SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

HORACE ALBERT ABBOTT

He was born in July 1897 in Oxford. His family moved to Enstone, where he worked as a farm labourer.

He joined the Royal Navy as a boy sailor in Portsmouth in August 1913. He trained on HMS Ganges and the Victory shore establishment before joining the Dreadnought battleship HMS Agincourt on 7th August 1914. Serving in patrols and escort duties in the home fleet he was made up to Signaller, then Leading Signaller and was involved in the Battle of Jutland at the end of May 1916.

On 16th November 1916 he joined the light cruiser HMS Calliope and was aboard her when she helped sink 4 German trawler minesweepers in the North Sea off the coast of Jutland. He the joined the pre-Dreadnought battle ship HMS Commonwealth on 8th November 1917 and served with her until 1st August 1919. After a spell at Victory shore base, he served briefly on the cruiser HMS Dublin before being invalided out of the Navy on 5th August 1920.

He married Ida Harris in 1921 and had 2 sons and a daughter, living at 5, Goddards Lane in Chipping Norton. Both his sons served in the Second World War. He died in the town in July 1982 aged 85.

GEORGE HENRY ALLEN

He was born In High Wycombe in July 1877. He worked as a general labourer and was also a part-time soldier with the 1st Royal Berkshire Volunteer Regiment. On 22nd October 1897 he enlisted into the Grenadier Guards in Reading aged 19, for 3 years in the Colours and 9 in the Reserves. He served as a Private in the 2nd Battalion on the home front until July 1898 they were sent to Khartoum in Sudan, where they fought in the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September that year. After this they returned home but were sent to South Africa on 18th March 1900, where they were in action in the 2nd Boer War. Private Allen returned home on 10th July 1900 and served at Windsor Castle with the 1st Battalion until 15th May 1901, when he was discharged being medically unfit for further service.

In January 1902 he married Kate Weatherall in Cholsey and they moved to Swerford, near Chipping Norton, where he worked as a labourer in an ironstone quarry. In February 1915 he re-enlisted into his old regiment,  joining the 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards,  in France on 13th October 1915. He got into trouble being awarded 14 Days Field Punishment No 2,  being shackled for 2 hours a day, for not attending to an order whilst on active service, on 15th December 915. On 25th May 1916 he was treated in a Field Ambulance for myalgia, straining of the muscles, returning to his unit on 15th June. However he then suffered from appendicitis on 25th June 1916 and was evacuated back to the UK on the Hospital Ship St Denis, below, on 7th July 1916.

After treatment he re-joined his Battalion in France on 17th March 1917. On 20th June 1917 he was attached to 55th Field Company of The Royal Engineers until 25th September. He was then re-attached to the Royal Engineers again  on 2nd October but on 11th he was again hospitalised with strain to the muscles in his abdomen. After treatment in the 3rd Australian General Hospital he was sent back to the UK on 27th October 1917. After recovery he served with the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, the Grenadier Guards in Kensington until being demobilized on 20th February 1919.

After the war he moved to 10, High Street, Chipping Norton where he worked as a gardener. He was the secretary of Chipping Norton British Legion on its formation in 1924, serving for a number of years. He died in April 1956 aged 78.

 

FRANK BETTERIDGE ANDREWS

He was born in Chipping Norton in 1896 and had worked as a builder's labourer before joining the Royal Navy. He signed on at Devonport on 9th October 1912 as a Boy Sailor. After training  on the school ship HMS Impregnable he joined the crew of the King George V dreadnought battleship HMS Ajax on 5th November 1913. He was made an Ordinary Seaman on 14th November, HMS Ajax, below, serving with the 2nd Battle Squadron.

On 15th December the Squadron put to sea, intending to ambush the German ships on their return voyage from bombarding Scarborough. They mustered the six dreadnoughts including Ajax and her sisters King George V and Centurion, and stood with the main body in support of Beatty's four battlecruisers. As the 2nd BS was departing Scapa Flow in the darkness, Ajax collided with a trawler, but suffered no significant damage. The screening forces of each side blundered into each other during the early morning darkness of 16th December in heavy weather. The Germans got the better of the initial exchange of fire, severely damaging several British destroyers, but the commander of the High Seas Fleet, ordered his ships to turn away, concerned about the possibility of a massed attack by British destroyers in the dawn's light. He was made up to Able Seaman before leaving the ship on 25th October 1915.

He then joined Ajax's sister ship HMS Centurion, below, on 23rd January 1916.

On 31st May, Centurion, under the command of Captain Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, took part in the Battle of Jutland. She was the third ship from the head of the battle line after deployment. Centurion was only lightly engaged at Jutland, firing four salvos, totalling 19 armour-piercing shells at the battlecruiser SMS Lützow at 1916 before HMS Orion blocked Centurion's view, failing to hit her target. The rest of her service during the First World War generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea, with one sortie, an abortive attempt to intercept the German High Fleet in August 1918. She was present at Rosyth, Scotland, when the High Seas Fleet surrendered there on 21st November 1918. AB Andrews left the ship on 10th March 1919.

After a spell ashore he joined the crew of the protected cruiser HMS Highflyer, below, in September 1919, serving on the East India station until March 1921, when she was scrapped.

His last ship was the Revenge class battleship HMS Resolution joining her in January 1924, serving with the Atlantic Fleet, he left her in March 1926 and was discharged to the reserves on 25th November 1926.

He had married Charlotte Barber in Stow on the Wold in 1925, living there and working as a builder's labourer. He died in 1979 aged 81.

ERNEST JAMES BARNES

He was born in March 1899 to parents James and Edith Barnes of 43, New Street Chipping Norton. He was working as a baker before the war then living at 3, Paradise Terrace. His father James had enlisted into the Royal Berkshire Regiment in December 1915, serving with the 12th Labour Battalion. However he was discharged on medical grounds on 5th August 1916.

Ernest enlisted on 6th November 1916 at the age of 17 years and 8 months and joined the Army reserves. He was mobilised on 16th April 1917 into the Machine Gun Corps as a Private. After training he was posted to the recently formed 11th Battalion, MGC in France on 29th March 1918. As part of the 11th Northern Infantry Division they took part in the 100 Days Offensive. The Battalion fought in the Battle of the Scarpe  and the Battle of Drocourt-Queant Line between 26th August and 2nd September 1918, as they pushed the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line. They then fought in The Battle of the Canal du Nord and The Battle of Cambrai between 3rd September and 10th October 1918 and pursued the Germans back to the Selle River. Their final action was the Battle of the Sambre on 4th November, a bloody battle to cross the Sambre Canal. After the Armistice the Battalion was moved back to the River Scheldt. Private Barnes is pictured 2nd from the left seated below.

He returned to England on 26th March 1919 and elected to remain in the Army. He was then sent with the Battalion to India on 24th October 1919. Whilst serving in India he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He returned to the United Kingdom on 18th April 1921 and was given furlough before being discharged. Whilst on leave he suffered from appendicitis and was operated on in St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. He was eventually discharged on 9th July 1921, he was recorded as having a very good character and sober and trustworthy.

He returned to Chipping Norton working as a baker in the Co-op and in November 1924 married Gertrude Grantham at St Mary's Parish Church. At the outbreak of the Second World War he was working as a 12, West End and served as a reserve Police Constable. His three brothers served in the Second World War. He died in December 1967 aged 68.

PHILIP SAMUEL BEDWIN

He was born in January 1895 to parents Walter and Jane of 13, Rock Hill, Chipping Norton. He worked as a shop assistant and had enlisted in the Chipping Norton company of the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in January 1913. The Battalion was embodied into the Regular army as the 1st/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and he arrived in France with them on 29th March 1915. As part of the 48th (South Midland) Division the Battalion was involved in the Battle of Albert, the opening action of The Somme Offensive from 1st July 1916. They took part in the next phase the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14th July capturing the village of Ovillers and the Battle of Pozieres Ridge between 23rd July and 7th August. They went on to see action in the last two actions of the Somme Offensive,  the Battle of the Ancre Heights between  1st October and 11th November and the Battle of the Ancre  between 13th and 18th November 1916.

In the Spring of 1917 they cautiously pursued the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, in which the Division occupied Peronne. On 16th August to 1917 they took part in the Battle of Langemarck during the Third Battle of Ypres going on to fight in the subsequent actions, the Battle of Polygon Wood, the Battle of Broodseinde and the Battle of Poelcapelle between 26th September and 9th October 1917.

In November 1917, along with the rest of the Division they moved to Italy. On 4th May 1918 he was transferred to The Royal Army Service Corps, as a Private in the mechanised transport section.

HOWARD EDMUND BENFIELD

He was born in Chipping Norton in 1883 to parents Charles and Adelaide Benfield. He worked as a baker and married Annie Tracey in the town in 1906. They had a daughter and two sons, living at Rock Hill.

He joined the Army Service Corps as a baker in the supply division and arrived in France on 30th May 1915. He served there with the 14th Field Bakery until 28th April 1919, rising to sergeant, before returning home for demobilisation from what was then the Royal Army Service Corps. He had been offered his old job back in the Co-op in Chipping Norton, where he worked up to 1961, when he was aged 78. In the Second World War he served as an ARP Warden in the town. He lived at Rock Hill and had been Chairman of Chipping Norton Football Club, Secretary of Chipping Norton pig club and served on the board of directors at the Co-op. He died in 1968 aged 84. 

CLAUDE ALEXANDER BIRTS

He was born in Welling, Kent in 1880 to parents John and Clara Birts. In June 1901 he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd West Kent volunteer battalion based in Plumstead. By 1911 he was living and working as a General House Surgeon at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. In 1913 he married Mary Green in Wallingford. After this he moved to 15, Market Street, Chipping Norton where he worked as a medical officer in the Workhouse Infirmary. He left there in 1915 and served throughout the war in The Royal Army Medical Corps as a Lieutenant, arriving in France on 19th October 1916 and rising to temporary Captain by the end of the conflict, and was affected by a gas attack. He returned to his old position in the town and he and Mary had a son and daughter in Chipping Norton. However the cold winters in the town began to affect his health and by 1927 he had moved to Worthing, Sussex working as a GP. He died in there in August 1947 aged 66. 

WILLIAM BUNTING

He was born in Chipping Norton in June 1864. He was working as a painter and decorator when he married Ursula Hone in 1893 and lived at Lodge Terrace. They then ran The Railway Inn in New Street in the town and had eight children together. William had joined the 4th (Territorial) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and had risen through the ranks to become a Sergeant by the outbreak of war in 1914 and served on the Home Front. After retiring as a master builder and decorator William and Ursula moved to Royal Leamington Spa. He died in 1948 aged 84. Three of their sons all served as below;

 

HAROLD WILLIAM BUNTING

He was the eldest son of William and Ursula and was born in September 1894 in Chipping Norton. He had worked as a grocer's assistant and during the war he served as a Gunner with the Territorial Royal Field Artillery, serving in France from 1916. He remained in the Territorial Royal Artillery after the war. He married Dorothy Etches in Coventry in 1939 and lived in Royal Leamington Spa. Recalled to service at the outbreak of the Second world War, he was with 113th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery in Warwick. He died in hospital in Leamington in November 1960, aged 66.

DOUGLAS VICTOR BUNTING

He was their second son, born in Chipping Norton in November 1896. At the age of 14 he was working as a lad clerk for the Great Western Railway at Ashperton, Hagley, Newnham Bridge and Shipton, before becoming a senior clerk. He enlisted into  served the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars, a territorial yeomanry regiment, in September 1914. He joined the 1st/1st QOOH in France on 20th January 1915.

They saw action during the Second Battle of Ypres in September 1915 and in 1917 took part in the First Battle of the Scarpe between 9th and 11th April, a phase of the Arras Offensive. They then took part in actions at Cambrai supporting a tank attack between 20th and 21st November 1917, the capture of Bourlon Wood between 24th and 28th November and fighting the German counterattacks between 30th November and 3rd December. In March 1918 they fought against the German Spring Offensive from The Battle of St Quentin on 21st March and then on the launch of the 100 Days Offensive beginning with the Battle of Amiens in August. On the 10th September 1918 was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into the Territorial Buckinghamshire Battalion of The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, remaining in the TAs until 1927.

After the war he moved to Worcester and resumed working for the GWR. He then became a civil servant working as an assistant traffic superintendent for the Kenya and Uganda railway board and in 1941 becoming District Traffic Superintendent. He was married to Ivy and had a son Brian and a daughter Rosemary. He died in Cheltenham in December 1976 aged 80.

DONALD FRANCIS BUNTING

He was born in Chipping Norton in November 1898, their third son, the next five children all being daughters. He joined the 2nd/1st Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars on 24th May 1915, giving his age as 19 years and 1 month when he was actually 16 and 1/2. He seemed to struggle with army discipline and was confined to barracks on three separate occasions for failing to obey NCO's orders between January and March 1916. In March 1916 he requested a transfer under King's Regulations para 333 to serve with his elder brother Harold in the Royal Field Artillery. This was granted in June 1916 but it was also discovered he had enlisted under age. He was not allowed to go abroad until he had turned 19 after his birth certificate was sent to the authorities by his mother.

He was sent to France on 21st May 1916 but on 8th March 1917 suffered a shrapnel wound to his left shoulder. He was evacuated home and underwent treatment at Stourbridge General Hospital between 14th March and 21st April 1917. He returned to his unit in France on 17th April 1918. On 16th June 1918 he was again injured this time by the effects of a gas shell. He was evacuated back to Britain and treated for gas poisoning and bronchitis at Mill Road Military Hospital between 19th June and 23rd July 1918. He then was transferred to King's Lancashire Convalescent Hospital in Blackpool and then the 1st Southern General Hospital in Edgbaston. He was passed fit for service on 1st October 1918, serving out the rest of his time at the Royal Artillery Command Depot in Ripon.

After the war he married Dorothy Jones in Leamington Spa in December 1922, working as an assistant engine tester and died in 1976 aged 77.

FREDERICK BURBIDGE

He was born in Chipping Norton on the 14th January 1881, one of nine children to parents of William and Emily Burbidge. His youngest brother Edwin died in 1918 whilst serving with The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He married Lucy Clara Bacon in Hendon in 1904 and lived at 8, Market Street, Chipping Norton with their four children, where he worked as a house decorator.

Fred joined the Royal Naval Air Service on 22nd June 1917 and after basic training at Crystal Palace and HMS  President 11, a shore based establishment, he served as an aircraftman first class at Airship bases at Pulham near Norwich and Mullion in Cornwall. Fred died in Chipping Norton in 1950 aged 69.

CAPTAIN MARK HILVESEY JONAS BURNS-LINDOW MC + BAR

 

He was born in Irton Hall in Cumberland in 1879 land educated at Harrow School. He was gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Territorial Cavalry unit, The Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry in 1908. He later moved to Abbeylerix in Ireland with his wife Elizabeth, where he worked as a land agent. He was called up for service at the outbreak of the First World War. He was sent to France with C Squadron on 15th July 1915 and was Mentioned in Despatches on 31st December 1915. On 19th July they took part in the Battle of Fromelles, a disastrous subsidiary attack designed to draw German reserves away from the Somme, which led to heavy casualties. He was promoted to Lieutenant in March 1916 and became an Adjutant for his unit.

 In July 1917 they were withdrawn from the line to retrains as infantry and in September 1917 the Regiment transferred to the Border Regiment becoming the 7th (Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry) Battalion of the Borders. On 6th December 1917 he was promoted to Captain and attached to the Headquarters of XI Corps as a General Staff Officer. XI Corps were sent to Italy to support in their fight against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For his services in this theatre of war he was awarded the  Order of the Crown of Italy, Cavalier. XI Corps returned to France in March 1918 to join the fight against the German Spring Offensive.  Taking advantage of troops released from the Eastern Front the Germans attacked in numbers across the old Somme Battlefields in an attempt to win the war before the Americans arrived in numbers. From 21st March 1918 the Germans advanced 40 miles into Allied held territory before being halted. From 8th August the Allies began a series of advances, known as the 100 Days Offensive which would lead to victory. Captain Burns-Lindow was awarded the Military Cross, gazetted on 1st January 1919, for his part in organising operations. His citation reads:

 

He was G.S.O. III during preliminary arrangements and operations leading to the successful assault on the St Quentin Canal and Hindenburg Line near Bellenglise on 29th September, 1918, and the subsequent breaking of the Beaurevoir Line near Ramicourt and Sequehar on 3rd October, 1918. He has throughout worked with untiring zeal and energy, and has carried out many valuable reconnaissances dismounted in the front line under fire and mounted with the Divisional Mounted Troop and Regular Cavalry.

On 8th March 1919 a bar was added to his MC.  

After the war he moved to Chipping Norton, living at 22, New Street with his wife Elizabeth, and serving as Officer Commanding the Territorial Warwickshire Hussars. He is pictured below on the right at a Remembrance Parade in November 1920, before the Branch was formed.

He was  the first Chairman of the branch until 1925, he moved away in 1926 and eventually settled in South Africa, where he died in 1957 aged 78.

 

EDWARD TANKERVILLE CHAMBERLAYNE DSO MID

He was born in Weddington, Warwickshire on 21st December 1881, into an aristocratic family that traced its lineage back to William the Conquerer. He was educated at Eton and Christ College Oxford and married Susan Katherine Scott Mackirdy in St Georges, Hanover Square, London in July 1908.  He worked as a barrister in the Inner Temple, living at 269 St James Court, Buckingham Gate in Westminster and had one son John Edward Stanes Chamberlayne. They moved to The Elm, Church Lane, Chipping Norton in 1914.  

He had joined The Warwickshire Yeomanry as a Lieutenant in 1905, progressing to Captain of C Squadron on 16th April, 1910. The 1/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry were mobilized in August 1914, but remained in England until 1915, Edward Chamberlayne being promoted to Major on 11th December 1914. On the 10th April 1915 the 1/1st, as part of the 2nd Mounted Division, sailed from Avonmouth bound for Egypt. The horse transport vessel "Wayfarer" was torpedoed on the following day with the loss of five soldiers, including Private Philip Kerby who worked as a groom for the Chamberlaynes.

Major Edward Chamberlayne sailed on the troopship " Saturnia" (below) arriving safely at  Alexandria on 24th April 1915. 

On the 18th August 1915 they landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, dismounted, and took part in attack on Chocolate Hill and Hill 112 on 21st August of that year. In early September 1915, severe sickness coupled with battle casualties resulted in temporary reorganisation, merging with 1/1st Gloucestershire and 1/1st Worcestershire Yeomanry to form 1st South Midland Regiment, 1st Composite Mounted Brigade. They continued in trench warfare activities in Green Hill and Chocolate Hill sectors until evacuated to Mudros on 31st October 1915, being evacuated to Egypt in December 1915. He was mentioned in dispatches and then awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his service in Gallipoli, gazetted on 3rd June 1916. He was second in command in Egypt before returning home to command the second line Battalion of The Warwickshire Yeomanry.

After the war and during the Second World War he served as a brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, in the Territorial Army, a Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire and a Justice of the Peace. He died in Chipping Norton on 2nd May 1963, aged 81 and is buried in Heythrop churchyard.

Susan Chamberlayne's brother Lieutenant David Scott Mackirdy died in 1918, and is on the Chipping Norton war memorial.

DICK DESMOND ALBERT DAYMOND

He was born in Shoreham, Sussex on 11th October 1896. In 1911 he was recorded as living at 30 West Street, Chipping Norton with his parents and 5 siblings and working as a butcher's errand boy. He was working as a builder's labourer when he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a boy sailor on 1st May 1913, aged 16. He trained at the shore based establishment HMS Ganges until November 1913. He then joined the crew of HMS Hawke, below, an Edgar class cruiser, as part of a training squadron in Queenstown, Ireland until March 1914 when he was posted to the shore based HMS Vivid. 

 On 14th April 1914 he joined HMS London, a Formidable class battleship,below, already made obsolete by the advent of the Dreadnoughts.

He was appointed Ordinary Seaman in October 1914, signing on for 12 years service. Upon the outbreak of war in August 1914, the 5th Battle Squadron was assigned to the Channel Fleet and based at Portland. Their first task was to escort the British Expeditionary Force across the English Channel. The squadron transferred to Sheerness on 14th November 1914 to guard against a possible German invasion. While there HMS London was present when HMS Bulwark exploded and her crew joined in the attempts to rescue survivors. The enquiry into the explosion was held aboard HMS London. The squadron returned to Portland on 30th December 1914.

On 19th March 1915 she sailed for Lemnos, joining the British Squadron for service in the Dardanelles Campaign arriving on 23rd March, and supporting the main landings at Gaba Tape and Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. After this London, along with battleships HMS Implacable, HMS Queen and HMS Prince of Wales transferred to the 2nd Detached Squadron, organised to reinforce the Italian Navy in the Adriatic Sea in the war on Austria-Hungary . She was based at Taranto in  Italy and underwent a refit at Gibraltar in October 1915. In October 1916 she returned home and was paid off at Devonport Dockyard and laid up.

From 27th October 1916 until 25th January 1917 he was at HMS Vivid I, signals shore establishment at Devonport before joining HMS Lochinvar, a Laforey class torpedo destroyer and he served on her until the 25th November 1917 in the waters around Britain. He was attached to various depot ships,  HMS Dido at Harwich, HMS Attentive II at Dover, HMS Hecla at Lough Swill in County Donegal and HMS Apollo in Devonport.

From 26th November 1917 until 10th February 1918 he was back at HMS Vivid in Devonport. He then joined HMS Walker, below, a W class destroyer, on 11th February, and being attached to the depot ships HMS Blake and HMS Greenwich at Scapa Flow and HMS Columbine at Queensferry in Edinburgh.

He was appointed Leading Seaman in October 1918. He was aboard Walker when she took part in the campaign against Bolshevik forces in the Baltic Sea during 1919, seeing action against Russian warships. From May 1919 she participated in a blockade of Bolshevik warships in Kronstadt and suffered two hits from the battleship Petropavlovsk during an attempted breakout by the Bolshevik fleet. HMS Walker arrived home on 8th December 1920.

A further spell at HMS Vivid followed until he joined HMS Revenge, below, lead ship of the Revenge class battleships, on 9th January 1921, part of the British Atlantic Fleet.

He was promoted to Petty Officer in April 1921. The following year Revenge, with her sister ships Ramillies, Resolution and Royal Sovereign were sent to the Mediterranean due to tensions in the area, partly due to the forced abdication of King Constantine I of Greece. She was stationed at Constantinople and the Dardanelles  throughout her deployment. She rejoined the Atlantic Fleet in 1922. PO Daymond left Revenge on 22nd May 1924.

He then served on HMS Thunderer, the last remaining Orion class battleship, which had been decommissioned in 1921 and was serving as a sea-going cadet training ship. He was with her until November 1924. He next served on HMS Delhi, a Danae class cruiser between 18th November 1924 and 27th June 1927.

After a brief spell with the C class cruiser HMS Caradoc he joined the crew of HMS Whirlwind, a W class destroyer on 15th December 1927. He served with her until 3rd January 1928 attached to HMS Carysfort, flagship of the Devonport reserve. On 4th September that year he joined HMS Emerald, below, lead ship of the Emerald class of light cruiser. She was serving in the East Indies as part of 4th Cruiser Squadron, returning home on 15th July 1933.

His next ship was the light-cruiser HMS Carlisle, below, and he served with her on the African station as part of the 6th Cruiser Squadron and was promoted to Chief Petty Officer.  In June 1936 he returned home to Chipping Norton from Durban, travelling on the liner Carnarvon Castle. 

As of yet the rest of his service is not known. He ended up living in the Kensington area of London and died there in September 1963 aged 66.

JOHN WILLIAM DIXON

He was born in Chipping Norton on 9th March 1888, living in Whitehouse Lane with his grandfather, mother Rosina and siblings. 

He had been working as a factory boy when he joined the Royal Navy in July 1903, aged 15, as a boy 2nd class. After spells on training ships HMS Impregnable and Lion and shore based establishments he joined the crew of the gunship HMS Bramble, below, on 30th January 1906.

Built in 1898, the four ships of this class were notable as the final development of the Victorian gunboat tradition, and for being one of the last classes of warship designed to travel under sail. The small dimensions and shallow draught of the Bramble class were designed to facilitate navigation on the complex coastlines and great rivers of Africa, South Asia and the Far East. He was made an Ordinary Seaman in March 1906 and Able Seamen in April 1907, whilst serving aboard her on the China station.

Leaving her in March 1908 he spent time on board the cruiser HMS Royal Arthur, the Victory shore establishment and the training ship HMS Nelson. On 7th August 1909 he joined HMS Topaze, a protected cruiser built in 1902, and serving with the Channel Fleet until January 1911. In 1910 he had married Lillian Ward in Portsmouth, they had lodgings in Southsea. He joined the crew of HMS Superb on 30th May 1911, serving on her until May 1913. HMS Superb, below, was only the fourth Dreadnought type battleship in the world. 

He was made up to Leading Seaman in June 1913. On 21st August 1913 he joined the battleship HMS Audacious, part of the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet based at Lough Swilly in Ireland. On 27th October 1914 Audacious, along with seven other "super-dreadnoughts" left the Lough to conduct gunnery exercises off the Isle of Mull. At o845 whilst executing a turn Audacious went over a mine, laid off Tory Island, off the Irish Coast. The engine rooms began flooding and a list to port of about 15 degrees developed. The Captain, thinking that the ship had been attacked by a submarine hoisted the submarine warning and in accordance with instructions the rest of the squadron steamed away to safety. With the starboard engine still functioning the ship could make 9 knots and it was hoped she could make landfall. At 1000, the decision was taken to abandon the central engine room, but water was also rising in the starboard engine room, so that engine too was stopped. By 1100, the central turbine was submerged and the port side deck was dipping under water as the ship rolled to that side. 

The light cruiser Liverpool stood by, while Audacious broadcast distress signals by wireless. The Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, Sir John Jellicoe, ordered every available destroyer and tug out to assist, but did not dare send out battleships to tow  because of the apparent submarine threat. Meanwhile, the White Star liner Olympic, sister of the Titanic arrived on the scene. All non-essential crew were ordered off, boats from Liverpool and Olympic assisting, so that only 250 men remained by 1400. 

At 1330, the captain of Olympic suggested that his ship attempt to take Audacious in tow, and with the assistance of the destroyer Fury, a tow line was passed within 30 minutes. The ships began moving toward Lough Swilly, but Audacious was so unmanageable that the tow line parted. Liverpool and the collier Thornhill attempted to take the battleship in tow, but to no avail. By 1600, the forward deck was 4 feet above water, while the stern had no more than 1 foot clearance.

Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, commander of the 1st Battle Squadron, arrived on the scene in the boarding vessel Cambria and took over the rescue operation. With dark approachingthe remaining men on Audacious  were taken off at 1915. As the quarterdeck flooded, the ship's whaler broke loose and, slithering across the deck, caused further damage to hatches and ventilators, leading to rapid flooding of the stern. At 2045, with the decks underwater, the ship heeled sharply, paused, and then capsized. The ship floated upside down with the bow raised until 2100, when an explosion occurred throwing wreckage 300 feet into the air, followed by two more. The explosion appeared to come from the area of B magazine and was possibly caused by high-explosive shells falling from their racks and exploding, then igniting the cordite magazine. A piece of armour plate fell on and killed a Petty Officer on Liverpool, which was 800 yards away. This was the only casualty in  connecting with the sinking.

After a spell ashore his next ship was the newly commissioned light cruiser HMS Comus, aboard which he served from July 1915 to January 1916. On 20th January 1916 he joined the Orion class battleship HMS Monarch.

At the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916, Monarch's first action occurred at 1833 when she sighted five German battleships. She fired three salvos scoring a hit on SMS Konig herself. At 1914 she then sighted the German cruiser SMS Lutzow and fired 5 salvos, claiming a straddle of hits. this was effectively the end of the battle for HMS Monarch, suffering no injuries or damage. The rest of her war was mainly engaged in sweeps and patrols of the North Sea. He left the ship on 27th February 1917, serving ashore until May 1917. On 25th May he was time expired and was enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve and served for the rest of the war on Defensively Armed Merchant Ships. He joined the crew of HMS Canada, a super-dreadnought battleship on 17th September 1917 being promoted to Petty Officer on 1st February 1920 and leaving her in July that year.

THOMAS DRING

He was  born in Ledstone near Enstone in February 1889 to parents James and Harriet Dring, later moving to Spring Street in Chipping Norton. In January 1906 he joined the Great Western Railway, initially as a cleaner at Oxford and then as a locomotive fireman. On 11th January 1909 he enlisted into the Royal Navy in Devonport. After training as a stoker he joined the Majestic class pre-Dreadnought battleship HMS Hannibal, below, in April 1909, becoming a Stoker 1st class in January 1910.

In March 1910 he joined the St Vincent class Dreadnought battleship HMS Vanguard and served aboard her until January 1911. His next ship was another Dreadnought, HMS Bellerophon, below, joining her crew in February 1911 and being made acting Leading Stoker on board.

His next ship was HMS Temeraire, sister ship to the Bellerophon, he served with her from July 1913 to June 1915. He was ashore until 1st February 1916 when he joined the newly commissioned HMS Revenge, the lead ship of the Revenge class of super-Dreadnoughts, below.

On entering service, the ship was assigned to the 6th Division of the 1st Battle Squadron, Grand Fleet, along with the battleships Marlborough (the divisional and squadron flagship), Hercules, and Agincourt. On 31st May 1916 the ship was involved in the Battle of Jutland. In an attempt to lure out and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, the German High Seas Fleet with 16 dreadnoughts, six pre-dreadnoughts, six light cruisers and 31 torpedo boats set sail early on the morning of 31st along with five battlecruisers and supporting cruisers and torpedo boats. The Royal Navy's Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. The Admiralty ordered the Grand Fleet of 28 dreadnoughts and 9 battlecruisers, to sortie the night before to cut off and destroy the High Seas Fleet.On the day of the battle, Revenge and the rest of the 6th Division, 1st BS were stationed toward the rear of the British line.

The initial action was fought primarily by the British and German  battlecruiser formations in the afternoon, but by 1800 the Grand Fleet approached the scene.The German fleet quickly came into range and many British ships began to engage them starting at 1817. The British ships initially had poor visibility and Revenge waited several minutes before opening fire at 1822, her target during this period is unclear, and she may have engaged the crippled cruiser SMS Wiesbaden, the German battle line, or both. She fired intermittently for seventeen minutes and made no hits in the haze.

At 1909, Revenge was forced to turn away to avoid a torpedo, she then engaged the battlecruiser Derfflinger. Her first salvo  this fell over but Revenge's gunlayers quickly brought the range down to 10,200 yards  and straddled Derfflinger with their second salvo. With the range found, Revenge quickly scored five hits before shifting fire to the battlecruiser Von der Tann, since other battleships were concentrating their fire on Derfflinger. Two of the hits on Derfflinger disabled her aft turrets; the other three caused less significant damage, with one of them passing through a funnel without exploding. Revenge hit Von der Tann once near her aft conning tower at 1919, doing minor damage.

Revenge had to turn away again at 1935 to avoid a pair of torpedoes. Revenge saw no further contact with German forces, in large part due to torpedo damage incurred by the squadron flagship, Marlborough, that forced the ship to slow significantly. Revenge and the other two ships finally rejoined the fleet at 19:25 on the way back to Scapa Flow.

In the course of the battle, Revenge had fired 102 rounds from her main battery, all of which were of the armour-piercing, capped variety. She also fired 87 rounds from her secondary guns. She was not hit by any fire during the engagement. Thomas Dring was promoted to Petty Officer (Stoker) on 1st April 1917. Revenge saw no further action during the last two years of the war but on 21st November was involved in escorting the German Grand Fleet into internment after the Armistice. He married Elsie Scarsbrook in Gloucester in January 1919 and  was demobilised into the Reserves in December 1919.

He returned to Chipping Norton where he ran a general goods shop in London Road, below.

He died in December 1965 aged 76.

GEORGE HENRY HANNIS MM

 

He was born in Chipping Norton in 1888 and before the First World War was a assistant tailor with his brothers William and Frank at 10, Middle Row. On the outbreak of war he enlisted into the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, whilst living at 63, New Street. He married Beatrice Clark in October 1914 before being sent to France. He was posted to the 6th (Service) Battalion  which had been formed in Oxford in September 1914, one of Kitchener’s New Armies. He arrived in France with his Battalion on 23rd July 1915, where they came under the command of the 20th (Light) Division. The Battalion took part in the  Battle of Mount Sorrel , Hill 62, near Ypres between 2nd and 13th June 1916, in which the Division captured the hill. They then took part in the second phase of the Somme Offensive,  in the Battle of Delville Wood between 14th July and 15th September 1916, during which George Hannis  was promoted to Sergeant. In the third phase they fought  in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette and the Battle of Morval and the Battle of  the Transloy Ridges from 1st October 1916. Sergeant Hannis was wounded in action on 10th October during the battle and was subsequently awarded the Military Medal for  bravery in the field, gazetted on 14th November 1916.

In the spring of 1917 his Battalion  were involved in the cautious pursuit  of the Germans as they withdrew from the Somme area to pre-prepared defences on the Hindenburg Line  near Arras. The Germans destroyed everything of value in their path, leaving booby traps and poisoning water supplies.  They next took part  in the Third Battle of Ypres  seeing action in the  Battle of Langemarck between 16th and 18th August 1917,  The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge and the Battle of Polygon Wood between 20th and  3rd October 1917.

The Battalion was disbanded in February 1918  and its troops joining  other units of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire L:ight Infantry. George Hannis was sent back to the UK to train as a 2nd Lieutenant  and was gazetted on 30th April 1918, being posted to the 8th (Service) Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment. The Battalion was reduced to cadre strength on 28th June 1916 and 2nd Lieutenant Hannis was  transferred to the 7th Battalion. On 13th July 1918 he broke his ankle in an accident and was treated at the 63rd Field Hospital and evacuated to hospital in the UK. This was the end of his war.

He returned to Chipping Norton and his tailoring business in 10, Middle Row and served on the Branch General Committee from its formation in 1924. He died in  April 1970 aged 81.

 

WILLIAM HANNIS

He was the older brother of George, above, having been born in 1883 and was a tailor in the family business. He married Sarah Hands in June 1912 in Chipping Norton. He served with the 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in France transferring to the 8th (Service) Battalion , The Royal Berkshire Regiment. He was wounded in action towards the end of the war whilst serving in The Berkshires during the 100 Day Offensive, losing his arm.

He returned to Chipping Norton living in Burford Road and served on the General Committee of the Legion from is foundation in 1924 until March 1928. His injuries caused him to retire early and he died in Chipping Norton in February 1961 aged 77.

 

PERCY RANDALL HEARN

 

He was born in Croydon in August 1880 but moved  with his family to Hook Norton in 1889 where is father was a clerk in an iron stone works.  He married  Ellen Stickley in Chipping Norton Parish Church in November 1908 and moved to  17, Horsefair where he worked as a clerk in an iron stone works as his father had. He was also a part time soldier  in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry, which in 1908 became the 4th Territorial Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry . He was called up for regular service after the outbreak of war on 2nd October 1914, as a Lance Corporal and promoted to Corporal on 1st October 1915. He served on the home front until being sent to France on 6th August 1917 to join the 1/1st Buckinghamshire Regiment in the field, joining A Company. The Battalion went into action in the Third Battle of Ypres commencing with the Battle of Langemarck between 18th and 18th August 1917, and the Battles of Polygon Wood,  Broodseinde and Poelcapelle between 20th September and 9th  October 1917.  On 15th November Corporal Hearn was transferred to hospital suffering from a fever. He was evacuated to the UK and  admitted to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield on 21st November 1917.  After recovering he joined the 52nd Battalion (Graduated) Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment involved in the training of young soldiers.  Serving in D Company he received a server reprimand on  4th March 1918 for having a lamp out of its bracket and gambling in his hut.

After being demobilized  he returned to Chipping Norton and his job as an iron stone works clerk and served on the general and distress committees of the British Legion. At the outbreak  of the Second World War he was living at the Crooked House in Hook Norton and was a manager at the  ironstone works. He died in 1953 aged 73.

 

JOHN RICHARD HILL

 

He was born in Theale in Berkshire in February 1865 and trained as a teacher, moving to Chipping Norton. In February 1891 he had joined the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Oxford Light Infantry as a part-time soldier with the rank of Private. He was promoted Corporal in October 1897, Sergeant in February 1898. He married Marion Insall in the town in December 1898 and had a son Rowland born in February 1900 and another Arthur born in 1903, living at 8, Church Street. In November 1908 the 2nd Volunteer Battalion was absorbed into the newly formed 4th Territorial Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as part of the Haldane Reforms. John Hill was appointed Colour Sergeant in April 1910, the Battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Schofield, see below. In September 1914 he signed up for overseas service and the Battalion was embodied into the regular army as the 1/4th Battalion. He was appointed Company Sergeant Major on 31st January 1915 and arrived in France with the Battalion on 29th March 1915 aged 50. He served in France until 28th August 1918, when he returned to the UK and joined the 3/4th Battalion the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in the training role. He was discharged from the Army on 8th April 1916 as his period of engagement had finished. He was awarded the Silver War Medal to be worn on civilian clothing to prevent discharged servicemen being accused of cowardice. His discharge record states he was a man of  excellent character in every respect. His elder son Rowland served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserves between May 1918 and February 1919.

He returned to Chipping Norton and took up teaching again eventually becoming a headmaster. He served as Branch Vice Chairman of the British Legion from 1927 and died in Chipping Norton in September 1952 aged 87.

 

WILLIAM RALPH HOVARD

William Ralph Hovard was born in Stow-on-the Wold in 1893, the son of  Ralph and Annie Hovard, one of 10 children. By 1901 the family had moved to the George Inn in New Street where his father was both an innkeeper and butcher. William followed his father into the butchery trade. In 1912 he enlisted into the Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars as a Private, this was a yeomanry unit of part time soldiers intended to be a home defence force. However, on the outbreak of war on 4th August 1914, many members volunteered for  service abroad.

In 1914, after only a month's training, the regiment received a telegram from the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, instructing them to prepare for immediate embarkation. They were to join the Naval Brigade which he was sending to Flanders to prevent a German advance towards the Channel ports. After landing in France on 14th September 1914, The 1st/1st Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars became the first Territorial unit to see action. It was typical of Churchill's enthusiasm for amateur soldiering that he should have thought up this plan for his old yeomanry regiment, in which his younger brother, Jack Churchill, was then serving. The regiment soon hardened to the realities of war. Although disparagingly nicknamed by men of the regular army 'Queer Objects On Horseback' or 'agricultural cavalry', the QOOH took part in many actions from Ypres in 1914 to Amiens and the final advance in 1918, winning battle honours and the lasting respect of their fellow members of the 2nd Cavalry Division. During the First Battle of Ypres his parents at the George Inn, New Street, Chipping Norton, received the following postcard from their son on 4th November 1914.

"Just a card to let you know I am all right, and that all our boys are well. We have had a hot time, but only lost two and a few wounded. Sorry to tell you one was our leader. It’s terrible out here with people being shelled from their homes. It’s awful to see them hurrying away, some pushing old women on trucks, and wounded soldiers. I have been in the field in the trenches. I am proud to tell you we have had good praise for sticking. Rumours have been current of several local men of the QOOH being wounded, but they are of a conflicting nature." (Courtesy of Douglas Rudlin)

As such it was one of only six yeomanry regiments to be posted to a regular cavalry division in the war. As cavalry they spent frustrating periods waiting in readiness to push on through the gap in the enemy's line, which never came. They toiled in working parties bringing up supplies, digging defensive positions, suffering the discomforts of appalling conditions, and frequently dismounting to fight fierce engagements on foot and in the trenches themselves.

William Hovard served with QOOH throughout the war and was disembodied back to a Territorial on 19th February 1919. 

In spring 1923 he married Ellen Mount in Romford  and they lived at 41, New Street, Chipping Norton where he worked as a Butchery Manager. He died in September 1971 aged 78.

WILLIAM HUGHES

He was born in November 1892 to parents John and Sarah Hughes of the Cemetery Lodge where his father was the Cemetery keeper. He worked as a clerk at Bliss Mill and then a milkman. He enlisted into the Royal Navy Reserves and was called up for service on 26th September 1916 and trained as a Stoker on Pembroke II shore base. He then joined the crew of the Erebus class monitor HMS Terror, below, on 5th December 1816

She was designed to give close support to troops ashore through the use of naval bombardment and was part of the Dover Patrol. During the winter of 1916 and 1917, Terror acted as a guard ship for merchant vessels anchored at The Downs, following a spate of attacks by German destroyers. On leave ashore, William Hughes married Elizabeth Brookes in Chipping Norton on 9th April 1917. In early 1917, Terror and the rest of the patrol made several aborted attempts to bombard the lock gates of the Bruges Canal at Zeebrugge but the operation had to be postponed each time. Reasons for postponement included snapped towlines and poor weather conditions. The operation eventually commenced on the evening of 11th May but the lock gates were not hit. A bombardment of Ostend on 5th June by was more successful, destroying or damaging several vessels and damaging the dockyard. William Hughes was appointed Stoker 1st class on 5th September. On 19th October 1917, in an encounter with three German coastal torpedo boats off Dunkirk,  Terror was hit by three 17.7 inch torpedoes. Two impacted towards the front of the ship on the starboard sid3, blowing away a large section of the bow. The third torpedo hit the main section of the anti-torpedo bulge further aft, which absorbed the damage. There were no casualties and the ship was beached before being re-floated and towed into Dunkirk harbour for temporary repairs. She then sailed safely back to Dover but on the next leg of the trip back to Portsmouth for repairs she encountered bad weather. The ship had to be temporarily abandoned as it was taking in water but the following day the crew were able to re-board and she was towed back to Portsmouth by two tugs. It took until early January 1918 to complete the repairs.

On the morning of 21st March 1918 the monitor helped foil a raid on Dunkirk by nine destroyers and ten torpedo boats, which had been intended to support the German Spring Offensive. On the evening of next day she bombarded Ostend harbour, firing 39 shots before a German smoke screen obscured the harbour from view. Aerial photographs taken the next day revealed that all 39 shots had landed within the target area. In April, Terror was in the Long Range Bombardment force for the Zeebrugge Raid. In September, in preparation for a further offensive, Terror had her 15 in gun barrels replaced. Having fired around 340 rounds, it was felt they had become worn and were in no condition to support a prolonged battle. On 27th September she provided gunnery support for the Final Advance into Flanders with the objective being to bombard positions around Zeebrugge and Ostend, with the aim of diverting German attention from other fronts.

William Hughes left the ship on 8th February 1919 for demobilisation. He died in 1945 aged 52.

WILLIAM HUNT

 

He was born in Chipping Norton in October 1877 and worked as a solicitor’s clerk. He married Harriet Perry in  St Mary’s Church in December 1901 and they lived at 3, The Leys with their two children. He was living at 8, Alexandra Square, working as a solicitor’s manager clerk, when he enlisted as a Private into the Royal Army Medical Corps on 4th December 1915. He was placed on the Army Reserves as part of the 2nd Territorial Battalion RAMC and not mobilised until 6th May 1918. He was then posted to the 302nd Field Ambulance in Colchester. 

On 15th October 1918 he was sent to France as part of 117 Reinforcements and arrived at the RAMC Depot in Rouen. He was posted from there to the 15th Field Ambulance in the field on 18th October 1918. They supported the 5th Infantry Division in the Final Advance into Picardy and after the Armistice sent to Namur in Belgium. On 26th February 1919 Private Hunt was taken ill with pneumonia and pleurisy . He was taken to 14t Field Ambulance, then 48th Casualty Clearing Station and on to the 53rd General Hospital at Camiers. From there he was evacuated back to the UK on the Hospital Ship Jan Breydel on 19th March 1919. He spent 16 days in the 4th Northern General Hospital in Lincoln before recuperating in Grantham. He was discharged from the Army on 7th May 1919 and awarded a disability pension for 5 months. He returned to Chipping Norton and  served on the General Committee of the British Legion from its formation. died in January 1962 aged 84.

 

ALBERT KEEN

He was born in Chipping Norton in 1881 to parents Walter and Edith Keen, one of five sons. They lived at 70 Finsbury Place, New Street and before joining the Army Albert had worked as a general labourer and carter.

He was attested into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on 4th December 1915 aged 35, and mobilized on 4th April 1916 at Cowley Barracks. He was posted to a base depot in France on 10th July 1916 and then transferred to the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 27th August 1916. He was reported missing in action on 4th May 1917 during the Second Battle of Bullecourt, when the British attacked German defences near the city of Arras. He was later reported as being held as a Prisoner of War at Limburg camp near Cologne. He was released on 11th January 1919 and repatriated, being demobilized on 21st March 1919.

He died, the following year, in June 1920 aged 40. His youngest brother Ernest died of sickness whilst serving with the Hampshire Regiment on 1st November 1918.

WALTER JOHN KEEN

 

He was born in Chipping Norton in May 1876, living at 10 Finsbury Place and working as a builder’s labourer. In August 1911 he married Winifred Lane in St Mary’s Parish Church, they had a daughter born in 1912. On 2nd October 1914 he enlisted into the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and joined the Reserve 2/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion serving on the home front.

He was embodied into the regular army and posted to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment in France as a Corporal as reinforcements after losses in the German Spring Offensive in 1918. He was aged 42 at the time. The 1st Berkshires took part in the 100 Days Offensive which lead to victory for the Allies on the Western Front. They were in action in the Battle of Albert between 21st and 23rd August 1918, and the  Second Battle of Bapaume  between 31st August an4 3rd September, phases of the Second Battles of the Somme which pushed the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line.  On 12th September 1918 they took part in the Battle of Havrincourt, followed by the Battle  of the Canal du Nord between 27th September and 1st October and the Battle of  Cambrai between 8th and 9th October. These actions were part of a successful campaign to dislodge the Germans from their heavily defended positions on the Hindenburg Line. Corporal Keen was wounded in action during the Battle of  the Selle on 17th October 1918 and evacuated back to the UK  for treatment.  He was discharged from the Army on 6th February 1919, being no longer fit for war service and awarded the Silver War Badge, to be warn on civilian clothing to indicate war service.

He returned to Chipping Norton and lived at 10, Finsbury Place where he worked as a stone mason. He was a member of the first general committee of the British Legion and died in August 1948 aged 72.

 

HENRY JAMES MALPASS

He was born in Ebley, Gloucestershire in 1886 and moved with his parents Arthur and Emmie Malpass to Chipping Norton. He was the elder brother of Leonard and William, below, and had worked as an engineer's clerk. In March 1913 he married Eva Horwood in Chipping Norton, they lived at 35, The Leys and had two daughters. On 1st February 1917 he was conscripted into the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry but was medically classed as C1, fit for home service only. On 5th August 1917 he was transferred to 640th Home Service Employment Company. Based in Oxford the company carried out a wide range of duties vital to the war effort. In September 1917 he was posted to 639 Company in Banbury and was made a Lance Corporal. He was discharged on 8th February 1919. 

After the war he lived in Oxford where he was a director and sales manager of an automobile engineering company. He served in the Royal Observer Corps in the Second World War. He died in June 1965 aged 79.

LEONARD LINDSAY WILLIAM MALPASS

He was born in Chipping Norton in 1895 to parents Arthur and Emmy Malpass of 13, Alfred Terrace, one of five children. They later moved to the Leys and at 15 he was working as a mill hand. He had joined the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in December 1913 and promoted to acting Sergeant. He transferred to the 1st/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry being posted to France on the 29th March 1915. He was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions, whilst serving as a Corporal, on 21st January 1918, during a German attack at Loos. His citation reads:

"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He took charge of three machine guns in an attack after an officer became a casualty and got them into action, conflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Later, he also took charge of the guns on his flank and organised a defensive line. He brought a captured enemy gun into action in addition to his own, and also recovered two guns whose teams had become causalities. He showed great initiative and determination throughout"

He was promoted to acting then full sergeant shortly after this. Len was demobilised on 19th February 1919 and returned to Chipping Norton, working as a haulage contractor. He married Alice Padley in Chipping Norton 1921. On 17th August 1923 he sailed for Canada on his own to take on the running of his late uncle's farm. He returned in 1928 and  moved to Haberton in Devon with his wife, where he was a self employed nurseryman and a part-time worker at the sewerage plant. In the Second World War he served in the Air Raid Protection utility and rescue unit. He returned to Chipping Norton and died in the town in 1975 aged 79.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER MALPASS

He was the younger brother of Henry and Leonard, above, having been born in March 1899. He worked as a solicitor's clerk before enlisting into the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on 29th April 1917. On 17th April 1918 he was transferred to the newly formed Royal Air Force and selected for pilot training. However the war was over before he could see any action and he was discharged to the reserves on 19th April 1919. He married Hilda Stancombe in Devon in 1925. They lived in Coventry where he was Chief Progress Clerk at a motor manufactures also serving as a Air Raid Protection warden at the plant during the Second World War. He died in Newton Abbott in 1971 aged 72.

 

EDWARD PHILIP MARGETTS

He born in 1883 to parents Philip and Martha Margetts of 15, Distons Lane. He had married Ellen Shepard in 1911. He was working as a house painter when on 12th October 1914 he enlisted into 2nd/1st Territorial Buckinghamshire Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, aged 32. He joined the 2nd/4th Battalion in France on 12th February 1917. In the spring of 1917  the Germans made a strategic withdrawal to pre-prepared defences on the Hindenburg Line. His Battalion were involved in the cautious pursuit of the Germans, who destroyed everything in their path and left numerous booby traps.

They then went on to fight in The Battle of Langemarck between 16th and 18th August 1917.  Private Margetts suffered a gunshot wound to his right upper arm on 10th September 1917 whilst assaulting positions on Hill 35 near St Julien. After treatment in the 1st South African General Hospital in Abbeville he re-joined his Battalion on 18th January 1918. He was granted leave home on 31st January returning to his unit on 15th February 1918. His Battalion were then involved in fighting the German Spring Offensive from 21st March 1918. Boosted by troops released from the Eastern Front by the surrender of Russia, German storm troopers advanced some 40 miles across the old Somme Battlefield in an attempt to influence the outcome of the war before the Americans arrived in numbers. Private Margetts was again wounded, by shrapnel to his left hand and ear. He was treated in the 6th General Hospital in Rouen, before being evacuated to the UK on the troopship Viper before receiving further treatment in Huddersfield. On recovery he served on the home front until being demobilised in February 1919 and awarded a disability pension. He returned to Chipping Norton, living at Rock Hill and served on the committee of the British Legion band, formed in June 1925. He died in the town in 1964 aged 81.

His younger brother Harold was killed in action in 1917.

JAMES JOHN MARSHALL

 

He was born in Chipping Norton in August 1882 and worked as a clerk at Bliss Mill. He married Annie Keely in the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in December 1906 and lived at 2, Holyoake Close, The Leys, Chipping Norton. He enlisted into the Royal Garrison Artillery on 4th December 1915 and posted into the Army Reserves as a Gunner. However in June 1916 he applied for an exemption to being called up for military service and granted a temporary exemption. He joined up on 6th January 1917 in Plymouth and posted to 2/1st Heavy Reserve Battery for training. He was posted to France on 20th November 1917 and joined the 119th Heavy Battery in the field on 16th February 1918. He served in France until August 1919 when he returned to the UK for demobilization. He lived at 3, Brasenose Terrace, Chipping Norton and worked as a secretary for the Oddfellows, where Legion meeting were originally held. He was a member of the British Legion General Committee from the Branch’s formation and as Vice Chairman from 1926.

 

FRANK EDWARD GRAY MARTIN

 

He was born in St Aldate’s Oxford in January 1897 and worked as a bank clerk for Barclays Bank. He was living and working in Banbury when he joined The South Staffordshire Regiment, being gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant on 28th November 1917. He joined  A Company of the 1/5th (Territorial) Battalion in France on 11th April 1918. On 20th May 1918 the Battalion had moved up to front line trenches at Gorre when they came under attack from German gas shells on 22nd. Lieutenant Martin suffered from the effect of the mustard gas shells and  was blinded, one of 172 men of the Battalion hospitalised after the attack. He recovered but was to play no further part in the war. After the war he returned to Banbury and his job in the bank. He moved to Chipping Norton in 1927, living at 11, West Street and working for Barclays Bank in the town. He joined the General Committee of the British Legion at this time. He married Vera Rennie in Oxford in 1929 and eventually moved to Sturminster in Dorset, where he became a bank manager. He died there in May 1970 aged 73.

 CAPTAIN GEORGE MAYALL

 

He was born in Allerton, Lancashire in December 1877 and was educated at Uppingham School. He was gazetted an the Derbyshire Regiment in April 1900 as a 2nd Lieutenant  and made a full Lieutenant in February 1901 in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment, The Sherwood Foresters. He joined the 1st Battalion in South Africa where they were fighting in the Boer War. After the end of the war they were posted to Hong Kong in September 1902. He returned to the UK in September 1905 and resigned his commission in December of that year. 

He married Marjorie Pitt in Pangbourne in August 1907 and on  21st July 1908 became a Lieutenant in the  Berkshire Royal Horse Artillery Battalion, a Territorial unit formed that year and commanded by his older brother Major Charles Mayall.

On the outbreak of the First World War  the  1/1st Berkshire Battery was assigned to the 1st Mounted Division and in November 1914 were assigned to coastal defence duties in Norfolk. George Mayall was promoted to acting Captain on 16th February 1915. In March 1915, the division was put on warning for overseas service. In early April, the division starting leaving Avonmouth and landed at Alexandria before the end of the month. By the middle of May, the horse artillery batteries were near Ismaïlia on Suez Canal Defences. On 14th July 1915, the Berkshire RHA left for Aden. They fought a sharp action at Sheikh Othman on 20th July that removed the Turkish threat to Aden for the rest of the war, before returning to Egypt. The Berkshire RHA briefly re-joined the division at Ismailia on Suez Canal Defences until 17th January 1916 when it was transferred with 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade to the Western Frontier. The battery, and its brigade, served with the Imperial Mounted Division in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign as part of the Desert Column. With the division, it took part in the advance across the Sinai. The battery was re-equipped with four 18 pounders in time for the First Battle of Gaza between 26th and 27th March 1917 and the Second Battle of Gaza between 17th and 19th April 1917. After this battle Captain Mayall was sent back to the UK  and spent the rest of the war serving on the Home Front.

After the war Captain Mayall moved to Chipping Norton with his wife Marjorie living at Rock Hill House.  He  was the first Chairman of the British Legion distress committee and became Chairman of the Branch Chairman in October 1926, serving for a number of years until moving to The Grove, Compton Abdale, Gloucestershire, were he farmed. He died in Compton Abdale in January 1952 aged 74.

CHARLES HENRY MEALIN

 

He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1872,  the family moving to Burford Road, Chipping Norton, where his father was a mechanical engineer at Bliss Mill. He also worked as a server at the mill and in  1902 married Mary Elvis in Aston, Birmingham. They lived at 2, The Green, Chipping Norton where he now worked as a house painter and had three children together. He enlisted into the Army Reserves but was not called up for service until 3rd April 1918, when he joined the fledgling Royal Air Force. He was trained as an aircraft rigger and served at No 4 Air Acceptance Park at Lincoln until being demobilized on 11th March 1919. 

In 1906 his younger sister Laura had married Henry Harrison in Chipping Norton, pictured below. Henry was killed in action in May 1917 whilst serving with the 5th Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. 

He  joined the general committee of British Legion in 1927 and was commended for enlisting 50 new members. He died in the town in 1935 aged 62.

 ERNEST MORRIS

He was born in May 1897, one of 10 children to parents Albert and Ellen Morris of 58, Rock Hill, Chipping Norton and worked as an errand boy. He added an "s" to his name to enlist into 4th (Reserve) Battalion The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as Private Ernest Morriss whilst underage. He joined the 1st battalion in France before being transferred to the 2nd Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment. His older brother Len also served with the Ox & Bucks. After the war he married Hilda Higgs in Chipping Norton in 1922. They lived at 34, Albion Street and he worked as a heavy lorry driver, also serving with the Chipping Norton Auxiliary Fire Brigade as an engineer. He died in 1983 aged 86.

LEONARD MORRIS

He was born in July 1896, one of 10 children to parents Albert and Ellen Morris of 58, Rock Hill, Chipping Norton and worked as an errand boy. He joined  the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a Private in February 1914. He was sent to France on 28th June 1915 and joined "D" Company, the 1st/4th Battalion, The Ox and Bucks in the field. He was wounded in action by a shell on 22nd April 1916 whilst in the trenches at Hebuterne. He was treated in hospital and returned to his unit. His Battalion were involved in the Battle of Albert, the opening action of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916. However on 2nd July 1916 he was taken out of the line suffering with an abscess on his back. He was treated at a base hospital and on recovery joined 2nd/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Bucks.

In Spring 1917 the 2nd/4th were involved in the cautious pursuit of the Germans as they withdrew to formidable pre-prepared defences on the Hindenburg Line. On 28th April 1917 he took part on a raid on an enemy trench at Fayet near St Quentin in which his Company Sergeant Major, Edward Brooks, won the VC. On 22nd August 197 they were involved in the Battle of Langemarck, a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres and in September made an unsuccessful attempt to take Hill 35 near Ypres. After this they moved to Arras and then Cambrai where the battled against German counter attacks in the area.

From 21st March 1918 they fought against the German Spring Offensive and suffered heavy casualties as they fought a fighting retreat to the gates of Amiens. The remnants were moved north to what had been a quieter part of the line on the La Bassee Canal near Bethune. Unfortunately it was near where the Germans launched the second phase of their offensive on 9th April 1918. The Battalion became involved and many casualties were incurred. After this the Battalion was rebuilt and took part in the Final Advance into Picardy in October and ended the war near Cambrai. Demobilisation began in January 1919.

He returned to Chipping Norton after the war, marrying Annie Pither in 1920. They lived at 17, London Road where he worked as a carman, he served as an Air Protection Warden in the Second World War. He died in the town in 1970 aged 74.

FRANCIS HENRY MOULDER

He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1876 moving to Chipping Norton with his mother shortly after. In 1902 he married Emily Smith in Aston and were living at 76 West Street in Chipping Norton and working as a general labourer. He was also a part-time soldier and served 10 years with the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of The Oxfordshire Light Infantry. On the 12th October 1914, aged 40, he was attested and embodied into the Oxfordshire National Reserve. He served on the Home Front firstly with No 1 Company, 4th (Reserve) Battalion of The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry then on to 256 Company, the Royal Defence Company in April 1916, the 18th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment and 615 Labour Corps. Army officialdom lost track of him and when preparing for his demob they had to write to him to confirm where he was and where he had been. He was demobilized at Fovant, Wiltshire on the 18th March 1919. He returned to the town where he worked at the sewage works, living at 76, West Street. He died in Chipping Norton in 1950 aged 75.

THE MOULDER BROTHERS

Henry and Susan Moulder of 34, Over Norton had 12 children, including 8 sons who played in the Chipping Norton Brass Band together. Frederick, far right standing, was killed in action in 1914. A further 6 that we know of also served.

 

FRANK BENJAMIN MOULDER 

He was born in Over Norton in 1886, and married Florence Coombes in Chipping Norton on 8th January 1910. They lived in Over Norton where he worked as a stonemason and had a son and a daughter. 

He attested on 11th December 1915 and put on the reserve list. On 24th May 1916 he applied for exemption from service, but at a hearing on the 7th June this was refused although a temporary exemption to 19th June was granted. He was mobilized into No 2 Works Company of the Devonshire Regiment at Exeter on 7th July 1916. He served in the Labour Corps on the Home Front until 5th March 1919, when he was discharged as unfit for further service. He was suffering from myalgia, sciatica of the leg and rheumatism of the heels, all aggravated by war service, and awarded a pension of 2 shillings and 4d a week. He returned to Over Norton where he worked as a stonemason. He died in 1955 aged 69.

GEORGE THOMAS MOULDER

He was born in Over Norton in May 1887, one of twelve children of Henry and married Agnes Peates in the summer of 1908 and they lived in Over Norton, where he worked as a weaver. He enlisted into the 7th (Service) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a Private in 1915, joining D Company in Salonika in November 1916. They took part in the Battles of Doiran between 24th and 25th April and between 8th and 9th May 1917. However the Salonika Front caused more casualties through ill health than the fighting. On 19th November 1917 he was evacuated from the front with an undiagnosed case of chronic myalgia and taken to the 31st Casualty Clearing station then Hospital Train and return to England. He was diagnosed with suffering from malaria and after recovery served with the Labour Corps. 

He was demobilised in April 1919 and returned to Over Norton. His wife died in 1936 and at the onset of the Second World War he was living at 46, Spring Street, Chipping Norton, working as a mill hand and gardener. He died in 1960 aged 73.

JOHN MOULDER

 

He was born in Over Norton in March 1892. He worked as a butcher and married Mabel White in the Methodist Church in the summer of 1914, living at 58, West Street. 

On 4th December 1915 he enlisted into the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry but was passed fit for Home Service only and mobilized on 22nd September 1916. He was posted as a Private and transferred to the Military Foot Police Corps being made an acting Lance Corporal in April 1917. In April 1919 he was hospitalised suffering from myalgia, muscle pain caused by varicose veins, and was admitted to the Military Hospital in Ipswich and Kitchener’s Hospital in Brighton. He was discharged on 1st August 1919 being no longer physically fit for war service and awarded the Silver War Badge. Returning home to Chipping Norton he served on the general committee from 1927 until he moved to Rochester in Kent. He returned to Chipping Norton after retiring and died in June 1964 aged 72.

RUEBEN ARTHUR MOULDER

He was born in May 1896 and had worked as a farm boy. He enlisted into the 4th (Territorial) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a Private on 15th November 1915. In June 1916 he joined D Company of the 2/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in France. On 19th July 1916 they took part in the disastrous attack at Fromelles, a diversionary action for the Somme Offensive which cost the Battalion 58 casualties. He was promoted to Lance Corporal but on 4th December 1916 he was found to be suffering from trench foot and evacuated from the Front on no 14 Hospital Train. He was sent back to the United Kingdom on 7th December 1916. After treatment he was transferred to the Labour Corps but continued to suffer from ill health. He was discharged from the Army on 14th April 1919, as no longer fit for war service. He was awarded the Silver Badge, to be worn on civilian clothing to prevent honourably discharged soldiers from being accused of cowardice. 

Returning To Over Norton he married Gertrude Horwood in September 1919 and he worked as a mill hand. At the outbreak of the Second World War he was living at 9, Alfred Terrace, Chipping Norton, working as a builder's labourer. He died in aged 58.

JIM ALBERT MOULDING

He was born in September 1897 and had worked as a farm boy. He enlisted into The Northumberland Fusiliers in 1915 and joined the 20th (Service) Battalion (1st Tyneside Scottish) in France in 1916. The Battalion took part in the first Day of the Somme Offensive in 1916, fighting in the Battle of Albert from 1st July. They took part in two further phases of the offensive, The Battle of Bazentin Ridge and The Battle of Pozieres Ridge in July and August that year. In 1917 his Battalion took part in the First and Second Battles of The Scarpe and the Battle of Arleux, phases of the 1917 Arras Offensive between 9th and 29th April. On 9th September 1917 the Battalion were involved in an attack on German p0sitions in the village of Villeret and Private Moulding was wounded in action and evacuated from the field. After recovery he joined the 22nd (Service) Battalion (3rd Tyneside Scottish) of the Northumberland Fusiliers. On 22nd January 1918 the Battalion were in trenches near Arras when Private Moulder was again wounded in action whilst carrying out a reconnaissance patrol of German lines.

After recovery he was posted to the 1st Battalion, The East Yorkshire Regiment and promoted to acting Corporal. From 21st August 1918 his battalion was involved in the Second Battle of the Somme of that year. The Allies pushed the Germans back some 35 miles, liberating the towns of Albert and Bapaume, captured in the German Spring Offensive earlier that year. They next took part in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line, a series of very large scale offensive operations that broke the Hindenburg Line defensive system, between 12th September and 9th October. From 17th October 1918 they were involved in the Battle of the Selle, crossing the river behind which the Germans had taken up a defensive position. Corporal Moulder was wounded in action for the third time during the battle and his war was over.

After the war he married Hilda Morris in Chipping Norton in the summer of 1925 and became a postman in the town, living in London Road. He died in April 1973 aged 76.

WALTER MOULDER

He was born in March 1899 and was called up after turning 18 on 22nd March 1917. He was embodied as a Private into the Machine Gun Corps and served with them on the Western Front in 1918. He was discharged on 22nd September 1919 as being no longer fit for war service due to sickness. He was awarded the Silver Badge, to be worn on civilian clothing to prevent honourably discharged soldiers from being accused of cowardice. He had married Jessie Clack in London in 1917 and lived with her in Kensington. Later they moved to Middle Barton where he worked as foreman in a pressed steel chassis assembly line. He died there in December 1983 aged 84.

 SAMUEL MOULDER

He was born in Over Norton in 1878, one of seven children of William and Eliza Moulder of Over Norton. He married Mary Hardwicke in Chipping Norton on 20th October 1903. They lived in Over Norton where he worked as a general handyman at Over Norton park. They had three sons and two daughters between 1903 and 1915.

He enlisted on the 11th December 1915, aged 37, at Oxford and mobilised on 12th July 1916, initially into the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, but due to defective eyesight and hearing was posted to 164 Company, the 13th Labour Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment. He served in France between 19th September 1916 and 8th August 1917. He returned home to be discharged from the Army on 6th July 1917, suffering from pre-senile cataracts. However in July 1918 he was ordered back for a further re-examination as part of a review into soldiers discharged with disabilities. He returned to Over Norton and worked on the estate there. He died in 1956 in Chipping Norton aged 77.

ALBERT JOSEPH NASON

He was born in 1881 to parents William and Alice Nason of 22, Albion Street, Chipping Norton. He married Louisa Steventon on 7th July 1906 and had a son Albert, born in 1907 and lived at 2, Coneygree Terrace in the town, working as a foreman at a glove factory. He enlisted into The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry at Cowley on 11th December 1915, aged 30. He served on the Home Front in the 9th (Reserve) Battalion, being promoted to Lance-Corporal in November 1918. He was demobilized on 28th January 1919. His older brother Mowbray was killed in action in March 1918 whilst serving with the Ox & Bucks.

Albert Nason served on the General Committee from 1926 and died in 1961 aged 78.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER NORRIS, DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL, MILITARY MEDAL, MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES

He served as a Sergeant Major 1st class in the 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment. He had enlisted into the Cheshires in April 1907 and arrived with the 1st Battalion in  France on 16th August 1914. They took part in all the major engagements of 1914 including the Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, the Battles of the Marne and Aisne when the German advance was halted and repelled and the First Battle of Ypres. In January 1915 he was treated in No2 General Hospital in Le Havre for myalgia, or musle pain, commonly  caused by the overuse or over-stretching of a muscle or group of muscles. He spent 8 days in hospital and then time in a convalescent camp before returning to his unit. In 1915 the Battalion was engaged in the Second Battle of Ypres when Company Sergeant Major Norris won the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The citation reads:

“for conspicuous gallantry on 7th May 1915, near Hill 60 (in the Ypres salient), when he voluntarily left a trench crawled over an open space under an accurate fire from the enemy, and dragged in a wounded man. Later in the day he gallantly went out again and brought in a wounded officer, in spite of fire from numerous snipers”

He went on to serve in the Labour Corps then as a sergeant clerk in the Royal Flying Corps and the RAF, and was mentioned in despatches. 

He was born in 1889 in Milton Regis in Kent and his only connection with Chipping Norton would seem to be that he died here, in the Chequers Inn in 1944 aged 55, whilst working as an aerodrome warden at RAF Chipping Norton. He is buried in Chipping Norton Cemetery.

CHARLES ARTHUR PARSONS

He was born in Chipping Norton in 1883, the son of James and Lucy Parsons. He was working as a bottler in the brewery when he enlisted into the 16th(The Queens) Lancers in London on 18th October 1899, giving his date of birth as 1879. He had previously served in the 6th Territorial Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, but had brought himself out. Signing on for 7 years in the colours and 5 in the reserves, he served at home until 12th June 1900. The Battalion was then sent to South Africa The regiment landed at Cape Colony in January 1900 for service in the Second Boer War and took part in the relief of Kimberley in February 1900. He returned to England on 10th November 1904 and served at home until 19th November 1906, when he was transferred into the reserve 8th Cavalry Regiment.

In May 1907 he joined the Great Western Railway as a porter at Chipping Norton Station, being promoted to a carman, delivering goods to houses and businesses, in July 1908. In November 1908 he married Louisa Watts in Colchester, they settled at 3, Alfred Terrace in Chipping Norton and had two daughters. On 7th August 1914 he was mobilized and posted to the 16th Lancers, arriving with them in France on 25th August 1914. As part of the 2nd Cavalry Division they saw action in the Battle of the Aisne and phases of the First Battle of Ypres. On 10th November 1914 he returned home, posted back to the 8th Reserve Cavalary Regiment, based in Curragh, Ireland. On 3rd March 1916 he was appointed Lance Corporal and on 12th July suffered a dislocated thumb when he fell in the stables. On 3rd August 1916 he was posted back to the 16th Hussars in France, but his surviving records end there. The 16th Hussars served in a dismounted role in all the major engagements on the Western Front. He was demobilized on 1st March 1919 and transferred back to the reserves.

After the war he lived at 71, The Leys and worked as a Railway Porter at Chipping Norton Station. He died in January 1953 aged 69 and is buried in the town cemetery.

ARTHUR PEARCE

He was born in 1870 in Lambeth and was working as a letter sorter when he enlisted with the 12th Hussars on 24th January 1890. He served in England until 21st October 1899, gaining his musketry certificate, appointed corporal in March 1893 and full sergeant in December 1896. He was then was posted to South Africa to fight in the Boer War. He served there until 31st August 1902 when he returned home. He was involved in the Battles of Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Wittebergen and the relief of Kimberley. He was awarded the King's South African clasps 1901 and 02. He remained in England until 5th January 1903, marrying Louisa Emily Faulkner in Lambeth, in October 1902, they had four daughters together, Agnes, Louisa, Nellie and Grace.

He was posted to India arriving at Umballa station on 6th March 1903. On 22nd October 1904 he contracted malaria and spent a week in hospital and this led to him eventually returning home on 24th January 1905. On 1st March 1905 he was attached to the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars, his family was then living in Chipping Norton, and was promoted to Squadron Sergeant Major in May 1905. 

He was serving in the 1/1st Battalion when it landed at Dunkirk on 19th September 1914 to help defend the Channel ports and was in the first Territorial unit to embark and see action. The QOOH were involved in the Battles of Messines and Armentieres in 1914 and the first and second Battles of Ypres in 1915. Arthur was appointed acting Regimental Sergeant Major in the field on 1st October 1914. His time in action came to an end on 3rd April 1916 when he was evacuated from the front by field ambulance, suffering from chronic bronchitis, and was taken, via various casualty clearing stations, to No 4 General Hospital in Camiers, arriving on 25th April. On the 4th May 1916 he was transferred home on the Hospital Ship "St Andrew" and admitted to No 5 General Hospital in London now also suffering from malaria. He was discharged from hospital on 2nd June. After his recovery he had several postings in reserve cavalry battalions before joining the Labour Corps until his discharge on 17th December 1918 under GRO 146 (over 41 years old). His character was described by his last Commanding Officer as "exemplary".  He had served his country for over 28 years and went on to join the Yeoman of the Guard. He died in Banbury on the 8th May 1942 aged 72.

A LETTER FROM ARTHUR PEARCE'S DAUGHTER GRACE WRITTEN IN 2013

"My father was born on 17th April 1870.  He joined the 12th Royal Lancers and fought with them in the Boer War, keeping the same horse throughout. 

On returning to England he married my wonderful mother.  Shortly afterwards he had to supervise a shipload of wives travelling to India, replacing a man who had been court-martialled for starving his horses and selling their food.  He was posted to India where he steadily put things right as he loved horses but after a few years caught malaria and it was feared he would die in India, so he was sent home. 

When he was fit enough he took charge of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry – he then lived in Chipping Norton.  At the outbreak of war they were among the first to cross the Channel.  Their duty was to set out at daylight and return at dark to make the enemy think they had more troops there than they did.

One day the Germans found their range.  My father ordered the men to dismount and lead their horses round the perimeter of a field.  He lost neither men nor horses and was nicknamed “The Major” following this incident!.

One time when he was on rest leave he was looking for somewhere to get something to eat and came across a cafe run by women from England.  Asking for his meal, he was told snootily that 'only officers were served here'.  A voice from behind called out that my father was his guest – it was an officer he knew so he was able to eat!

Then they had to give up their horses and man the trenches.  Unfortunately I do not have much information about where he was sent in the trenches.  They suffered gas attacks and were ordered to urinate on their woollen socks and wrap them round their faces.  Those who could not bring themselves to do this suffered badly.

Life in the trenches was horrific.  He told stories of how friends and fellow soldiers were killed and wounded by the enemy.  One day he was hit by an enemy bullet but luckily he was wearing his watch and the bullet bounced off it.  Without the watch he would have been killed – the watch did not survive!

My father managed to survive the rest of the war.  He returned home to Banbury and having the correct height, girth and military service became a Yeoman of the Guard of the King's Bodyguard."

FRANCIS GEORGE PRATLEY

He was born in July 1897 to parents Charles and Mary Pratley of Mill End, Chsadlington. He worked as a farm labourer and enlisted into the 4th Territorial Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in September 1914. He was then transferred to the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and landed with them in Boulogne on 29th March 1915 as part of the 48thSouth Midland Division. They were based at Cassel near the Belgium border moving across the border to occupy positions in Ploegsteert Woods. At the end of June 1916 they were in camp in the village of Couin on the Some. On 1st July 1916 the Somme Offensive began with the Battle of Albert. The Battalion were in the Divisional Reserve, moving into the front line on 18th July and taking part in the Battle of Bazentin Ridge. On 20th July they attacked German positions in the Battle of Pozieres Ridge.They were in and out of front line trenches in the Somme area through August and September, their next offensive on the Somme being the Battle of Ancre Heights where they captured German trenches at Hebuterne. They followed on with the last action of the Somme Offensive, The Battle of Ancre holding trenches near Le Sars. They remained in the Somme area enduring the harsh winter before 

GEORGE HENRY ROBINSON

He was born in Bloxham in 1876 and on 3rd May 1899 married Florrie Wellstood and had three children together. They moved to 25 New Street, Chipping Norton, where  he worked as baker, and on 16th August 1915, aged 39, enlisted into The Army Service Corps. He went to Aldershot for basic training, and also had his skills tested at the ASC bakery, being proven to be a 3rd hand baker. He embarked at Southampton on 31st August 1915, aboard the PS Empire Queen, for Le Havre. After time in base camp he was posted to the 4th Field Bakery on 14th September 1915. Each infantry division had it’s own field bakery staffed by one officer and ninety-two men and produced bread for up to 20,000 men. He was hospitalised for 15 days in March 1916, suffering from measles and then posted to 6th Field Bakery on 2nd September 1916.  He returned home on leave between 4th and 22nd January 1917, and was awarded 1st good conduct badge on 16th August 1917. He was posted to the 15th Field Bakery lastly, before being posted home on 29th October 1918, being demobilised on 24th May 1919. He returned to the town and died there in 1962 aged 85. 

 

JOHN CHARLES ROWELL

 

He was born in Milton-under-Wychwood in April 1895, later moving to the High Street in Chipping Norton where his father ran an ironmonger business. He was educated at Wycliffe College in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire. He worked as a contracting engineer and enlisted into the territorial Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars in September 1914. 

On 8th December he attested into the Motor Transport branch of the Army Service Corps in Rouen, France as a Private. He served in the 1st Base Motor Transport Depot in Rouen until 20th January 1916 when he was sent to Salonica  and served there until 4th April 1918 when he was discharged on being given a commission in the Royal Air Force as a Lieutenant.

After the war his family founded the Hub  Ironworks in Albion Street in 1920 and he was Engineering Managing Director of the firm and lived at Ivydene in Albion Street. He became President of the British Legion Band on its formation in June 1925. He  died  in July 1980 aged 85.

 

 

JOHN CLEMENT RUSSELL MILITARY CROSS

He was born in 1888 in Kensington, London and was a medical student at London Hospital when war broke out. He was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery on 5th October 1914, arriving in France on 9th July 1915 as part of 15th Divisional Artillery. He was gazetted the Military Cross on 3rd June 1916 whilst a temporary Lieutenant. In 1917 he was promoted to Captain and finished the war as an acting Major. In March 1917 he was wounded in action and evacuated to Britain, being treated at the Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital At Millbank, London between 2nd and 12th March.

He returned to his studies after the war and qualified as a doctor in 1919. He worked as a house surgeon and physician at London Hospital until becoming a GP in Chipping Norton in 1925. He died in Chipping Norton in September 1969 aged 81.

WILLIAM ERNEST SCARSBROOK

He was born in Chipping Norton in August 1893, the eldest son of Ernest and Elizabeth Scarsbrook of King Edward Street. He had worked as a builder's labourer and also served in the volunteer battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He moved to Nechells in Birmingham where he worked as a railway crane hand and enlisted into the Army Service Corps in Handsworth on 20th October 1914. He initially signed on for year in the Territorial North Midlands Division as a Driver in the Horse Transport Train. 

On 4th March 1915 he embarked onto the SS Georgian at Southampton and arrived at Le Havre the following day. As part of the 46th Division they were based in the Ypres Salient. On 28th June 1915 he was granted leave home and married Hilda Harris in Nechells before returning to the front in early July. On 1st July the Division took part in an attack on Gommecourt north of the Somme, a diversionary action for the launch of the Somme Offensive. He was posted into the regular ASC on 1st September 1916 and given leave home between 13th and 23rd December 1916.

1917 found the Division in cautious pursuit of the Germans as they withdrew from the Somme area to pre-prepared positions on the Hindenburg Line. They were then in action in and around the Arras area. On 24th December 1917 Driver Scarsbrook had been given leave home. He was waiting to proceed in the village of Bethune when he was caught up in a German air raid. A bomb exploded on the road where he was standing knocking him to the ground where he struck his head. He continued to England but on 8th January 1918 he was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital in Edgebaston, Birmingham suffering from shell shock. His medical report stated that he was in a very high strung condition, suffered from severe tremors, could not speak properly and suffered from bad dreams, waking in terror. He was discharged from the Army on 22nd August 1918 as being no longer fit for war service. His medical report describes him as being in a very highly strung state, very tremulous and unable to speak clearly. He suffered from bad dreams and would awake in terror and from headaches and dizziness. After being discharged he returned home to Nechells. He was awarded the Silver Badge, given to soldiers discharged through wounds or sickness, to be worn on civilian clothing as a mark of their service.

William Scarsbrook made a full recovery despite having a plate inserted into his head. He eventually moved back to Chipping Norton, where he lived at 58, Rock Hill and working as a bricklayer. He had 8 children and four of his sons served during the Second World War. He died in 1998 aged 95.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL FREDERICK WILLIAM SCHOFIELD CMG

He  was born in Lancashire in 1859 and came to live at Chapel House. Over Norton where he worked as a Land Agent, later moving to Langston House, Chadlington. He was also served in the  2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Oxfordshire Light Infantry becoming a Captain in 1899. 

In 1908 the 2nd became part of the 4th (Territorial) Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and he was promoted to Major. At the outbreak of the First World War he was Commanding Officer of the 4th Battalion, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The Battalion was embodied into the Regular Army as the 1/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He landed in France with his Battalion on 29th March 1915 and were based at Steenvoorde on the Belgium border. On 24th April 1915 Lieutenant Colonel Schofield was appointed Officer Commanding of the 8th Infantry Depot at Le Havre, where he served for the rest of the war. On 28th December 1917 he was gazetted a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George for his services.

He returned to Langston House, Chadlington after the war and married Maud Hawke in 1920. He was the first President of the British Legion in Chipping Norton in 1924  serving until 1927. He died in Chadlington in April 1949 aged 89.

THE SHADBOLT BROTHERS 

The brothers were four of the twelve children of John Thomas and Emma Shadbolt of Spring Street, Chipping Norton. George, William John and Ernest are pictured with their father and two brothers below. 

ERNEST HARRY SHADBOLT 

He was born in November 1896 at 18, Spring Street, Chipping Norton the sixth son of John and Emma. At school he was awarded bronze medals for being Never Absent and Never Late from 1904 – 1909. After leaving school age 14 he worked as an errand boy. He served as a Private in the 1st/8th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment As part of the 48th Division in Spring of 1917 they cautiously pursued the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, in which the Division occupied Peronne. On 16th August to 1917 they took part in the Battle of Langemarck during the Third Battle of Ypres going on to fight in the subsequent actions, the Battle of Polygon Wood, the Battle of Broodseinde and the Battle of Poelcapelle between 26th September and 9th October 1917. In November 1917, along with the rest of the Division they moved to Italy. The Battalion returned to the Western Front on 11th September 1918, joining the 25th Division. They fought in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance into Picardy that year.

In the picture below he is showing an inverted chevron on his left sleeve which was for two years Good Conduct and also two smaller inverted chevrons on his right sleeve indicating he served two years overseas.

In 1921 he married Gladys Violet Hathaway in Chipping Campden and they made their home there raising nine children. He worked as a Goods Guard for the GWR retiring in 1962 after 47 years service. Tragically both Ernest and Gladys died in a road traffic accident in 1968 and they are buried together in Chipping Campden cemetery.

Many thanks to Ernest's son Robert Shadbolt for the above.

GEORGE THOMAS SHADBOLT

He was born in Chipping Norton in June 1883 and had worked as a rural cycle postman. In 1905 he married Eliza Ann Mullington in Churchill, living in Churchill, they had three children together. He served as a Private, firstly with The East Surrey Regiment and is pictured in their uniform, below.  He arrived in France on 25th September 1917 and was transferred to the 26th (Service) Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers and is pictured in their uniform above, the stripe on his in the right arm denoting he had been wounded. As part of the 41st Division, the Battalion was sent to Italy on 12th November 1917, holding a line on the River Piave until 1st March 1918, when they returned to France. They fought against the German Spring Offensive starting with the Battle Of St Quentin on 21st March 1918 and it was during the fierce fighting that he was wounded on 29th March. He was sent back to Britain for treatment, returning to the Western Front on 29th August 1918. He joined the 10th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and fought in the Battles of the Hindenburg line in September, The Battle of the Selle between 17th and 25th October, both part of the 100 Days Offensive.

He returned to Britain on 30th October 1918 to attend the funeral of his wife Elizabeth who had died in the John Radcliffe Infirmary and did not return to the Western Front. He returned to his job as a postman and married again to Jane Biles in June 1920, living at 27, West End but tragedy struck again when his son Jim died in 1922 aged only 6. George Shadbolt died in March 1972 aged 56 and is buried in Chipping Norton Cemetery.

WILLIAM SHADBOLT

He was born in Chipping Norton in October 1894 and prior to the war combined working in a factory whilst serving in the 4th (Territorial) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a Private. At the outbreak of war he transferred to 10th (Service) Battalion, The Worcester Regiment as a Lance Corporal, arriving in France in March 1916 but was discharged to be commissioned on 26th June 1917. as a 2nd Lieutenant, He was commissioned into the 1st/5th Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment  as a 2nd Lieutenant. He underwent officer training at Pirbright before joining his unit in the field on 10th August 1917 becoming No 1 Platoon Commander in A Company. On Thursday 4th October during the Battle of Broodseinde, part of the Third Battle of Ypres he led No 1 Platoon on an attack on Vale House capturing it with few casualties and securing the Battalion's flank. However within about 50 minutes Vale House was heavily shelled and No 1 Platoon almost wiped out and 2nd Lieutenant Shadbolt was wounded and evacuated home to England. He later transferred to The Machine Gun Corps and was promoted to full Lieutenant. 

He had married Elsie Woodward in Chipping Norton in the summer of 1916, living at 4, Gloucester Villas in the town. They had a son William and a daughter Margaret together. During the Second World War William served in the Police Reserves. William Shadbolt died in September 1958 aged 63.

WILLIAM JOHN SHADBOLT

He was born in Chipping Norton in 1882, and worked as a slater and a plasterer. In 1904 he married Emma Jane Smith in Heythrop and they moved to Market Street, Charlbury where he worked as a house painter. They had four children, Elsie, William, Cyril and Rose between 1905 and 1911. He joined The Royal Engineers as a Sapper on 8th December 1915 and is pictured above in their uniform. He has a wound stripe on his left cuff, whilst the chevron on his right cuff denotes he has served a year abroad. He was attached to the 17th Battalion, the Northumberland Fusiliers and joined them in France on 8th September 1917. On 24th October 1917 he received a shrapnel wound to the head. He was treated in No 3, Australian General Hospital before being sent to Britain on 18th November 1917 and admitted to the Nottingham Military Hospital. After recovery he rejoined the Royal Enigineers, qualifying as an electrician and serving with 4 Anti-Aircraft Company on the home front.

They had a further daughter after the war, Queenie, born in 1919. William John Shadbolt died at Cornbury Bridge, Charlbury after being hit by an army lorry,on 7th January 1946 aged 64 and is buried in Charlbury cemetery.

JOHN EDWARD SIMMS

He was born in Chipping Norton in October 1894 and was the second son of Daniel Rutter and Ellen Simms of 13 High Street Chipping Norton.  He is father was a watchmaker and jeweller and also an Alderman of the town as was his Grandfather Charles Rice Simms, whose portrait hangs in the town hall. Before enlisting he was an apprentice watchmaker and jeweller in the family business. His elder brother Herbert Rutter Simms was a pilot in the Royal Naval Air Service and was killed in action in 1916. He enlisted into the Royal Army Medical Corps on 18th October 1915 and served in the Balkans. He returned to the jewellery business and married Olive Felthouse in 1923. He was a member of the Auxiliary Fire Brigade, an instructor in the St John's Ambulance Brigade and served as an Air Raid Protection Warden in the Second World War. He died in 1979 aged 84.

THE SIMS BROTHERS

The brothers were the sons of Harry and Annie Sims, who had 12 children in all. The family lived at 11, Market Street, Chipping Norton where Harry worked as a fishmonger and fruiterer. Their eldest son Harry Lindus Sims was killed in action in France in 1917.

BERTRAND SIMS

He was born in Shipston-on-Stour in March 1896 and worked in the family business. He joined The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars in 1915, and was posted to France, serving as a Private in "D" Squadron.

In 1917 the QOOH, as part of the 2nd Cavalry Division were involved in The First Battle of the Scarpe between 9th and 11th April, a phase of the Arras Offensive, the Tank Attack, The capture of Bourlon Wood and fighting against German counterattacks during the Battle of Cambrai between 20th November and 3rd December.

In 1918 they fought against the German Spring Offensive in the First Battles of the Somme in which the Division was engaged until between 21st March and 1st April and in The Battle of Hazebrouck 14th and 15th April. Between 8th and 11th August they were in The Battle of Amiens, the first action of the 100 Days Offensive, during which they made a cavalry charge. They went on to fight in the Second Battles of the Somme, The Battles of the Hindenburg Line, and The Final Advance in Picardy between 17th October and 11th November and captured Mons on Armistice Day.

He returned to Chipping Norton after the war, marrying Elizabeth Gwenllian Williams in St Mary's Church in May 1927 and was a fishmonger and fruitier, living at 44, West Street. They had a son born in 1928 also called Bertrand. Known as Peter, he emigrated to Canada in 1953, serving with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Bertrand Sims died in Chipping Norton in March. 1979 aged 83.

HUBERT ALFRED SIMS

He was born in Chipping Norton in July 1898. He served as a Private in the 6th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry. As part of the 14th (Light) Division they had suffered heavy casualties at the Battle of St Quentin from 21st March 1918, the opening action of the German Spring Offensive. They had been withdrawn to England to reform and landed back in France on 3rd July 1918. They went onto see action during the Final Advance into Flanders. He was demobilised into the reserves on 26th February 1919.

He married Ivy ( known as Annie) Hemmings in St Nicholas Church, Chadlington in September 1920, working as a greengrocer and they had two sons Lindus and Desmond. Desmond, below, was killed in action on 20th August 1944, aged 19, whilst serving as a Private in the Duke of  Cornwall's Light Infantry during the allied advance on Rome. Hubert Sims died in the War Memorial Hospital in December 1953 aged 55.

 

JOHN GEORGE SIMS

Known as Jack, he was born in December 1893 in Shipston-on-Stour. Before the war he had worked as a butcher, before enlisting into The Army Service Corps. He was trained as a driver in the horse transport section, and was posted to France on 3rd August 1915, working his way up through the ranks to become a Staff Sergeant.  In March 1916 he married Fanny Scrivens in Fifield. He remained in the service until 28th April 1919, then joined "Z" Reserves, created in case Germany refused to accept peace terms, until it was disbanded in 1920. 

Returning to Chipping Norton he took over the family fishmonger's and fruitiers at 11, Market Street. He died in December 1978 aged 84.

JOHN HENRY SOUCH

He was born in July 1893 to parents George and Agnes Souch of Spring Street, Chipping Norton. They later moved to Salford where he worked as a farm labourer and later a Halt attendant on the Great Western Railway at Sarsden Halt.

He enlisted into the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars, a yeomanry cavalry unit, in early 1915 and is pictured above in their uniform. After training he was sent to France as reinforcements for the 6th (Service) Battalion of The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, joining B Company, for losses in the Somme Offensive of 1916. He saw action in the latter stages of The Somme in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, the Battle of Morval and the Battle of Le Transloy Ridges between 15th September and 11th November 1916. In the spring of 1917 The Battalion were involved in the cautious pursuit of the Germans as they retreated to pre-prepared defences on the Hindenburg Line. They were next in action in the Third Battle of Ypres starting with the Battle of Langemarck between 16th and 18th August 1917. On the 20th September they were back in action at the Battle of Menin Road Ridge. Private Souch suffered shrapnel wounds to the face and arm on that day and was taken to 46th Casualty Clearing station at Mendinghem. He was then taken by Ambulance train 126 to hospital in Le Havre for further treatment. He was discharged back to duty at A Base Camp in Le Havre on 26th September 1917.

He was then posted to the 2nd/4th Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and was promoted to Lance Corporal. On March 21st the Battalion, as part of the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division, was holding the forward zone of defences in the area northwest of Saint Quentin in the area of Ham. The Germans launched their Spring Offensive in an attempt to influence the outcome of the war before the Americans arrived in numbers. Bouyed by troops released from the Eastern Front after the surrender of Russia they attacked in great numbers. The Battalion lost many men as it fought a chaotic but ultimately successful withdrawal back over the Somme crossings over the next ten days. In the initial clash, the South Midland faced three enemy Divisions and only began to retire on the afternoon of 22nd March, when ordered to do so in consequence of the enemy’s progress at other parts of the line. They were moved north to take over a quieter part of the line near Bethune. Unfortunately the Germans launched the second part of their offensive in an attempt to capture Ypres on 9th April 1918. The Battalion became heavily involved in the fierce fighting. 

Lance Corporal Souch was wounded again by a shell on 20th May 1918. His Battalion was taken out of the line to rebuild and did not see action again until October 1918 when they took part in the final advance into Picardy.

After the war John Souch married Annie Thornton in 1921 and was a farmer at Hill Farm in Salford. He died in 1980 aged 87.

ALBERT SWANN MID

 

He was born in December 1877 in Chipping Norton, he was working as a machinist and was a part time soldier in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry when he enlisted into the 1st Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry as a Private on 15th September 1893. He added a year to his age to get in, being only 16, signing on for 7 years in the colours and 5 in the reserves. He was posted to Dublin on 2nd October 1893 and appointed a Bandsman in September 1897. He served in Ireland until September 1898 when they returned to Aldershot. The 1st Battalion was dispatched from Britain to South Africa to take part in the Second Anglo-Boer War, arriving in November 1899, after local forces had been besieged in Mafeking, and the British forces stationed there had been surrounded in the town of Ladysmith. The battalion was involved in General Redvers Buller's unsuccessful attempts to approach Ladysmith across the Teluga river, in reserve for the Battle of Colenso, launching diversionary attacks to the east of Spion Kop and in early February attacked Vaal Krantz with the battalion taking two hills of the ridge, before the position was abandoned. The battalion was in a supporting role for the Relief of Ladysmith and took little part in the offensive that ended with the annexation of the Transvaal in September 1900. The war now became one of guerrilla raids by the Boers against the British forces and their lines of communication. The battalion was deployed guarding a section of railway line in the Transvaal, while sending two platoon sized units to the mounted infantry. Private Swann was specially mentioned in General Redvers Buller's despatches of March 1900. 

Private Swann left South Africa on 13th June 1900 and returned to serve in Dublin. On 18th November 1901 he married Lydia Morris in the city. He re-joined the 1st Battalion in South Africa on 11th January 1902 and was hospitalised for a month in March that year suffering from enteric fever. After the end of the 2nd Boer War in March that year they left South Africa for India on the SS Assaye at the end of October 1902. The 1st Battalion was stationed at Wellington in Madras Presidency. On 18th October 1903 he was seconded to join the Band of His Excellency, The Governor of Bombay. He was promoted to Sergeant Bandmaster in October 1904 and in January 1905 he re-engaged to complete 21 years service. On leave in Dublin in February 1905 is wife gave birth to a son and they had two daughters born in Bombay. In May 1915 he was hospitalised for 40 days with bronchitis and another bout of enteric fever. He was discharged in India at his own request on 16th November 1915 after 22 years service. He returned to Chipping Norton living at the Masonic Temple in Over Norton Road and was one of the founding  committee members of the Legion until  resigning in February 1926. He then became bandmaster of the Legion Band.

 

CONRAD ALBERT TITCOMB

He was born in July 1897 in Little Compton to parents Albert and Mary Titcomb and the youngest of five children. They lived at 53 Rock Hill, Chipping Norton, and before the war he had worked as an errand boy. He had joined the Chipping Norton Company of the 4th (Reserve Battalion), The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry at the outbreak of war in August 1914. The 4th were amalgamated into the 2/4th and arrived in France on 24th May 1916. The Battalion had been operating in The Somme area, when on 23rd February 1917 they relieved The Berkshire Regiment in the Ablaincourt sector. On the morning of the 27th German Howitzer batteries began shelling the sector. The following afternoon the Germans opened up again with trench mortars, rifle grenades with heavy artillery and gas shells pounding the support trenches and HQs behind the lines. It was a clear moonlight light when the German raiding party attacked the trench line held by C company, lobbing grenades into the company HQ, inflicting casualties and taking prisoners, including Private Conrad Titcomb. His comrade from Chipping Norton, Albert White, was wounded in the raid and died in a casualty clearing station on 2nd March, Conrad wrote home from Friedrichsfeld POW camp asking for news of Albert. Thirteen other members of the battalion died in the raid, twelve of which have no known grave.

After the war Conrad married Katharine Wiggins in Birmingham in 1931 and they had three children together. He farmed at Boulter's Lodge in Churchill before  farming at Bearley Farm in  Bearley, Warwickshire and died in February 1958 aged 60.

 

ERNEST FRANK TOLLETT

Ernest Frank Tollett was born in Chipping Norton on 7th June 1896, the son of Elizabeth Tollett of 7, Victoria Place. He had worked as an errand boy before enlisting into the 4th Territorial Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in September 1914  as a Private. The Battalion was embodied into the Regular army becoming the 1st/4th Battalion and Ernest arrived in Boulogne with them on 29th March 1915. His older brother George was killed in action on 9th April 1917.

As part of the 48th (South Midland) Division the Battalion was involved in the Battle of Albert, the opening action of The Somme Offensive from 1st July 1916. They took part in the next phase the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14th July capturing the village of Ovillers and the Battle of Pozieres Ridge between 23rd July and 7th August. On the night of 8th September 1916 the Battalion were in trenches near the village of  Auchonvillers and were subject to heavy German shelling. Private Tollett was wounded and taken out of the line for treatment in hospital. He did however return to his unit and the Battalion was posted to Italy in November 1917 where they remained to the end of the war.

After returning home to Chipping Norton he worked as a machinist and married Beatrice Aries in October 1921. On the outbreak of the Second World War they were living at 3, Rock Hill in the town. He was working as a house painter and decorator and was also a War Reserve Police Constable whilst his wife served with Air Raid Protection.

Ernest Tollett died in 1969 aged 72. 

 

HORACE WILLIAM TOWNSEND

He was born in September 1888 to parents George and Rose Townsend, living at 2 Lodge Terrace, Chipping Norton. He was working as a shop assistant and also enlisted into the 4th (Territorial) Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in November 1908 as a part-time soldier. He rose through the ranks and by the outbreak of the First World War was a Colour Sergeant. He was embodied into the full time Army and arrived in France with the 1st/4th Battalion on 30th March 1915. Home on leave he married Eve Alley in Chipping Norton in July 1916. As part of the 48th (South Midland) Division they saw action in the Somme Offensive from 1st July 1916 in The Battle of Albert, The Battle of Bazentin Ridge in which the Division captured Ovillers, The Battle of Pozieres Ridge, The Battle of the Ancre Heights and The Battle of the Ancre, the last major attack of the offensive between 13th and 16th November 1916.

In the Spring of 1917 they cautiously pursued the Germans in their retreat to defences on the Hindenburg Line, in which the Division occupied Peronne. They then went on to take part in phases of the Third Battle of Ypres, The Battle of Langemarck, The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde and The Battle of Poelcapelle between 21st August and 9th October 1917.
He then transferred to the 39th Battalion, the Machine Gun Corps where he was Company Quartermaster Sergeant, the second most senior NCO in the company. 

He won his Distinguished Conduct Medal during heavy fighting defending Amiens during the German Spring offensive of 1918. His citation read:

 

"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in the heavy fighting east of Amiens from 21st March to 1st April 1918. He succeeded delivering ammunition and rations to his Company under circumstances of extraordinary difficulty and danger. The enemy had forced a continuous retirement of our line, thus causing the location of our sections to change hour by hour. Despite this he got supplies to them daily, with unfailing regularity, and delivered them personally"

 

The Battalion continued its fight against the German Spring Offensive in the First Battles of the Somme and the Battle of the Lys in March and April 1918. He was demobilised into the reserves on 19th February 1919

His younger brother Arthur was killed in action on 31st August 1918 while serving with The Rifle Brigade. After the war he was presented with an engraved gold watch by the townspeople of Chipping Norton in recognition of his award. He re-joined the 4th (Territorial) Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a Colour Sergeant in June 1920. He and Eva had one son, Frederick born in 1921. Herbert Townsend received the King George VI 1937 Coronation Medal in recognition for his service in the Territorial Army. He served on the British Legion general committee during and after the Second World War before moving to Oxford. He died in Oxford in 1952, aged 63.

 

WILLIAM CHARLES YATES

He was born in January 1890 to parents Joseph and Minnie Yates of Hill Farm, Salford. He had enlisted into the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a Private in early 1906. He married Evelyn Buckingham in Chipping Norton Registry Office in the summer of 1913.

He was with the 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and landed in France with them on 7th August 1914 as part of the 2nd Division. On 23rd August they were in action at the Battle of Mons were despite being outnumbered they held up the advancing German Army for 24 hours. They were then forced into a fighting retreat over the next 2 weeks. They finally halted the Germans on the outskirts of Paris in the Battle of Marne between 6th and 12th September 1914, pushing them back across the River Aisne. They pursued the Germans in the First Battle of the Aisne between 12th and 15th September. Both sides then dug in and the trench warfare that marked the conflict began. On 21st September the Battalion were occupying trenches on the front line at La Cour de Soupir when Private Yates was wounded by shrapnel. He was evacuated back to England and treated at the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford.

He returned to his Battalion in France in April 1915, serving in D Company. They were in action in the Battle of Festubert in June 1915 and the disastrous Battle of Loos in September 1915 and hewas promoted to a Lance Corporal. From 14th July 1916 the Battalion were in action in the Battle of Delville Wood, a phase of the 1916 Somme Offensive. In this bloody engagement to secure the British right flank, Lance Corporal Yates was wounded again suffering gunshot wounds to his right side. He was again treated in hospital and discharged back to duty on 26th September 1916. He was back  for the last action in the Somme Offensive, the Battle of Ancre between 11th and 18th November, when bad weather halted operations.

The 2nd Battalion carried on to be involved in all the major actions during the rest of the war. In 1917 they fought in the Battles for Arras and at Cambrai. They faced the German spring offensive in 1918 in the First Battles of the Somme and then in the 100 days offensive that brought victory to the Allies. They were part of the force of occupation in Germany after Armistice.

William Yates returned to Chipping Norton living in West End and having 4 children. He died in 1953 aged 62.

His younger brother Joseph was killed in action in August 1918.

CAPTAIN ALBERT RICHARD RING YOUNG MID

 

He was born in Drouin, Victoria, in Australia in August 1888, his parents having emigrated from England to farm there. The family returned to England at the  turn of the century and  lived in Fulham and then Hendon. He was gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant into the 3rd Reserve Battalion, The Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1914.  He then transferred to the 4th Light Armoured Motor Battery  of the Royal Artillery. Each Battery operated 4 Rolls Royce Armoured cars equipped with a Vickers 303 Machine Gun. In 1915 the Motor Batteries were absorbed into the Machine Gun Corps. They embarked on the troopship Huntsgreen at Devonport on 7th February 1916 and arrived in  Egypt on 16th March 1916 for service in the East African theatre. The East African campaign in World War I was a series of battles and guerrilla actions, which started in German East Africa and spread to portions of Portuguese Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, the Uganda Protectorate, and the Belgian Congo. The campaign all but ended in German East Africa in March 1917 when the Germans entered Portuguese Mozambique and continued the campaign living off Portuguese supplies. Albert Young was  Mentioned in Despatches for gallant and distinguished conduct in the field, gazetted on 8th February 1917. He was promoted Captain in November 1917 and served throughout the war in East Africa. 

His younger brother Charles died from his wounds on 23rd November 1918 whilst serving with the Canadian Engineers.

After the end of the war he came to Chipping Norton with his wife Florence, living  at 22 High Street and served as President and Vice President for the British Legion.  In February 1947 he returned to Australia living in Bruthen, Gippsland, Victoria where he died  in 1958 aged 59.