ENSTONE IN THE TWO WORLD WARS

THE FALLEN OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

DRIVER (Shoeing Snith) ARTHUR FREDERICK GEORGE AKERS

He was the son of Arthur and Matilda Akers of Cleveley, Enstone and had served as a professional soldier with The Royal Field Artillery. In 1909 he married Florence Howard in Woodstock and by 1911 they were living in Cleveley, Enstone with their 2 children, where he worked as a farm labourer. They went on to have 3 more children, before Arthur Akers was recalled to  The Royal Field Artillery on the outbreak of war joining the 37th (Howitzer) Brigade. They were  equipped with 4.5 inch Howitzers and sent to France as part of 4th Infantry Division in the British Expeditionary Force in August 1914. They were in action in the First battle of the Marne between 4th and 11th September 1914 and then in the First Battle of the Aisne. Driver Arthur Akers was killed in action in  the village of Bucy-le-Long on 15th September 1914 during The First Battle of Aisne. He was aged 37and he is commemorated on La Ferté sous Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne for those with no known grave.

PRIVATE ERNEST AKERS

He was the son of Thomas and Sarah Akers of Enstone and had been living in Rousham when he enlisted into the Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1907. He was serving with 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment) in Jhansi, India before the outbreak of war. The battalion returned to England, landing on  22nd  October 1914 and were sent to France on 6th November 1915. As part of the 25th Brigade 8th Division they saw action in the Battles of Neuve Chapelle between 10th and 13th March 1915 and the Battle of Aubers Ridge on 9th May 1915.

Private Ernest Akers was wounded in action and died in the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station in Bailleul on 6th October 1915. He was aged 27 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord.

He is not on the memorial plaque in St Kenelm's Church.

GUNNER FRANK ADKINS

He was the son of John and Emma Adkins of Church Enstone. He joined The Royal Field Artillery and was posted to France on 25th August 1915. After being wounded or due to sickness he was evacuated back to England, where he joined the 5th Reserve Brigade for discharge. He died on 6th February 1917, in Tooting Graveney in London. He was aged 27 and is buried in Tooting St Nicholas Churchyard.

PRIVATE ERNEST WILLIAM BARTLETT

 
He was the son of William and Elizabeth Bartlett of Lower Cleveley, Enstone, having been born in Kencott. His family had moved around and he had lived at Broughton, Brize Norton and Clapton where he worked as a farm labourer. He was living in Lower Cleveley, Enstone when he enlisted into 6th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in Oxford. He landed in Boulogne with the 6th Battalion on 22nd July 1915. He was killed in action in a trench raid, wiring or a similar action on 13th September 1915 aged 19 as he was initially buried in the German Cemetery at Sailly-sur-La-Lys, being re-interred in the Royal Irish Rifles Graveyard, Laventie after the Armistice.

He is not on the memorial plaque in St Kenelm's Church, but is remembered on his brother's gravestone in the churchyard.

PRIVATE SIDNEY ARTHUR BENNETT

He was the son of William and Angelina Bennett of Jubilee Cottages, Enstone and had worked as a mason's labourer before enlisting into 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in May 1902, serving 7 years in the colours and 4 in the Reserves. He was recalled for service at the outbreak of war and arrived in France with the 2nd Battalion on 14th August 1914, part of the 5th Brigade in the 2nd Division, one of the first infantry divisions to arrive in France.

The Battalion took part in the first British battle of the war, at Mons, where the British defeated the German forces that they had encountered on 23rd August. A combination of German numerical advantage and the French fifth Army's retreat led to the Battalion subsequently taking part in the 220 mile retreat, in exceptionally hot weather, that began the following day, not stopping until just on the outskirts of Paris, then halting the German advance at the First Battle of the Marne between 5th and 9th September. The 2nd Ox and Bucks later took part in all the subsidiary battles of the First Battle of Ypres between 19th October and 22nd November that saw the heart ripped out of the old regular army, with 54,000 casualties being sustained. In the First Battle of Ypres the 2nd Ox and Bucks first engagement with the enemy was on 20 October in an attack on the Passchendaele ridge. The battalion had heavy casualties with 152 other ranks killed or wounded.  In 1915 trench warfare commenced with both sides developing impregnable defences, leading to high casualties in return for minimal gains. At the Battle of Festubert between 9th and 16th May, launched in support of the French attack south of Vimy Ridge and included the first British night action of the war, the 2nd Ox and Bucks were part of the second wave of the 5th Brigade attack and suffered just under 400 casualties. The 2nd Ox and Bucks were involved in heavy fighting at Richebourg l'Avoueon 15/16th May and saw action at the Battle of Loos from 25th September to 8th October. he had been wounded in the head on three separate occasions during his time on the Western Front. He was given 5 days leave home in March 1916 and was staying at a rest camp in Folkestone when  he committed suicide by slitting his throat on 29th March 1916. He was aged 33 and is buried in Shorncliffe Military Cemetery.

RIFLRMAN WILLIAM CHAMBERLAIN

He was the son of John George and Sarah  Chamberlain of Lidstone, Enstone. He had enlisted into the 11th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment before being transferred to the Rifle Brigade, in August 1916. The 22nd was a Territorial Battalion formed in October 1915. After training at Halton Camp they embarked on the Troopship "Olympia" bound for Alexandria. After garrison duties in Egypt they sailed on the "Royal George" for Salonika, arriving in January 1917. In April 1917 the Allies staged a major offensive against the Austro-Bulgarian forces in Macedonia, the French and Serbian Armies attacked west of the River Vardar, while the British opened an offensive at Dorian. Rifleman Chamberlain was evacuated from the field suffering from influenza during an outbreak that hit the Battalion in the Autumn of 1918. He was admitted to the 28th General Hospital in Kalamaria on 22nd August, after developing bronchi-pneumonia. He died there on 25th October 1918. He was aged 24 and is buried in Mikra British Cemetery in Kalamaria, Greece.

PRIVATE HARRY CLARIDGE

was serving as a Private in the 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, when he was killed in action on 31st October 1914 during the First Battle of Ypres. He was aged 27, his body was never recovered from the field and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.

He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Claridge of Cleveley, Enstone having been born in Charlbury. He had joined the The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1905, serving with the 1st Battalion in India. He joined the 2nd and embarked for France with them on 14th August 1914 as part of the 5th Brigade in 2nd Division. They took part in The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat and the Battles of Marne and the Aisne. They then took part in the First Battle of Ypres when the British fought the Germans to a standstill from 19th October 1914. Private Claridge was one of 9 from the Battalion killed on 31st October clearing woods near Zewarteleen of Germans.

SERGEANT ALFRED JAMES CROSS DCM

He was born in Taston in November 1895, the son of Charles Cross, a gamekeeper and Harriett Cross, They later moved to Ellen's Lodge, Ditchley, Enstone, where he worked as a farm labourer. He enlisted into the Rifle Brigade  (The Prince Consort’s Own) in Oxford in July 1914, just before the outbreak of war and joined the 1st Battalion in France on 9th October 1914.  He joined the 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade after they arrived in France in November 1914, as part of the 25th Brigade in 8th Division. He saw action in The Battle of Neuve Chapelle between 10th and 13th March in which the village was captured and a fierce German counter attack repulsed.  The Battalion suffered 377 casualties killed and wounded. On 9th May they attacked German lines in the Battle of Auber, a disaster for the British which saw the Battalion suffer 760 casualties, killed, missing or wounded. Only 195 men and 3 officers marched back to their billets after the battle. Private Cross was wounded in action by a German shell hitting his trench on 25th May 1915. On 25th September the Battalion assaulted German lines at Bois Grenier, a diversionary attack coinciding with the Battle of Loos. Alfred Cross was appointed Lance Corporal then Corporal during this period.

On 1st July 1916 the Battalion were involved in  The Battle of Albert, the first phase of the Somme Offensive. They moved up to the front line as second wave on an attack German positions at Ovillers-La Boiselle. However as the first wave had been cut down by machine gun fire and their trenches were under heavy artillery fire the assault was cancelled. For the rest of 1916 they were in and out of front line trenches, involved in trench raids and local operations, but in no major actions.

In the Spring of 1917 the Germans began to withdraw from the Somme to pre-prepared defensive positions on the Hindenburg Line near Arras. The 2nd Rifle Brigade were one of the units cautiously pursuing the Germans as they destroyed everything in their path and left booby traps. On 5th April  1917 Alfred Cross , now a Sergeant, was in charge of two battle attack platoons ordered to attack a German stronghold in mill buildings near the town of Fins. He succeeded in driving the Germans out and down a slope, inflicting heavy casualties until halted by German Artillery fire. He and his platoons held the captured buildings until relieved. For his actions he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct medal. His citation reads:

"For  conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led out a patrol and established two posts about 70 yards from an enemy strong point. He set a splendid example of courage and initiative."

The Battalion were next involved in the Third Battle of Ypres and attacked on 31st July 1917 in the opening phase, the Battle of Pilekem Ridge. Sergeant Cross was killed in action during the assault. He was aged 21, his body was never recovered from the field and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.

PRIVATE WILLIAM THOMAS DEAN

He was the son of Harry and Jane Dean of Barn Cottages, Tracey Farm near Great Tew, having been born in Fulwell. He had enlisted in Oxford, first joining the 6th Battalion, the Somerset Light Infantry before joining 1st Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment. As part of the 2nd Division his Battalion was involved in the Second Battle of the Somme from 21st August 1918 when the Allies advanced across the old 1916 Battlefields. He was wounded in action on 31st August 1918 during the Battle of Bapaume and died shortly after in a Casualty Clearing Station at Ligny-sur-Canche. He was aged 19 and is buried in Ligny-sur-Canche British Cemetery.

He is not on the Enstone Memorial, but is remembered on the Great Tew War Memorial.

LANCE CORPORAL WALTER DICKENSON

He was the son of Henry and Mary Ann Dickenson of Enstone. He joined the The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1908, whilst living in Bloxham, and served with the 1st Battalion in India. The Battalion, as part of the 6th Poona Division, under command of 17th Indian Brigade,  moved from India to Mesopotamia in November 1914, to protect Persian oil supplies from the Ottoman Empire. The Battalion took part in the march towards Kut-al-Amara with the intention of capturing it from the Ottomans. The battle for Kut began on 26 September and raged for a number of days until the Ottomans went into retreat and Kut was captured on 28th September 1915. The Battalion then took part in the Battle of Ctesiphon in the effort to capture the capital, Baghdad, which ended in the 6th Poona Division being defeated by the Ottoman forces, with the Battalion sustaining 304 casualties. The Division subsequently retreated to Kut, reaching it on 3rd December 1915, with a garrison of 10,000 Britons and Indians. It was besieged by the Ottomans, from the 7th December. The Ottomans launched numerous attempts to take Kut, all of which were repulsed by the defenders, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The British tried desperately to relieve Kut, but failed, suffering heavy losses. By 26th April 1916 supplies had dwindled significantly and many of the garrison's defenders were suffering from sickness. The garrison negotiated a cease-fire, allowing the sick and wounded to be transferred to the relieving forces and on 29th April the British-Indian force, now down to 8,000, surrendered to the Turks including 400 men of the 1st Ox and Bucks. Many suffered mistreatment by the Ottomans and only 71 of all ranks of the 1st Ox and Bucks who had been taken prisoner returned home to Great Britain. Lance Corporal Walter Dickenson died in the hands of the Turks on 15th August 1916. He was aged 27 and is buried in North Gate War Cemetery, Baghdad.

He is not on the memorial plaque in St Kenelm's Church, but is on the Bloxham War memorial. 

 

PRIVATE JOHN THOMAS DORSETT

He was the son of John and Beatrice Dorsett  and was born in Glympton, Enstone and before enlisting had worked as a farm labourer. He joined The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in Oxford before being posted to the 9th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in France. Private John Dorsett was killed in action on 15th October 1918 during the Battle of Courtrai, a phase of the Final Advance into Flanders. He was aged 20, his body was never recovered from the field and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. 

PRIVATE OLIVER GRIFFIN

He was the son of Edward William Griffin of Little Tew, Enstone, having been born in Cornwell near Chipping Norton. He enlisted  with Prince Albert’s (Somerset Light Infantry) before being transferred to the the 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He was wounded in action during the battle of Cambrai and  died on 1st December 1917,. He was aged 20 and is buried in Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt on the Somme.

SERGEANT ALFRED HAWTIN

He was the son of Joseph and Esther Hawtin of Church Enstone and had worked as a farm labourer. He had joined  "B"  Squadron, The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars, a yeomanry unit, in 1908, and had gained the rank of Lance Corporal by the outbreak of war. 

In September 1914 the regiment received an unexpected telegram. It came from the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, who had served with the QOOH, 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. The  1/1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars arrived in France on 12th October 1914 and became the first Territorial unit to see action. 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. 

The German offensive around St Quentin began on March 21st 1918 and succeeded in driving back the Allied forces some forty miles in ten days before their advance was halted. The 1/1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars were among many regiments who fought valiantly but to begin with unsuccessfully to stop the German advance. Eventually the enemy were brought to a halt on the outskirts of Amiens protecting the vital railhead and communication centre. The Battle for Rifle Wood on Easter Monday, April 1st was an important battle in the defence of Amiens and fought exclusively by cavalry units including The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars and suffered fifty percent casualties, killed and wounded.

Sergeant Alfred Hawtin was wounded in action on 1st April and died in a casualty clearing station the next day, 2nd April 1918.  He was aged 30 and is buried in Namps au Val British Cemetery, in the Somme. His elder brother Frederick died in 1915, above. 

PRIVATE FREDERICK HAWTIN

He was the son of Joseph and Esther Hawtin of Church Enstone, his younger brother Alfred died in 1918, below. In 1901 he was boarding with his brother Albert and his wife, in Leeds, where he was working as a groom. 

He joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1903, and served with the 1st Battalion in India. In 1904 he married Matilda Mayo in Headington. On 14th August 1914 he embarked for France with the 2nd Battalion as part of the 5th Brigade in the 2nd Division, one of the first infantry divisions to arrive in France. The battalion took part in the first British battle of the war, at Mons, where the British defeated the German forces that they had encountered on 23rd August. A combination of German numerical advantage and the French fifth Army's retreat led to the Battalion subsequently taking part in the 220 mile retreat, in exceptionally hot weather, that began the following day, not stopping until just on the outskirts of Paris, then halting the German advance at the First Battle of the Marne between 5th and 9th September. The 2nd Ox and Bucks later took part in all the subsidiary battles of the First Battle of Ypres between 19th October and 22nd November that saw the heart ripped out of the old regular army, with 54,000 casualties being sustained. In the First Battle of Ypres the 2nd Ox and Bucks first engagement with the enemy was on 20 October in an attack on the Passchendaele ridge. The battalion had heavy casualties with 152 other ranks killed or wounded.  In 1915 trench warfare commenced with both sides developing impregnable defences, leading to high casualties in return for minimal gains. At the Battle of Festubert between 9th and 16th May, launched in support of the French attack south of Vimy Eidge and included the first British night action of the war, the 2nd Ox and Bucks were part of the second wave of the 5th Brigade attack and suffered just under 400 casualties. The 2nd Ox and Bucks were involved in heavy fighting at Richebourg l'Avoueon 15/16th May1915 and saw action at the Battle of Loos from 25th September.  Private Frederick Hawtin was killed in action on 25th September 1915 on the first day of the Battle of Loos. He was aged 35, his body was never recovered from the field and he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial. 

PRIVATE JOHN DENNIS HIGLEY

He was the son of John and Susan Higley of Mill House, Church Enstone and had worked as a farm labourer before enlisting into the Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment). He joined the he 5th(Service) Battalion in France in 1916 as part of the 36th Brigade in the 12th(Eastern) Division. They saw action in phases the Somme Offensive in 1916, In 1917 they took part in the Battle of Arras from January, before moving to the Cambrai front in October 1917. Private John Higley was killed in action on 30th November 1917 during the Battle of Cambrai. He was aged 23, his body was never recovered from the field and he is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louvreral.

PRIVATE WILFRED HENRY HUCKIN

He was the son of Fred and Sarah Huckin, Fir Tree Cottage, Church Enstone and had worked as a farm labourer before enlisting into the 3rd Battalion, the Grenadier Guards in December 1914. The 3rd Battalion landed at Le Havre on 26th July 1915 and joined the  2nd Guards Brigade, Guards Division in August. They joined the Battle of Loos on 26th September 1915, Private  Wilfred Huckin was wounded in action during the Battle of Loos and died in the 4th Field Ambulance on 30th September 1915. He was aged 20 and is buried in Noeux les Mines Communal Cemetery in the Pas de Calais.

PRIVATE FRANCIS CHARLES HUNT

He was the son of Victor and Gertrude Hunt of Church Enstone, having been born in Kiddington. He enlisted into the Lancashire Fusiliers and joined the 1st battalion in France. In the spring of 1917 they took part in the Arras Offensive and then saw action during the Third battle of Ypres from July 1917. as part of this they fought in The Battle of Poelcapelle that marked the end of the string of highly successful British attacks in late September and early October 1917. The ground along the main ridges had been severely damaged by shelling and rapidly deteriorated in the rains, which began again on 3rd October, which in some areas turned the ground into a swamp. Dreadful ground conditions had more effect on the British, who needed to move large amounts of artillery and ammunition to support the next attack. The battle was a defensive success for the German army, although costly to both sides. The weather and ground conditions put severe strain on all the infantry involved and led to many wounded being stranded on the battlefield.

Private francis Hunt was  killed in action on 9th October 1917 during the Battle of Poelcappelle.  He was aged 20, his body was never recovered from the field and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

 

TELEGRAPHIST JOHN RICHARD JONES

His father, also John Richard Jones, had been a collier in Wales, joined the Grenadier Guards in 1893, rising through the ranks to Quartermaster Sergeant Major. In 1896 he married Rose Cross in St Johns Church, Little Tew and in 1897 John Jones was born. By 1901 they had left village and were living at Hythe St Leonard in Kent where his father was attached to the school of musketry until retiring in May 1914. John joined the Royal Navy at Chatham in January 1913 as a boy sailor training on the shore bases HMS Ganges and training as a telegraphist at HMS Impregnable. Leaving there in February 1914, he was aboard the scout cruiser HMS Attentive until November 1914 when he was posted to HMS Dolphin at Gosport, the navy's submarine training base. On 8th November 1916 he was allocated to the submarine depot ship HMS Maidstone at Harwich and joined the crew of E30. She joined the 11th Submarine Flotilla, based at Blyth, Northumberland on commissioning in November 1915. From February 1916 E30 conducted a number of patrols off Denmark and Norway with the intention of capturing ships carrying iron ore from Norway to Germany, and to attack any German submarines that were escorting the iron ore ships. In April 1916, E30’s patrol was cut short when she suffered a battery explosion on the morning of 7th April 1916  killing four men and forcing her return to base. HMS E30 was lost in the North Sea, thought to have been mined in a previously unknown minefield off Orfordness, Suffolk on 22nd November 1916 with the loss of all her 31 crew members.

PRIVATE GEORGE HERBERT KNIBBS

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He was born in Swerford to Sarah Knibbs Rose and had been living in Great Tew with his grandparents, working as a farm labourer. He had enlisted into The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1914 then transferred to the 2nd Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment. They sailed from Avonmouth on 29th March 1915 for Gallipoli, going via Egypt. They landed at Cape Helles on 25th April 1915, as part of the 88th Brigade, 29th Division and fought in the Gallipoli Campaign. Private George Knibbs was taken prisoner of war during the fighting. He died of fever whilst a prisoner of the Turks, on 8th November 1916. He was aged 19 and is buried in Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery in Iraq.

BOY TELEGRAPHIST GEORGE WILLIAM KNIGHT

He was born William George Knight Winfield in February 1897 to Sarah Winfield  who married his father George in 1899, living in Church Enstone,  He was working as a farm labourer when he joined the Royal Navy as a Boy II class on 13th August 1913, joining the Boy's Training ship HMS Ganges at Shotley. He underwent further training on HMS Impregnable there, becoming a Boy Telegraphist in March 1914. Further training continued at HMS Vernon shore establishment in Portsmouth until he joined the pre-Dreadnought Battleship HMA Lord Nelson, below, on 14th October 1914.

She was based at Portland, patrolling the English Channel and then at Sheerness in case of a German invasion attempt. he left the ship on 25th November 1914 and went ashore in barracks at Chatham. On 11th December he joined the crew of HMS Clan Macnaughton a former passenger and cargo liner requisitioned by the Royal navy and converted into an armed merchant cruiser.

On 3rd February 1915, she was part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron and was most likely sunk during a severe gale off the North West coast of Ireland with the loss of all hands. The true cause of her sinking has never been fully established. However, there has been some speculation that a combination of a bad Atlantic storm, coupled with a top heavy ship, due to the fitting of naval guns, and an inexperienced  crew may have contributed to her loss rather than a loose mine out in the Atlantic.

Boy Telegraphist William Winfield was one of the 317 crew members lost. He was aged 17 and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial for those lost at sea.

PRIVATE GEORGE FREDERICK MURRELL

He was born in Reading in 1874, the son of James and Mary Murrell, but moved with his family to Wykeham Lane, near Banbury, where his father worked as a coachman. He married Daisy Pinfold in Enstone in 1903 and had two children together. He lived and worked as a groom and coachman at Over Norton Park. He enlisted into the Army Veterinary Corps as a Private in London at the outbreak of war. The Army Veterinary Corps  He was posted to The 31st Mobile Section of the Army Veterinary Corps and arrived in France with them on 20th July 1915. They were  attached to the 19th Western Division, responsible for the medical care of animals used by the army, mostly horses, mules and pigeons.

Private George Murrell died from pneumonia, in No 9 Casualty Clearing Station, on 4th September 1915. He was aged 41 and is buried in Lillers Communal Cemetery in France. 

PRIVATE WILLIAM JAMES PINFOLD

  

He was the son of William and Margaret Pinfold of Neat Enstone and was called up, joining The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry), After training he joined the 1/4th Battalion, The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry) in France. The Battalion was  involved in the Final Advance in Picardy, fighting in the Battle of Sambre fighting in the Passage of the Great Honnelle during which  he was killed in action on 4th November 1918, 7 days before the Armistice. He was aged 19 and is buried in Jenlain Communal Cemetery,

ABLE SEAMAN EDWARD FELIX OWEN REGAN

He was the son of Owen and Ina Regan of the Harrow Public House, Neat Enstone, having been born in Steeple Barton. He had worked as a telegraph messenger before joining the Navy in March 1910 as a Boy Sailor, training at HMS Impregnable in Devonport. He was made up to Ordinary Seaman aboard the submarine depot ship HMS Arrogant in October 1911. He had a spell aboard the armoured cruiser HMS Good Hope between January and December 1912, being promoted to Able Seaman. Postings to training bases Vernon and Dolphin and various ships followed until he joined the crew of the submarine depot ship HMS Maidstone at Harwich. Here he was assigned to HM Submarine E22 in March 1915.

In early 1916 E22 was involved in  experiments in the North Sea in an attempt to intercept Zeppelins. Two Sopwith Schneider seaplanes were carried on the casing of E22, The boat would submerge in calm waters allowing the planes to float and take off. They would return afterward to Felixstowe, Suffolk. In the first launching trial the fragile seaplanes were destroyed by choppy seas before they floated free. One successful trial was carried out, but the scheme was abandoned as impractical. HM Submarine E22 was torpedoed by the German U-boat UB-18, whilst on surface passage off Great Yarmouth in the North Sea on 25th April 1916. There were only 2 survivors from the crew of 33.

Able Seaman Edward Regan was one of those lost on 25th April 1916.  He was aged 23, his body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

He left a wife behind in Portsmouth.

LANCE CORPORAL FRANCIS JOSEPH REYNOLDS 

He was the son of Richard and Mary Reynolds, born in Great Tew. He joined the Grenadier Guards in 1901 and served in the Boer War in 1902, afterwards joining the reserves. In 1907 he married Alice Arthur in Enstone, they had 2 children together and lived in Sandford St Martin, where he worked as a gardener. He was recalled to the Grenadier Guards at the outbreak of war to Wellington Barracks in London. The 3rd Battalion mobilised for war and landed at Havre on 17th August 1915, transferred to the 2nd Guards Brigade of the Guards Division and engaged in various actions on the Western Front including The Battle of Flers-Courcelette and The Battle of Morval in 1916. Between 14th March and 5th April 1917, The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, During Somme fighting the Germans constructed a formidable new defensive system some miles in their rear. From February 1917 they began to withdraw into it, giving up ground but in carrying out “Operation Alberich” they made the ground as uninhabitable and difficult as possible, as below on the road to Peronne. British patrols eventually detected the withdrawal and cautiously followed up and advanced, being brought to a standstill at the outer defences of the system.

Lance Corporal Francis Reynolds was wounded in action at this time and died on 21st April 1916. He was aged 34 is buried in the Reservoir Cemetery, Ypres.

CORPORAL CHARLES SHEFFIELD

He was the son of George and Mary Sheffield of Spring Hill, Enstone, at 13 he was working as a labourer on a farm. His brother Frank, below, was killed in 1915 . He joined The Royal Field Artillery and was posted to the 1st Battery, 45th Brigade RFA in France on 24th July 1915  being hospitalized suffering from eczema from 6th until 15th September. As part of the 8th Division his Brigade fought in the Battle of Albert the opening phase of the Somme Offensive, the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line in Spring 1917. Later that year they were in action in the Third Battle of Ypres in the Battle of Pilckem between 31st July and 2nd August and the Battle of Langemarck.

Corporal Charles Sheffield was killed in action on 15th August 1917, during the later action.  He was aged 20, his body was never recovered from the field and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres for those with no known grave.

GUNNER FRANK SHEFFIELD

 
He was the son of George and Mary Sheffield of Spring Hill, Enstone, and elder brother of Charles, above. He had worked as a farm labourer before enlisting into the 100th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, arriving in France with "C" Battery, the 100th Brigade on 6th September 1915. As part of 22nd Division, they were concentrated near Flesselles by 9th of the month.

Gunner Frank Sheffield  died on 18th September 1915.  He was aged 21, his =burial site was lost and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

WILLIAM ALFRED SIMMS was serving as a Private with the 7th (Service)Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry when he died from disease on 25th October 1918. He was aged 29 and is buried in Doiran Military Cemetery, Greece.

He was the son of William and Sarah Simms of Enstone and had worked as farm labourer. He joined the 7th Battalion, one of Kitchener's New Armies, in Oxford in September 1914 . After training they embarked for France, landing at Boulogne on 21st September 1915 as part of the 26th Division. They did not stay long in France as in November 1915 they were sent to Salonika via Marseilles. The regiment's time in the Balkans was mostly quiet, experiencing sporadic fighting, but it included the repulsing of a Bulgarian invasion of Greece at Lake Doiran in April 1917. The regiment saw very heavy fighting against the Bulgarians around Doiran the following September, after the Allies had launched an offensive in July 1918 with the intention of ending the war in the Balkans. The war ended on 30th September 1918 with Bulgaria signing an Armistice with the Allies. The 26th Division had suffered casualties of 8,022 killed, wounded and missing during the war but vastly larger numbers sick with malaria, dysentery and other diseases rife in the Salonika theatre.

FPRIVATE FREDERICK CHARLES SIMONS

  
He was the son of Edwin and Mary Simons of Radford Bridge, Enstone. He married Elsie Crutch at Kiddington Parish Church in June 1908. They lived in Glympton where he worked as a carter on a farm. He had enlisted into the 9th(Reserve) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in the autumn of 1914. They were training in Portsmouth when he was admitted to  the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Portsmouth suffering from  cerebro-spinal meningitis. He died there on 2nd February aged 27 and is buried in Highland Road Cemetery in Portsmouth. 

PRIVATE ARTHUR SMITH

He was son of Thomas and Sarah Smith of Radford, Enstone, having been born in Great Tew. He had lived in Kiddington Hall working as a gardener, he enlisted into the 4th (Territorial) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry In September 1914. He was posted to the 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in France in 1917. He then joined the 61st Battalion, The Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) on its formation in February 1918. On 21st March 1918, the Germans launched their Spring Offensive in an attempt to alter the course of the war before the Americans arrived in numbers. With troops released after the surrender of Russia, they advanced some 40 miles across the lightly defended wastelands of the old Somme battlefields. Machine gun teams operated  well in front of the line,  a very dangerous place to be, as they tried to counter the German advance.

Private Arthur Smith was killed in action fighting on the Somme on 21st March 1918. He was aged 26 and he is commemorated on the Pozières Memorial having no known grave.

PRIVATE RALPH HENRY TAYLOR

He was the son of Henry and Louisa Taylor and was born in Neat Enstone, later moving to Millars Barn, Fawler near Charlbury. He enlisted into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment  in Oxford. He joined the 2/7th Battalion in France in April 1918. They were operating in the Merville area of France when on 8th August 1918 he was killed in action by enemy shelling whilst advancing on German positions. He was aged 19 and is buried in Tannay British Cemetery, Thiennes.

PRIVATE LOUIS or LEWIS MOREWOOD TAYLOR

He was born in Ledwell, near Enstone to parents William and Elizabeth Taylor later living in Middle Barton with his parents working as a farm labourer. On enlistment he was living in Chipping Norton, joining the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry at the outbreak of war in August 1914. He joined the 2nd Battalion in France on 29th November 1914. The Battalion, as part of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division took part in the Battles of of Festubert and Loos in 1915, They next saw action in the Battle of  Delville Wood from 14th July, a phase of the Somme Offensive in 1916. Fierce fighting took place amid te tangled woodland took place with heavy causalities on both sides.

Private Louis Taylor was killed in action on in the Battle for Delville Wood on 30th July 1916. He was aged 23, his body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial for those with no known grave.

PRIVATE BERTIE GEORGE TUSTIN

He was the son of George and Eliza Tustin of Cleveley, Enstone and had enlisted in The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)  in Pinner. He then transferred to the 11th Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). He arrived in France with the Battalion on 26th July 1915 as part of the 18th (Eastern) Division. They fought in many of the phases of the Somme Offensive from the Battle of Albert on 1st July 1916. He was killed in action during operations on the Ancre on 17th February 1917. He was aged 26, his body was never recovered from the battlefield, he is commemorated on the Theipval Memorial for those with no known grave.

GUNNER ARTHUR WEARING

He was born in Enstone to parents Henry and Mary. In 1902 he married to Emily Hurcomb, sister-in-law of William Scott (above). They had four children between 1904 and 1910 and lived at Old Chalford, Chalford Oaks, Chipping Norton where he worked as a general labourer.

He was serving as a Gunner in "A" Battery, The 92nd Brigade, The Royal Field Artillery when he was killed in action  during the Battle of Cambrai on 30th November 1917. He was aged 38 and is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial for soldiers with no known grave. 

Emily Wearing died in 1955 aged 79.

PRIVATE ALFRED WIGGINS

He was the son of George and Mary Wiggins of Lidstone, Enstone, having been born in Eastleach. He had worked as a carter on a farm until he enlisted into the Army Service Corps in Oxford on 2nd April 1914. He served at home until 3rd February 1916 when he embarked on the "Huanchaco" at Southampton, arriving in Alexandria on 19th. He was posted to 45th Remounts and sailed on HM Troopship "Flavia" to Salonika, arriving there on 16th November 1916. He was appointed a rough rider, someone who breaks horses into the saddle, on 5th November 1918. He suffered from dysentery later that month, but recovered, but was admitted to 42nd General Hospital in Kalamaria with a further outbreak on 6th January 1919, dying 6 days later on 12th January 1919. He was aged 30 and is buried Mikra British Cemetery, Kalamaria.

THE FALLEN OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

PETTY OFFICER KENNETH ARTHUR BENFIELD

He was the son of Francis and Edith Benfield of Church Enstone and had joined the Royal Navy as a Painter 3rd Class before the war. He had married Peggy Sonnen in Portsmouth in the spring of 1936, and they had a two children together.

HMS Calcutta was a C class light cruiser commissioned in 1918. In 1939 she was converted to an anti-aircraft cruiser in 1939.

Calcutta served during the Norwegian Campaign and the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940. She was used to escort allied convoys across the Mediterranean. During the airborne invasion of Crete, from 20th May 1941, she was part of the British Mediterranean Fleet deployed to counter any sea-borne reinforcement of the German forces. On 27th May, the deteriorating situation on Crete resulted in the evacuation of Allied forces being ordered, with Calcutta along with the cruisers Coventry, Phoebe and Perth, the destroyers Jervis, Janus and Hasty and the transport Glengyle evacuating 6,000 troops from Sfakia on the night of 29/30 May 1941. Calcutta and Coventry set out from Alexandria on 1st June to provide extra anti-aircraft protection , but the two ships were attacked by two Junkers 88 bombers of Lehrgeschwader 1 about 100 nautical miles northwest of Alexandria, which dived out of the sun, giving little warning. Calcutta was hit by two bombs and sank, with 255 men being rescued by Coventry and 107 men killed or missing. Petty Officer Kenneth Benfield was lost on 1st June 1941. He was aged 31 and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, his body never being recovered from the sea.

GUARDSMAN GEORGE FREDERICK CANNING

He was the son of Arthur and Lily May Canning of Enstone. His father had served with the The Royal Field Artillery in France until he was wounded and invalided out. George had been working as a gardener when he married Lily Aries in Cowley St James church in July 1929. They had a son together and lived in Enstone. He served as a signalman with The 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards, Guardsman George Canning died in Essex County Hospital in Colchester on  11th June 1943. He was aged 33 and is buried in Enstone St Kenhelm Churchyard Extension.

2nd LIEUTENANT DIARMUID EDWARD DONOVAN

He was the son of Richard and Edith Donovan, he was born in Manchester and educated at Campbell College in Belfast between 1933 and 36. He pursued a career in mining, visiting South  Africa in 1939. He the joined 141st Officer Training Cadets, Royal Engineers and was made 2nd Lieutenant on 23rd April 1940. He joined the British Expeditionary Force in France. On 20th May 1940 he was seriously wounded and taken prisoner by the Germans during fighting around Amiens. He died of his wounds in Chateau d' Un hospital in Amiens on 26th May 1940.2nd Lieutenant Diarmuid Donovan was aged 20 and is buried in Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension.. At the time of his death his mother was living at the Old Vicarage in Stoke Lynn whilst his father was serving as a Squadron Leader with RAF General Command in Cairo.

PRIVATE FREDERICK HUBERT FAULKNER

He was the son of Hubert and Kate Faulkner of Cleveley, Enstone. He enlisted into  the 7th (Territorial) Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment and sailed from Southampton on 14th January 1940, on the SS Amsterdam. Att the time security measures were sufficient to ensure that officers and men did not know their port of embarkation. The subsequent disembarkation on 16th January at Le Havre was hardly a happy affair. A high snow-storm was on and they were met by guides who seemed to have no idea whatsoever where to lead their companies. From 11th May 1940 the Battalion began to move up to the Belgium border taking up positions behind lakes south east of the Foret de Soignes on the Belgium border. From 16th May 1940 they were forced into a fighting retreat behind the Brussels Canal. Private Frederick  Faulkner was reported missing from 21st May 1940 and assumed  killed in action between and 15st June 1940 during the Battle of France. He was aged 20 and  was originally buried, near where he fell, in Aix Churchyard, probably by local people. He was re-interred at Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery, St Omer in 1951.

CORPORAL COLIN HENRY GUNTRIP

was serving as a Corporal with  when he died of his wounds on

He was the son of Charles and Lemada Guntrip of Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire. he enlisted into the 1st Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment.They landed in Normandy on 3 July 1944, and came under command of 147th Brigade of the 49th Division.  After taking part in the fighting in the bridgehead, it advanced to the Seine and took part in the capture of Le Havre.  From there it carried out some short, sharp engagements against the retreating enemy in Belgium and Holland. The Battalion was in the Nijmegen Bridgehead when Corporal Colin Guntrip was mortally wounded in action on 23rd April 1945. He was aged 19 and is  buried in Jonkerbos War Cemetery in the Netherlands.

SERGEANT VICTOR ALFRED LEWIS

He was the son of Alfred and Alice Lewis of The Post Office, Enstone and had joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a Leading Aircraftman. After training as an air gunner/wireless operator he was posted to 107 Squadron as a Sergeant. On  11th June 1941 was air gunner aboard Bristol Blenheim Mk IV V6367 which took off from RAF Massingham at 0913 on an anti-shipping sortie. The aircraft was recalled due to a lack of cloud cover but disappeared over the North Sea, having been shot down by a Messerschmidt BF109 with the loss of all three aircrew. Sergeant Victor Lewis  was aged 24 and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, having no known grave.

 

SERGEANT ALBERT EDWARD CHARLES POVEY

He was the son of Albert and Mary Povey of Lasham, Hampshire. He trained as an observer and joined 144 Squadrons based at RAF Hemswell  in Lincolnshire from 3rd March 1939, flying the Handley-Page Hampden Mk I. The squadron’s first operation, a patrol over the North Sea, had been just three days earlier and been uneventful. The squadron's next mission, another armed reconnaissance over the North Sea on 29th September, was a very different story indeed. Eleven Handley-Page Hampden Mk Is, split into two sections, a section of five led by Wing Commander J Cunningham, the CO, and a section of six led by Squadron Leader WJH Lindley, were detailed to search part of the Heligoland Bight to within sight of the German coast. Cunningham in  Hampden L4134 I left Hemswell at 0640 and was shot down in flames by Messerschmidt BF109 flown by Uffz Pirsch of 1./ZG26. Three of the crew including Sergeant Povey where killed whilst the Air Gunner parachuted to safety but was captured. None of the 5 aircraft of  Wing Commander Cunningham' section made it home. Sergeant Albert Povey was killed on active service on 29th September 1939. He was aged 30 and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, having no known grave.

GUNNER HUBERT PRATLEY

He was the son of George and Jane Pratley of Kiddington. He had enlisted into  the Royal Artillery and was posted to the 1o Mobile Coast Defence Regiment, equipped with 18 pounder guns. They were sent to Singapore where they we reformed into he 16 Defence Regiment. They were sent to Hong Kong where they we involved in beach defence. After the city was captured by the Japanese in December 1941, they returned to help in the defence of Singapore. He was taken prisoner after the fall of Singapore on 15th February 1942 and sent to work on the notorious Burma Railway. He died in South Tohcon Camp in Siam between 1st and 31 August 1943. He was aged 22 and was buried in the cemetery there, being re-interred in  Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in 1946.