditions of great ~-brutality. On,
or about, the I9th June the survivors reached Ras al 'Ain. The Medical
Officer and the Regimental Sergeant Major both reported that he
had died on the last stage of the march to this town. The escort
refused to allow his body to be brought into the camp for burial.
No more than one hundred and five men of the battalion survived
captivity. Commemorated on the Basra Memorial; Panels 26 and 63.
In
November 1915 he wrote to his sister:
“Q”
Company
1st Oxf & Bucks Lt Inf
14th November 1915
Dear
Sister Cissy
I
now take the greatest pleasure in answering your most welcome letter
which I received quite safe and I was very pleased to hear that
you was all enjoying the best of health, as I am quite well myself
at present, and I was very pleased to hear that Sam had enlisted
in the army , as I thought I was going to he the only one , but
after there is three of us serving out of five not such a bad average
after all. Dear Ciss I am receiving the paper regularly every week
and I saw a list of men serving there is a lot of names on their
which seem familiar but I can’t call them to mind not much
news must close now wishing you and all at home a merry Christmas
and a happy new year from your loving brother.
E
Harding Pte.
Notification
was received in June 1916, from Lt. D Murphy, Commanding Depot 1st
Oxf & Bucks Lt Inf, that he had been captured at Kut. In December
1917 reports received from the following: Q?M Sgt J W Burbage, Pte.
J Willis, L/Cpl V Carter, Pte H Paice and L/Cpl W Swift, indicated
that he had died in May or June 1916. Two other reports, also received
via the Red Cross, related to Pte. W T Harding, who died at Angora
in March 1917.
Final
confirmation of his death as stated above was received from the
Infantry Record Office at Warwick in May 1919. In August 1918 the
War Office forwarded the sum of £30 16s 7d in final settlement of
his estate, so it seems that death was officially presumed at an
earlier date. |
| HARDING |
Sam |
 Gunner 292628
48th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery (Also served as Gunner
930 I35th Oxfordshire Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery (TF).)
Son of George Harding, widower, of Aylesbury Road. Brother of Edward
and Sid. Enlisted at Aylesbury. Age 30 Died
of wounds 29th November 1917 at 52 Field Ambulance, Canada Farm.
It
has not been possible to identify the position occupied by the battery
on 28th-29th November 1917. However, on I7th December the battery,
already in the line, came under the command of 3rd Brigade RGA.
The brigade had its headquarters at B 2if b 2 8, east of the Yser
Canal near Hulls Farm. The front line had now stabilised on the
Passchendaele Ridge. It seems likely therefore that the battery
position was to the south or south-east of Pilckem. Other battery
records show that Heavy and Siege batteries were engaged in barraging
the German held portions of Passchendaele Ridge and on counter-battery
work on 28th-29th November. Buried in Canada Farm Cemetery, Elverdinghe;
Plot 3, Row F, Grave 34.
The
Wendover Magazine of January 1918 included the following:
Sam
and his pal Sam North had both been home on leave recently, so it
came as a great shock to hear that he had died of wounds on November
29th so soon after returning to his RGA unit in France. His father
and family have our deepest sympathy, for Ted is still prisoner
of war in Asia Minor and Sidney was killed in the Spring. His wife
died whilst the family was young, and his daughter Annie has faithfully
fulfilled her task of bringing up the family; and to her also we
tender our deepest sympathy. Sam was 30 years old and the picture
of strength and energy. The youngest son Ewart is still in France,
and may God spare him is our prayer.

Sam
Harding, front left seated. |
HARDING |
Sid |
 Private 25220
12th Battalion South Wales Borderers (Also served as Private 8145
Army Cyclist Corps.) Spent periods attached to 229 Company Royal
Engineers and the Machine Gun Corps. Son of George Harding, widower,
of Aylesbury Road. Brother of Edward and Sam. Enlisted at Northampton
in 191/f, where working as an engineering apprentice. Age 23. Killed
in action 1lth March 1917 near Clery-sur-Somme.
On
the 8th March the battalion moved into the Clery south sector to
relieve the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The relief was
completed at 10.50pm. It was reported that the trenches were continuous
and good. The enemy wire was thick,, while the battalion's was moderate.
Throughout the 9th there was much enemy trench mortaring, but no
German patrols were encountered. On the 10th A Company HO was hit
by a trench mortar shell; one other rank was killed, and three officer's
servants and a gas sentry were wounded. During the night there was
gas shelling on the roads and communication trenches. On the 1lth
a German aerial dart killed a man of D Company in a sap head, otherwise
this was a quiet day. Buried in Hem. Farm Military Cemetery Hem-Monacu;
P15t I, Row H, Grave 13.
The
following letters were received by the family after his death:
A
Coy
12th SWB
Mch 13th 1917
Dear
Mr Harding
It
is with the deepest regret that I have to inform you that your son
Private S Harding was killed in action on Sunday March 12th.
As
you are perhaps aware he acted as my personal orderly & has
done so for the last five months. He has always been a hard and
conscientious worker, faithful & devoted to duty and he is not
only a great loss to the Company & Battalion, but a personal
loss to myself and the other officers of A Coy.
It
may be a slight comfort to know that he suffered no great pain,
being unconscious from the beginning. All the officers join with
me in offering you all our deepest sympathy. I am sure Cpl Whitworth
will be writing to you himself.
Yours
sincerely
Stanley
A Sharpe 2nd Lt A Coy
PS
If there are any further particulars that you would care to know
please let me know. I shall only be too glad to do anything can.
231
Coy RE
BEF 17/3/17
Dear
Mr Harding
By
now you will have heard the sad news of the death of your son, but
I must just write you a few lines to assure you of my sincere sympathy.
I
have only just obtained your address so could not write before.
It was on the I3th that I was called in to take the Burial Service,
& his body lies in the small cemetery here, the spot being marked
by a cross.
At
such a time you will of course feel the lost very much but may one
not find consolation in what the Saviour has taught us & look
for a happy meeting beyond the grave.
May
God bless and comfort. Yrs sincerely
Alex
F Bellman (Chaplain)
PS
This letter refers to 25220 Pte S Harding I2th SWB
The
official notification of his death states, unlike the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission record, states that he died of wounds. When
this information is taken with that provided by Lt Sharpe it indicates
that Pte Harding was probably one of the three Officers' servants
wounded by the shell which fell on A Company HQ on 10th March.. |
| HICKS |
Richard
T |
 Corporal I5027
7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. Born in Wendover and lived
at Peacock Farm. Enlisted at Watford. Died of wounds 26th September
1916 at Contay.
Proceeded
to France 17th August 1915. The battalion spent the 26th September
1916 in cellars and dugouts in the southern portion of Thiepval.
At 2am on the 27th, the Commanding Officer decided to attack the
un-captured portion of the village. C and D Companies were to attack
in two waves. A and B Companies were shelled while in the old German
dugouts. Zero hour was set for 5.30am, but due to the heavy darkness
difficulty was met in forming up. Shortly after 5.45am C Company
attacked, but D did not put their attack in until 6.50. Despite
the broken nature of the ground the line was carried to the north
of the village. Thirty-six German prisoners were taken, and it was
estimated that 100 were Killed. The battalion lost two officers
wounded and 110 other ranks killed and wounded. The next day they
took part in the attack on Schwaben Redoubt, leading with A and
B Companies. A Company failed to take Market Trench, being caught
by a machine-gun in R 19 c. For this action 2nd Lieutenant Adlarn
was recommended for, and received the VC. In his report the Commanding
Officer said that the shortage of stretcher bearers made it very
difficult to remove all the wounded. Hicks' name does not, curiously,
appear in the battalion casualty list for this period; either for
the attack on Thiepval or the abortive attack on the Schwaben Redoubt.
Buried in Contay Cemetery; Plot 2, Row D, Grave 15
The
Wendover Magazine of November 1916, included the following:
It
is a melancholy coincidence that we have regretfully to announce
in this issue the deaths of two of our brave lads who had spent
so much of their lives in the woods around Halton and Wendover.
The sympathies of everyone have gone out to Mr and Mrs Hicks of
Peacock Lodge, who received notice on October 7 that their second
son, Richard, had died of wounds on 28th of September. “Dick”
was only 18 years of age, and was serving with the Bedfords. He
was a born scout, as one would expect from his woodland training,
and last summer, with some companions, performed a daring bit of
scouting which won the high commendation of his Captain. We have
not yet heard how he received his fatal wounds, but we feel sure
he was in the fore-front of the battle if he could get there. His
elder brother, Jack, is still in France with the Oxford and Bucks,
and has been wounded we understand. |
HORWOOD |
Richard |
Private PO/1882
Royal Marine Light Infantry, 1st Royal Marine Battalion, 63rd Royal
Naval Division Husband of Annie Horwood of Beechwood Cottage. Born
24th February 1878. Age 40. Died
of wounds 5th July 1918 at Rouen. Buried in St Sever Cemetery Extenstion,
Rouen; Bock Q, Plot 2, Row E, Grave 24
|
| HUDSON |
Arthur
Hensley |
 Captain D Company,
6th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment Son of Rev Thomas William
and Alethea Mary Hudson, of the Vicarage Wendover. Age 25 Killed
in action 31 July 1917.
On
30 July the battalion moved up to Canal Rest Camp at Ouderdom, arriving
at l1am. At 9pm they marched up to Zillebeke. At 1.55am on 31 July
the head of the battalion was reported as being in the assembly
area I 17 d and I 23 a and c. Forty-five minutes before zero-hour,
scheduled for 3.50am, the battalion reported itself a s being in
the assembly area.. By 5am, the leading battalions reported that
the Blue Line Had been taken. Two hours after zero officers patrols
were sent out under 2?Lts. M R Hooper and G H Tiga to make contact
witht eh 17th Battalion Manchester regiment. At 6.50am there was
an unofficial report that the Black Line had been taken. The battalion
moved off from the assembly area in artillery formation at 7.15am.
They were passing through Sanctuary Wood, in I 13 c, at 8.30am,
when they came under machine-gun and artillery fire. The Manchester’s
trenches appeared ungarrisoned and no friendly troops were encountered.
At 8.45am the Battalion deployed in extended order under machine-gun
firefrom the menin Road and Glencorse Wood, having reached Jackdaw
Reserve Trench. The advance was then continued and the line of the
road taken. The attack on the Black Line was launched at 9am and
the trench-mortars and a battalion of the Suffolk Regiment assisted
in reducing a strong point at I 14 a 3 25. The line from the cross-roads
at I7 d 9 1 through Jargon Switch to Surbiton Villas had been taken
and contact made with the 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment in
J 7 d.. The continuation of the attack was held up, at 10.10am,
by rifle and machine-gun fire from the Jargon Line. At 10am, when
Captain Hudson’s rave marker records his death as taking place,
the line J 7 d 9 4 – the cross-roads at J 7 d 9 1 –
Jargon Switch – J 13 b 9 6 – cross-roads at J 13 b 9
5 east of Surbiton Villas was consolidated, contact being maintained
with the Suffolks. A counter-attack from Glencorse Wood was broken
up at 3pm and the remainder of the day was quiet, the battalion
HQ being in a tunnel on the Menin Road at J13 b 3 1. Buried in Hooge
Crater Cemetery; Plot 2, Row B, Grave 4. Original grave marker now
lodged in St Mary’s Parish Church, Wendover. Hudson
is not commemorated on the Wendover Memorial |
INGRAM |
Percy
John |
 Gunner 49159
F Battery, XIV Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. Born in Aylesbury.
Enlisted London 1914. Died
of wounds 16th September 1916 at Heilly.
On
the 1 6th September F Battery moved to a new position at I 7 d 6
7, in open ground north east of Delville Wood. The Brigade HQ was
at S 17 d 3 1, just south of Longueval. Throughout the 17th they
carried out day and night firing on the whole Divisional front.
The enemy's artillery was also in action and all the batteries suffered
some casualties from the shell fire, on the I8th visibility was
poor and no observation was possible, nonetheless they fired a full
programme in support of the infantry. Buried in Heilly Station Cemetery,
Meri court L'Abbe; Plot 2, How H, Grave 41.
The
Wendover Magazine of November 1916 included the following:
Our
other loss is that of Corporal Percy Ingram (aged 31), of the Royal
Horse Artillery, and his father Mr W Ingram, of Parish Piece, also
has our deepest sympathy. It will be remembered that Mr Ingram spent
many years as a colleague of Mr Hicks on the Halton preserves. He
also, like his friend Hicks, has another son in the army.
Percy
Ingram had served six years in the RHA before war broke out, and
joined up with the Reserve when war broke out. In his boyhood days
he was educated at Wendover School under Mr J G Bushell, and was
in civil employment at Putney Garage when called up in 1914.
The
following letter to Mr Ingram gives a brief account of his death.
His wounds were apparently in the abdomen and arm:-
5th
October 1916
DEAR
MR INGRAM
I
was standing just outside your son’s gunpiut when it was hit
be a shell, and I was the first man to be near him. I was with him
all the time until he was taken away to the hospital
He
did not seem to be in very great pain, and was quite conscious.
He did not say he wanted anything to be done.
He
was a very gallant soldier: I can say nothing better of any man
Yours in the deepest sympathy
P D EVELYN
Lieut RHA
Percy
won his stripes while serving with the RHA in India, and saw and
did good work in the North-West Frontier “scraps”. With
his battery he had the honour of being first past the present King
at the Durbar.
With
his good friend ”Yorkie” (presumably a Yorkshire sporting
gunner) he kept a brace of sporting dogs, and on one occasion got
lost in the jungle while hunting the Blue Bull. His father has some
interesting mementoes of his activities. Poor “Yorkie”
was with him in the gunpit, and his failure to write indicates that
he probably shared Percy’s fate. |
| JOHNS |
James
Norrman |
Private T/2C669I
2nd/4th Battalion Queen’s, Royal West Surrey Regiment. Also
served as T4192. Son of Charles and Edith Johns of Nightingale Road.
Living, at Guildford. Enlisted at Guildford in 1915. Age 23 Killed
in action 27th December 1917 near Jerusalem.
On
the 21st December the Company at Flanders Post pushed forward 200
yards onto Cheshire Ridge. The remainder of the battalion concentrated
between these two points. Two Turkish attacks on the ridge were
beaten off, but when the leading Company advanced onto the reverse
slope and tried to cross the right shoulder they were held up. After
an artillery barrage the 2nd/1Oth Battalion Middlesex Regiment captured
Zamby and the Turks retreated along the wall to the White Hill.
The Turks tried but failed to recapture the hill during the night.
The battalion lost 2 officers killed, 2 died of wounds and 5 wounded.
Thirty-two other ranks were killed and sixty-six wounded, of whom
six later died. For the next five days attempts were made to improve
the position, out were hindered by the Turks holding Ras Arkub as
Suffa. The Turkish guns registered Zamby, White Hill and the Wall
in the morning. However, although they were driven off in the morning
the battalion was forced to withdraw in the afternoon. As the Turks
reached the far slopes of Zamby, and the south side of White Hill,
they were forced to pull back from the reverse slope of the latter,
and down the Wall to Zamby. At 9pm they were relieved by the 1st/7th
Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers; having lost 3 officers wounded,
33 other ranks killed and 67 wounded. Buried in Jerusalem War Cemetery;
Row R, Grave 113. |
JOHNSON |
Arthur |
 Private 40887
2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment (Also served as Private 31507 Suffolk
Regt.) Born in Wendover. Lived at the Wellhead Inn. Enlisted at
Pinner. Killed
in action I2th May 1917 near Monchy.
On
the 4th May the battalion, relieved two Companies of the 10th Battalion
Royal Welsh Fusiliers in the Monchy defences. They remained there
until the 10th, when they were relieved by the 7th Battalion Kings
Shropshire Light Infantry. On the 9th they suffered a. heavy and,
at times, continuous barrage. The shelling continued when they went
into the Brown Line on the 10th, and was heavy on the 11th. On that
day one Company and four Lewis gun sections under 2n.d Lieutenant
Wainwright were sent to Lid Trench, under orders of the 8th Battalion
King1s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. On the 12th a further two platoons
were sent to Lid Trench, leaving at 8pm and returning at 4arn on
the 13th. Commemorated on his sister's grave in Wendover churchyard.
Buried in Feuchy Chapel British Cemetery, Wancourt; Plot I, Row
E, Grave II.

|
| KENNEDY |
Nigel |
 Lieutenant
2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers. Younger son of the late John
Kennedy JP DL and Mrs Kennedy of Bacombe Warren and Underwood, Ayrshire.
Age 26. Commissioned October 1906. Promoted Lieutenant September
1911. Mentioned in despatches for services in France and Belgium.
Killed in action 25th October 1914 near Beceleare.
On
the 25th the battalion were holding trenches between Beceleare and
Polygon Wood. At 5am the Germans began to shell them and firing
was heard in the wood in front of their position. At 1pm the CSM
and six men went out as a burial party. They lost three of their
number to snipers, but captured one officer and nineteen men while
armed only with shovels. Some losses were suffered in the trenches
from sniping. At 5pm they were ordered to support the 2nd Battalion
Bedfordshire Regiment. The attack went forward immediately but was
not pressed. Lieutenant Kennedy was posted wounded and missing.
Commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial; Panels 19 to 33. |
LANGFORD |
Henry
Herbert |
 Private SD/705
11th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment. Son of Frederick Bailey and
Rosina Langford of Boddington.. Born in Watford. Enlisted at Horsham.
Age 21. Killed
in action 30th June 1916 near Rue du Bois.
On
the 26th of June the battalion were holding the Ferme au Bois left
sector; the area of Hun Street, Hun Post, Hill Post, Port Arthur
and Lansdown Post. In the afternoon they were relieved by the Ist/Ist
Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment and went into billets in Richebourg
L'Avoue. On the 29th a barrage was put down on the enemy front line
from 2pm to 5.30pm. The Germans retaliated by firing on Factory
Post and killing ten other ranks. As night fell the majority of
the battalion formed up in carrying parties for the 12th and 13th
Battalions. At 2.50am on the 30th both sides exchanged heavy artillery
fire, shortly afterwards the carrying parties followed the two assaulting
battalions over the top to the Gerrman front line. They suffered
the following casualties: 4 officers wounded; 2 officers missing
believed killed; 4 other ranks killed; 80 wounded and 32 missing.
Unusually the casualties in the other ranks are given as only approximate.
Buried in St Vaast Post Military Cemetery, Richebourg L'Avoue; Plot
3, Row R, Grave I
The
Wendover Magazine of August 1916 included the following:
Henry
Herbert Langford was the son of Mr and Mrs Langford, of Boddington
House. Those who knew him speak of him asa good man and a good son,
Everybody liked him. For some time he was in service at Hampden
House, but when the war broke out he at once joined the Army, being
attached, to the 11th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. This
was in August 1914. He was then only just eighteen. His training
lasted until the present year, when he went across to France on
March 1st. He met his death on June n30th, the day before the beginning
of the big push, at the age of twenty. Our deepest sympathy goes
out to Mr and Mrs Langford in the great loss they have suffered.
They will have the consolation of knowing the their son died like
a hero, and that in Wendover his name, ennobled by the cause for
which he died, will be held in glorious memory. |
| MARSHALL |
John |
Second Lieutenant
2nd/9th Battalion London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles). Son
of Mrs Marshall of Manor House. Husband of Alice Eva Winkfield (formerly
Marshal
| |