1914-18 - World War I service

In addition to the Cross of Sorrow and the plaque with the names of the 5 soldiers who died in WW1, there was also a wooden noticeboard inscribed with the names of all the villagers who had served in the 1914-18 conflict. This was located in Dunmore's yard (now Cornerhouse cottages), but was removed at some point.

Using the electoral lists of the 1918 General Election and Spring & Autumn 1919, the absent voters lists provide a clue those villagers serving in the war. Service details are taken from the National Archives 1914-1920 collection (where available).

Able Seaman Meadows, Fredrick Childs (R5942/PZ2493).

14th August 1917 - enlisted in Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in 63rd Royal Naval Division.

21st September 1918 - rated as Able Seaman (PZ/2493) and transferred to RN Depot Portsmouth.

4th October 1918 to 26th February 1919 – listed on strength of HMS Crescent depot ship for 3rd Submarine flotilla at Rosyth.

Private (later Marine) Hanwell, Cyril Walter (19978).

3rd November 1914 - enlisted Northants Yeomanry, but discharged 3 days later for giving false information about his age (claimed to be 17).

17th June 1915 - enlisted at Birmingham in the Royal Marines Light Infantry (Chatham Division).

2nd May 1916 to 24th Nov 1916 - listed on strength of HMS Chester and took part in the battle of Jutland.

14th March 1917 to 15th Jan 1919 - listed on strength of HMS Sir John Moore.

Captain Simpson, Harold Benjamin

14th September 1914 – enlisted at Northampton. Declared fit and assigned to the 6th (Service) Battalion Northants Regt.

10th October 1914 - promoted to Corporal in the 6th (Service) Battalion Northants Regt.

27th November 1914 - gazetted as Temporary Second Lieutenant from the Officer Training Corps.

3rd February 1915 - gazetted as Temporary Lieutenant in the 6th (Service) Battalion Northants Regt.

19th April 1915 – gazetted as Temporary Captain in the 6th (Service) Battalion Northants Regt.

24th February 1916 – listed as being collected by 55 Field Ambulance and transferred to 18 Division Rest Station. As the 6th (Service) Battalion, Northants Regiment was billeted at Pont Noyelles, having been relieved from the trenches on 4th February, this appears to be an illness, rather than a wound.

27th February 1916 – listed as being transferred to 5 Casualty Clearing Station, which was based at Poperinghe, approx. 8 miles west of Ypres, at this time.

1st March 1916 – listed as being transferred to 1 General Hospital (located at Etretat, near Le Havre).

3rd March 1916 – listed as being transported by ship back to England.

7th June 1917 - gazetted as Temporary Lieutenant in the Labour Corps.

6th September 1917 – gazetted as Acting Captain in the Labour Corps. This was on taking command of 429 Agricultural Company, Labour Corps, which was in Eastern Command, operating in the county of Norfolk.

16th September 1919 - gazetted as relinquishing rank of Acting Captain on ceasing to command 429 Agricultural Company, Labour Corps.

Corporal Horner MM, Ralph Edwin (9132 & 70479)

6th November 1914 – enlisted and assigned to 2nd (Regular) Battalion, Northants Regiment.

16th July 1918 – awarded the Military Medal (MM).

Corporal Mayes, Ernest (47556) - WIA Oct 1918

Assigned to 23rd (Service) (8th City Pals) Battalion, Manchester Regiment until it was disbanded on 11th February 1918, and he transferred to 11th (Service) Battalion, Manchester Regt.

Lance Corporal Barker MM, Phillip William (212866 & WR284012)

13th November 1916 – enlisted in Royal Engineers, 4th Foreway Coy.

27th June 1918 – promoted to Lance Corporal.

8th November 1918 – he was "Mentioned in Despatches".

1st December 1918 – awarded the Military Medal.

25th January 1919 – transferred to 234 Light Railway Forward Company.

26th May 1919 – demobbed.

Lance Corporal Morris, Frank (15314) 7th (Service) and 6th (Service) Battalion Northants Regt

8th September 1914 – enlisted at Rushden.

25th – 27th September 1915 – listed as Missing in Action.

27th September 1915 – found and transferred to 1 Casualty Clearing Station (located at Chocquers, France) with wounds to legs.

30th September 1915 – transferred to St John's Ambulance Brigade Hospital, Estaples, France.

10th October 1915 – transferred to hospital ship bound for England.

26th January 1916 – embarked, heading to France.

13th February 1916 – joins 6th (Service) Battalion, Northants Regiment.

26th September 1916 – wounded in right buttock and abdomen.

27th September 1916 – transferred to 9 Casualty Clearing Station (located at Contay, France).

6th October 1916 - transferred to hospital ship bound for England

7th October 1916 – admitted to the Ontario Military Hospital, Orpington, Kent, and diagnosed with shrapnel wound where a bullet had entered the abdominal wall and lodged in right thigh. Discharged on 8th November 1916.

1st March 1917 – embarked, heading to France.

3rd December 1917 – promoted to Lance Corporal.

24th April 1918 – wounded in lower arm.

16th June 1918 – re-joins 6th (Service) Battalion, Northants Regiment.

2nd July 1918 – received gunshot wounds in left foot and right arm, whilst in Albert, France.

3rd July 1918 - transported by 55 Field Ambulance to 12th General Hospital (located at Rouen, France).

11th July 1918 - transferred to hospital ship bound for England.

12th July 1918 – admitted to 2nd Western General Hospital, Manchester.

2nd September 1918 – transferred to 5th Northern General Hospital, Leicester.

25th February 1919 – Medical Officer (MO) at the Eastwood Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Hospital, Notts, recommended transfer to reserves. The MO noted that the wounds were healing and he "can walk well, but slight limp. Gets pain after 2 miles walk".

1st April 1919 – transferred to Reserves. His pension papers record a gunshot wound to the left leg of 20% disability. Pension of 5s 6d (27.5p) awarded for 26 weeks from 2nd April 1919.

Rifleman Allen, George Albert

26th June 1916 assigned to (7933) 18th Battalion (London Irish Rifles), London Regiment.

10th July 1916 transferred (5843) to 12th Battalion (The Rangers), London Regiment.

30th January 1918 transferred (318140) to 5th Battalion (London Rifle Brigade), London Regiment.

1st May 1918 transferred to 169 Trench Mortar Battery.

Private Barfield, Arthur (6682 & 267065) 1/9th (Territorial) Battalion Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex) Regt.

Private Barnes, Walter James

Assigned (1099) to 4th Northants Regt.

29th July 1915 transferred (361201) to 809 Area Employment Company, Labour Corps.

Rifleman (later Trooper) Baxter, Arthur

Assigned (38789) to 12th Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps.

Transferred (70217) to Northants Regt.

Transferred (52849) to 12th Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps.

Private Baxter, Collis (41065) Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regt and (72055) Labour Corps

Private Bettles, Frank (152987) Employment Company, Labour Corps

Private Burditt, Harry (G-8621 & 86211) 19th (service) Battalion, Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex) Regt.

Private Burgess, Ernest George (91951) 9th Battalion, Tank Corps

Rifleman Burgess, Sidney (2328) 4th and 12th Rifle Brigade - WIA (gassed) Jun 1915

Private Burgess, Walter (30005) 5th (Service) Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Private Burgess, William Alfred (4071 & 200970) 1/4th (Territorial) Battalion Northants Regt

Private Corbett, George Herbert (1445 & 14459) 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards - KIA Sept 1916

27th July 1915 - Enlisted at Melton Mowbray

15th September 1916 - died in the middle phase of the Battle of the Somme (the Battle of Flers-Courcelette).

Private Driver, Edgar (20867) 5th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers) Northants Regt

Private Eady, Walter Roderick

4th April 1918 – enlisted at Northampton. His previous trade is listed as Milk Boy

6th April 1918 - (63261) joined 53rd (Young Soldiers) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regt.

1st May 1918 – transferred to 51st (Graduated) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regt.

5th November 1918 – attached to No.2 Infantry Officers' School, Norwich.

19th September 1919 – transferred to 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regt.

Private Elton, Thomas Wiliam (M378946) Army Service Corps

Private Farr, George Edward (20032) 2nd (Regular) Battalion Northants Regt - KIA Feb 1916.

15th December 1915 - enlisted in Rushden.

8th February 1916 – died (age 22) in France.

Private Fern, Charles (G10372) 7th (Service) Battalion Buffs (East Kent Regt)

Private Harper, Percy Robert (28240) Essex Regt / (40491) 7th (Service) Battalion Bedford Regt

Private Hinson, Harry (202823) Norfolk Regt / (203054) Essex Regt - WIA 1917

Private Hodgkin, Fredrick (7492) 2nd (Regular) Battalion Cheshire Regt

Driver Hole, Noel Guy (537 & 745258) Royal Field Artillery

Private Horner, Charles Edward (S33823) Rifle Brigade attached to 10th London Regt

Private Horner, Fredrick Arthur (26202) Machine Gun Corps.

Private Howard, Edwin (14244) 1st (Regular) Battalion Northants Regt

3rd June 1916 - enlisted.

Private Hulatt, Walter Charles (200974) 1/4 (Territoral) Battalion Northants Regt - KIA Nov 1917

Private James, Joseph Edwin (551635) Hants Regt

Private Knight, Edward (6039) Norfolk Regt / (609455) Labour Corps - WIA May 1915

Private Line, Ernest Leonard (M2/155856) 4th London Field Ambulance, Army Service Corps

Private Mitchell, Cecil Phillip (59097) 66th Machine Gun Corps

Gunner Morris, Frank (under the name Charles Burrows) (37364) Royal Field Artillery /(29492) 2nd (Regular) Battalion East Lancashire Regt - KIA Apr 1918.

Private Morris, Harry (GS/48614) 1st (Regular) Battalion Royal Fusiliers - KIA Jul 1917.

Enlisted Kettering.

15th May 1917 - sent to France.

31st July 1917 - Died on the first day of the third Battle of Ypres (Battle of Passchendaele).

Private Morris, Wilfred (217373) 11th Supply Company, Army Service Corps

Private Parker, Ebenezer (16490) 7th (Service) Battalion Northants Regt

Private Partridge, Ernest George (309256) Tank Corps [in 1918] - see Air Force record below.

Private Partridge, John Edward (62026) Suffolk Regt

Private Robinson, George (156534) Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regt

Private Robinson, Samuel (20800) 5th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers) Northants Regt - WIA Oct 1918

Private Sparks, William (27425) 7th (Service) Battalion Northants Regt

Private Stirman, Ezekiel (35390) Labour Corps

Gunner Tiney, Bartlett Arthur (178281) Royal Garrison Artillery

Sapper Wagstaff, Charles Edward (210711) Royal Engineers

Private Wagstaff, Francis William (GS/48624) Royal Fusiliers

Private Partridge, Ernest G (64390) [in 1919] - see Army record above.

Air Mechanic 3rd class Cole, Herbert W H (122666) 3rd Balloon Squadron RFC/RAF

Inevitably there will be some errors & omissions with this approach. I have not included the men born in the parish, but who had moved away before the outbreak of war. If you believe that someone is missing or the details are incorrect, please contact me accordingly.