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Winslow in World War One
This page contains a selection of documents and images about Winslow during and immediately after the First World War. It's not comprehensive. More contributions welcome! Please make sure you get a copy of Mark Randall's book Winslow Fallen in the Great War from the Royal British Legion.
See also:
- Buckinghamshire Remembers: Winslow: photos of war memorials and information about the people on them
- Photos of the Roll of Honour: printed in August 1916 and kept up-to-date by the Vicar, showing everyone who was serving in the War; click here for a transcription with all the additions and deletions
- Keep The Home Fires Burning: Winslow: letters from Winslow soldiers
- Parish Council 1917: various measures to improve food production
World War One fatalities
This list includes everyone on the War Memorial and a few others who were included in different lists. Click on the names for more information. When the Memorial was re-inscribed after World War Two, some errors were introduced in the WW1 names.
b.1877, Winslow; lived in London and emigrated to Australia in 1911; d. 12 June 1917: Killed in action / France and Flanders
Occupation: Bricklayer
Parents: Thomas and Jane Adkins (also parents of Bertie Adkins, below; they were first cousins of Charles Chandler). Father’s occupation: Groom
Wife: Mabel Louisa Adkins, 169 Lake Street, Perth, Western Australia
Private 50599,
Somerset Light Infantry 1st Battalion
b.1899, Winslow; d.
27 October 1918:
Died of wounds / France and Flanders
Effects sent to his mother Jane 28/3/1919 with £5 war gratuity
Employer: Captain Wm Henry Lambton, Redfield
Parents:
Thomas and Jane Adkins (also parents of Arthur Adkins, above)
1911 Census: at school, living with parents, High Street, Winslow; they had had 13 children
He was awarded the British War Medal (image, below) and Victory Medal
Lance Corporal 15141,
18th (Queen Marys Own) Hussars
b.1896, Winslow; d.
22 March 1918:
Killed in action / France and Flanders
Parents:
James and Ellen Budd, 58 Archway Road, Hornsey, Middx (1901); father born in Winslow, moved to London about 1900
1911 Census: card packer
living in Camden Town with parents and 5 siblings
Private 11639,
Coldstream Guards 2nd Battalion
b.1895, Cowley; d. 21 September 1916:
Killed in action in France; his death was only confirmed in May 1917.
Parents:
Late John and Annie Mary Chandler (nee Bradbury); mother remarried Charles Vickers 1910. He was the grandson of Mrs T. Bradbury of Winslow, and first cousin of Arthur and Bertie Adkins.
1911 Census: clerk on LNWR, Winslow, living at Church Gate with
mother, stepfather and 2 stepbrothers
The Buckingham Advertiser published this letter from him, dated 7 Feb 1915: We disembarked in France about 7 a.m., Saturday, after a calm voyage. We lay at the base till Monday, and then had 30 hours' ride in the train ... We joined our Battalion on Wednesday, and after two days' rest moved into the firing line ... about 2 a.m. Sunday morning the Germans started a tremendous fire on us, which we returned. This kept on all Sunday and Sunday night till about 3 a.m. Monday, when a charge was made but failed, so at 9 a.m. Monday we were told to get ready for a charge. Well, we were tired out and hungry, as we had been busy fighting, but as we received the order to get ready for the charge all signs of fatigue left us. We lined up in readiness, and then our artillery set them alight for about 20 minutes, and then the 16th platoon charged - about 30 of us. Well, we got amongst them fairly, and took their position and a line of trenches as well. We lost two killed and eight wounded, and the Germans lost 50 killed and we captured eight prisoners, 250 rifles and a machine gun, so we did famous ...
Sergeant 22159,
Norfolk Regiment 9th Battalion
b. 1897,
Beyton, Suffolk; d. 11 November 1918:
Died of wounds / France and Flanders
Parents:
Charles Robert and Mary Ellen Cook (both from Suffolk). Father’s occupation:
Grocer’s assistant
1911 Census:
Carpenter’s apprentice, living with parents and 6 siblings in Winslow at the former Rose & Crown
Joined up on 28 October 1915. Was wounded in action on 28 April 1918 and rejoined battalion on 8 June 1918. On 26 September 1918 it was confirmed that his next of kin had been informed that he was ‘dangerously wounded in hospital’ in Southampton; he died in 3rd Southern General Hospital, Oxford, on 11 November 1918. Buried on 14 November 1918. Father received a scroll under cover of a letter of 27 January 1920 and wrote on 11 July 1921 to ask if his son’s name had been overlooked with regard to the medal due to men of the Norfolk Regiment. (Service records on Ancestry).
Driver 239868,
Royal Field Artillery B Battery 122nd Brigade
b.
8 March 1884, Winslow; d. 16 September 1918:
Killed in action / France and Flanders. Buried at Rocquigny-Equancourt British Cemetery.
Parents:
Thomas and Elizabeth Ann Cripps, builders who kept The Plough until 1904; also parents of Fred Cripps (below)
Wife: Frances Emily Robinson of The Swan, Winslow, married 1910, lived at Land View, 34 Station Road
Prior to enlisting on 27 February 1917 he was living at 34 Swainstone Road, Reading where he was working as a builder.
Payment of £7 2s 4d authorised on 10 February 1919 to widow and executrix Frances;
War Gratuity of £5 authorised on 1 December 1919 to widow and executor Frances. (Ancestry).
Charles and Frances Cripps' newly built house, with (presumably) Mrs Cripps standing outside
Sapper 146578,
Royal Engineers 87th Field Company
b.
8 February 1888, Winslow; invalided home 11 October 1916; d. 29 October 1916 in University College Hospital, London
Name recorded on Winslow Congregational Church plaque now in St Laurence Church, Winslow.
Buried 2 November 1916. British War and Victory Medals (posthumously). (Service records on Ancestry)
Occupation:
Skilled carpenter and joiner
Parents:
Thomas and Elizabeth Ann Cripps; also parents of Charles Cripps (above)
Wife:
Ethel May Hill; married at Wesleyan Church, Aylesbury, 1916
Wife’s address:
December 1915 - 34 Swainston Road, Reading
November 1916 – Jubilee Stores, Hitchin Road, Luton, Beds
April 1917 – 21 Gilbert Street, Aylestone Road, Leicester
April/May 1917 – 28 Kings Road, Queens Park, Aylesbury
January 1922 – 296 Clarendon Park Road, Leicester
Pioneer 50033,
Royal Engineers HQ Signal Company
b.1888, Winslow; d.
8 December 1918, 14th Stationary Hospital, Boulogne
Occupation:
Footman to Charles Blount of Imberhorne Manor, East Grinstead (1911 Census)
Parents:
William and Catherine Deacon. Father’s occupation:
Gardener and farm bailiff at Redfield
Private CH/6806,
Royal Marine Light Infantry
b.
16 May 1876, Clapham (RM records give date of birth as 24 June 1874); d. 15 October 1914: drowned when HMS Hawke was torpedoed in North Sea.
Occupation: Royal Marine 1892-1904;
Metropolitan Police constable until recalled to service in 1914
Parents:
James Sutton Ellis (d.1881) and Maria Ellis nee Shinkfield, 3 Dashwood Road, Battersea (1881). Father’s occupation:
Builder’s decorator. His mother married James Commerford in 1888; living in Winslow High Street in 1911
Wife:
Elizabeth Milburn Jones,
61 Clifford Gardens, Kensal Rise, NW; married 1906
1911 Census: living in Walworth with adopted daughter; they later had a son
Leading Stoker 306138, HMS Agincourt
b.
25 October 1885, Winslow; joined Royal Navy 1901; served on Royal Yacht 1911–14; d. 20 September 1920, Hants Asylum
Parents:
William and Annie Mary (nee Warner) Foskett, 2 Jubilee Cottages, Shipton. Father’s occupation:
Labourer (1911 Census); they had 14 children
Wife:
Violet Daisy Prickett,
Shirley Park Road, Shirley, Southampton; married 1909, 5 children
Injured at Battle of Jutland. Discharged invalid 29 March 1917. Also named on Southampton Cenotaph.
Private 19616,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry 6th Battalion
b. 1895, Winslow; d. 23 August 1917:
Died of wounds, Battle of Passchendaele
Employer: E A Illing, grocer
Parents: John and Lizzie Gates, Avenue Road, Winslow Father’s occupation:
Relieving officer and registrar
The photo on the right shows Harold Gates' original grave marker at Dosinghem in Belgium.
Private 265824,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 2 / 1st Bucks Battalion
b.1897, Winslow; d. 19 July 1916:
Died of wounds, Battle of Fromelles
Parents:
William and Fanny Boughton Gibson, High Street, Winslow. Father’s occupation:
Jobbing gardener
1911 Census: grocer's errand boy living with grandmother Maria Hamp, High Street, Winslow
Private 267038,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 7th Battalion
b.
11 November 1890, Great Horwood; d. 14 December 1918 in Bulgaria of pneumonia
Parents:
Alfred Freeman Gibson and Annie (Ann Maria) Gibson. Father’s occupation:
House painter
1911 Census: builder's labourer living with parents and 6 siblings, High Street, Winslow
Lance Corporal 15685,
Northamptonshire Regiment, D Company, 7th Battalion
b.1891, Cleeve Prior, Worcs.; d. 27 September 1915:
Killed in action, Hohenzollern Redoubt
Occupation: Assistant master – Fenny Stratford School. 1911 Census: Trainee teacher at Culham Training College, Berks
Parents:
John and Clara Gillam (living at Honington, Warws, 1901; living at Lathbury 1911); they lived in Winslow by 1915. Father’s occupation:
Coachman; the last landlord of the Black Horse in Winslow
Wife:
Dorothy de Villiers formerly Gillam (nee Juffs),
11 George Street, Stuarts Cott, Germiston, Transvaal; married at Newport Pagnell, 27 Feb 1915
Private 7684,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 5th Battalion
b.
30 April 1895, Great Horwood; enlisted 1915, discharged but re-enlisted; d. 23 March 1918:
Killed in action, Battle of St Quentin
Occupation:
Machine minder, purifying works
Parents:
Thomas James and Sarah Hancock, Wigwell, Great Horwood. Father’s occupation:
Shoemaker
Wife:
Hannah Elizabeth Jackman, married 1913 at Winslow
Lance Corporal 3352,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 2 / 1st Bucks Battalion
b. 1883,
Leighton Buzzard; d. 19 July 1916:
Killed in action, Battle of Fromelles
Occupation: House painter (1901, 1911)
Parents:
Alfred and Sarah Holdom, High Street, Winslow. Father’s occupation:
General labourer
Living with his parents and two sisters in 1911. He was a member of the Church choir and the Church of England Men's Society, and joined the Bucks Territorials.
Private G/22964,
Middlesex Regiment, 1/7th Battalion
b.1882, Winslow; d. 18 June 1918:
Killed in action, buried at Wanquetin
Occupation:
Postman
Parents: Robert Holt (deceased),
Bricklayer. 1891 Census: living with grandmother Emma Holt in Bell Alley
Wife:
Ellen Dorothy Wing,
13 Balmoral Road, Westcliff on Sea; married 1906
1911 Census: Living in Edgware with wife and 2 children
Private 17183,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 5th Battalion
b.
19 March 1883, Winslow; d. 15 September 1916:
Killed in action at Flers
Occupation:
Bricklayer’s labourer (1901), farm labourer (1911)
Parents:
George and late Christianna Holt, Buckingham Road, Winslow (also parents of Harry Holt, below). Father’s occupation:
Carter, Tuckey Farm
1911 Census: living with father and 3 siblings at Tuckey Cottages
Driver 234381,
Royal Field Artillery, 59th Div, Ammun Col
b.
3 December 1888, Winslow; d. 20 September 1918: killed in action in Flanders
Occupation:
Agricultural labourer (1901, 1911)
Parents:
George and (late) Christianna Holt (also parents of Frederick Holt, above)
Wife:
Florence Elizabeth Ridgway; they were living with her father William Ridgway, shopkeeper, High Street, Winslow in 1911, and had a daughter aged 1; they later had two more children
Lance Corporal 1938,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 1/1st Bucks Battalion
b.
11 April 1880, Winslow; d. 23 August 1916:
Killed in action, Battle of Pozières
Occupation:
Labourer (1901), cattle drover (1911)
Parents:
William and Jane Holt, Tinkers End (1891, 1901). Father’s occupation:
Labourer
1911 Census: living with parents and three sisters in Piccadilly, Winslow
Gunner 87313,
Royal Garrison Artillery, 143 Heavy Battery
b.
13 December 1886; admitted to hospital from Salonika on 10 March 1917 with tuberculosis and transferred to Military Hospital, Ladywell; discharge 24 December 1917– tubercle of lung; d. 25 December 1917
Occupation:
Grocer’s Assistant, Central Stores, Winslow
Parents: George Henry and Ellen Isham, Brackley. Father’s occupation:
Bricklayer’s labourer
Wife:
Rose Ethel Stairs, Avenue Road, Winslow, married 1914 at Winslow; they had a son (John Charles Isham, b.1916) and she had a son (George) from before the marriage; she married Arthur Edwin in 1921.
British War and Victory Medals (posthumously)
Private 168,
Royal Warwickshire Regiment 14th Battalion
b.1892, Northampton; d. 22 July 1916:
Killed in action, Battle of the Somme
Parents:
Thomas and Elizabeth Jackson, George Hotel, Winslow (from c.1913)
Payments of £7 8s 6d authorised on 12 December 1917 and £2 7s 9d on 20 September 1918 to father Thomas;
War Gratuity of £810s authorised on 30 August 1919 to father, Thomas. (Ancestry)
1911 Census: draper's assistant living in Northampton with his parents, two brothers and grandmother
Corporal WR/295339,
Royal Engineers, 273rd Railway Op Company
b.
9 November 1884, Hoggeston; d. 19 November 1918 of
broncho pneumonia influenza at Stavros Hospital, Greece
Occupation:
Stud Groom at White House Farm, Little Horwood (1911). Sworn in as a special constable at Winslow, 25 Sep 1914. Qualified in the army in 1916 as a platelayer.
Parents:
George and Mary Kimble, Hoggeston. Father’s occupation:
Cattleman on farm
Wife:
Bertha Hamilton Cleaver,
Longview, Oving (August 1919 – temporarily at The Beeches, Winslow); married 1912.
British War and Victory Medals (posthumously).
Not on War Memorial; included in 1925 Lest We Forget notice.
Serving in West Kent Regiment according to 1916 Winslow Roll of Honour.
Edward James Kirby, postman aged 35, born at Woodstock, was living in Winslow High Street with his wife and two children in 1911.
He first joined the West Kent Regiment on 8 Oct 1894 at Oxford: age 19 years 3 months, height 5' 5 1/8", religion Wesleyan.
He was a sergeant in the Labour Corps in August 1915 when he went to France, and survived the war.
Buckingham Advertiser, 19 April 1924: He started out on his Horwood round on Monday week, but was taken ill and fell off his bicycle. He was found to be suffering from ulceration of the stomach. Hemorrhage set in and it was impossible to operate. He was an old soldier and rejoined during the war, while last Armistice Day he was chosen by the ex-Service men to read the Roll of Honour at the memorial service. The funeral took place at the Winslow Parish Church on Tuesday, a number of ex-Service men attending.
Lance Corporal 1433,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 1 / 1st Bucks Battalion
b.
23 August 1892, Winslow; d. 28 September 1915:
Died of wounds at Louvencourt
Occupation:
Carpenter for grandfather Keys
Parents:
Charles Smith Langley (deceased) and Fanny Langley nee Keys. Father’s occupation: stud groom at Redfield
1911 Census: living with mother and seven siblings/half-siblings at 30 Buckingham Road
Buckingham Advertiser, 9 Oct 1915:
True as steel, modest to a degree, he was known and respected throughout the town and district. He was perhaps best known in the football field, but whether as a lad in the Church Lads' Brigade, or later as a Territorial, he won his way into the hearts of all who knew him ...
Lance Corporal 18035,
Suffolk Regiment, 9th Battalion
b.1879,
Barham, Suffolk; d. 24 October 1915:
Killed in action at Ypres
Occupation: Porter at Winslow Workhouse from 1907
Parents:
Lionel and Sarah Ling, Barham. Father’s occupation:
Roadman
Fiancee(?): Margaret Wilby,
Ipswich (he was unmarried in 1911)
Private 9736,
Northamptonshire Regiment, 5th Battalion
b.1893, Birmingham (registered as Benjamin Charles Frederick); d. 30 November 1917:
Killed in action, Battle of Cambrai
Parents:
Benjamin Charles and Amy Elizabeth Moore (Lee), living in West Derby, Liverpool in 1901. Father’s occupation: dealer in talking machines, i.e. gramophones (1911). Mrs A.M. Kerrison, High Street, Winslow was his aunt.
1911 Census: butcher's assistant, living with parents and sister, High Street, Winslow
Buckingham Advertiser, 18 Aug 1917, recorded that he had been wounded for the fourth time, as well as having been in hospital with spotted fever. He joined the army before the War, aged 17.
Private 12999,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 5th Battalion
b.
1896, Winslow; d. 15 January 1916:
Died of wounds near Ypres
Parents: Samuel and Annie Norman, Shipton. Father’s occupation:
Agricultural labourer
1911 Census: "house boy", aged 14, living with parents and 3 siblings at Shipton
Private 19265,
Royal Berkshire Regiment, 6th Battalion Princess Charlotte of Wales
d. 12 October 1917:
Died of wounds, Battle of Passchendaele
Buckingham Advertiser, 1 Dec 1917: Mr & Mrs S. Norman of Shipton have been informed that their eldest son George is missing. He therefore seems to be George, the son of Samuel & Annie Norman and brother of Frederick (above), b.1888, carter's labourer living with parents in 1911 Census (although he has been recorded as the son of William & Mary Norman and aged 18 when he died). The Winslow Roll of Honour lists George Norman serving in the Berks Regiment in 1916.
Payment of £2 9s 1d authorised on 4 November 1918 to mother and sole legatee
Annie (sic); name given as Richard George.
War Gratuity of £8 10s authorised on 26 November 1919 to sole legatee, mother Annie (sic). (Ancestry)
Private 47150,
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
b.
24 September 1876, Shalstone; served in the Queen's Own Hussars during the Boer War; d. 11 August 1918:
Killed in action, buried at Camon on the Somme
Parents:
John and Sarah Parkins, Shalstone. Father’s occupation:
Sawyer
Wife:
Lilian Maude Stevens, later Stratford,
Hulcott, Aylesbury; married 1909. In 1911 they were living at Shalstone, and he was a farm labourer. He was recorded as being from Winslow in the official Casualty List.
Private 9347,
Royal Fusiliers, 20th Battalion
b. 21 July 1896, Bicester; attended the Royal Latin School, Buckingham with a scholarship, and passed the Senior Oxford Examination; d. 13 April 1917, Battle of Arras
Occupation:
Assistant master at Slough Schools
Parents:
Ernest Edward and Alphene Annie Parrott nee James, High Street, Winslow. Father’s occupation:
Coach builder
Father also serving in Army (Army Service Corps). They were living at what is now 186 High Street in the 1911 Census.
Buckingham Advertiser, 26 May 1917:
A memorial service for the late Private Harry Parrott, eldest son of Sergt. and Mrs E. Parrott of Winslow, who was killed in action in France on the 13th April, was held in the Parish Church, Winslow, after evensong on Ascension Day ... The "Last Post" was blown by the buglers of the Church Lads' Brigade ... Much sympathy is felt with Sergt. Parrott (who is serving in France) and Mrs. Parrott in their sad loss.
Private 3/8211,
Yorkshire Regiment, 3rd Battalion
b.1878, Leighton Buzzard; joined the Army in 1905 and then lived in Yorkshire with a wife and son; d. 16 May 1916 at sister’s home in Station Road, Winslow, from wounds received at Neuve Chapelle. Buried 20 May 1916.
Parents:
Thomas and Ruth Parsons, High Street. Father’s occupation:
Platelayer on L&NWR; agricultural labourer (1911)
Lance Corporal 154900,
Royal Engineers, 233rd Field Company
b. 19 February 1885; d. 14 September 1918:
Killed in action, buried at Grootebeck
Parents:
Jabez and Sophia Price, Tinkers End. Father’s occupation:
Dealer in cattle
1911 Census: carpenter, living with parents and 3 brothers
Lance Corporal T4/041104,
Army Service Corps, 28th Div HQ
b.
7 November 1891, Winslow; d. 30 September 1918 of malaria, buried in Mikra British Cemetery in Kalamaria, Greece
Parents:
Ward of Mrs M J Hawkins,
The Old Vicarage, Langley, Bucks; illegitimate son of Ann Maria Ray, Sheep Street
Occupation: Footman at Welwyn, Herts
His name is given as Joseph F. in the 1901 Census
Private 202880,
Royal Fusilliers 1/21 Lond. R.;
E. Surr. R. 26;
Royal Fusilliers (Number 64206)
b.1897, Winslow; enlisted 6 Sep 1917; died in Bucks Hospital, 12 Sep 1921. The photo on the right shows his grave in Winslow Churchyard.
Parents: William J. and M.J. Roads. Father's occupation: Carpenter
Name included on scroll in St Laurence Church; he died after the War Memorial was completed.
Entitled to Victory Medal and British War Metal granted under Army Orders. (Ancestry)
1911 Census: aged 13, living in Avenue Road, Winslow, with parents and 5 siblings.
Cecil Roads isn't on the War Memorial because he died after it was completed, but he was still a casualty of the First World War, and was included in the Remembrance Services after his death. His parents were William and Mary Ann Roads of Avenue Road. His father was a carpenter, and his mother's original name was Hoverd, hence his full name Cecil William Hoverd Roads, miswritten in various places as Howard. Two of his sisters are in the photo of the 1915 entertainment by the Girls Friendly Society (see below- they are on the far right). Cecil enlisted in September 1917 (probably due to conscription - 18-year-olds were called up first) and served as a Private in the 26th Royal Fusiliers. He sent many postcards home. He was badly wounded, probably in March 1918. In March 1921 Winslow United F.C. held a benefit dance for him which raised £11. He was never able to play football for them as local sport had been suspended by the time he was old enough to do so, but he apparently played while he was in France. He died at the Royal Bucks Hospital
on 12 Sep 1921.
Corporal 9242,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion
b.1889, Winslow; enlisted 1910; d. 12 November 1914:
Killed in action, 1st Battle of Ypres
Parents:
John and Eliza Royce, High Street, Winslow. Father’s occupation:
Bricklayer’s labourer
Played football for Sandy Albion FC (Beds).
A memorial service was held at Winslow Parish Church on 30 Dec 1914.
Able Seaman 182451, HMS Aboukir
b.
3 September 1878, Croydon; joined Royal Navy in 1895; d. 22 September 1914: drowned when his ship was torpedoed in the North Sea
Parents: Henry John & Mary Celia Russell. Father’s occupation:
Blacksmith at what is now 3 High Street; d.1901
Wife:
Mary Whitney,
9 Park Grove, Battersea; married 1911
His name was not originally included on the War Memorial, but had been on the 1917 War Shrine.
Private 267713,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 1 / 1st Bucks Battalion
b.1890, Helperby, Yorks, as Ernest Kendall; d. 16 August 1917:
Killed in action, Battle of Langemarck (the second Allied general attack of the Third Battle of Ypres)
Occupation:
Worked for Mr J Colgrove, butcher
Parents:
John (stepfather) and Ada Saving, Claydon Road, Winslow. Father’s occupation:
Farm labourer (1911)
1911 Census: Farm labourer, living with parents and 4 siblings in Tinkers End.
Member & worker at Congregational Church.
Name recorded on Winslow Congregational Church plaque now in St Laurence Church, Winslow.
Private 10276,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 5th Battalion
b.
21 November 1896, Winslow; d. 9 February 1916:
Died of wounds near Ypres
Parents:
Harry (d.1911) and Caroline Emily Scott, nee Ward, Church Street (1901). Father’s occupation:
Carpenter
1911 Census: Errand boy, living in Sheep Street with parents, 4 siblings, grandmother
Private 18869,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 1st Battalion
b.
2 November 1896, Winslow; d. 6 April 1916 in Mesopotamia
Mother: Edith Jane Smith, Shipton (1896); she got married in 1908
1911 Census: worked for watercress salesman, lived in Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill with aunt and brother.
Payment of £2 5s 10d authorised on 15.14.16 (sic) to aunt and sole legatee, Minnie Smith.
War Gratuity of £3 authorised on 27 October 1919 to sole legatee, aunt Minnie Smith. (Ancestry)
Private 7680,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion
b. Winslow 1881 as Hezekiah Sampson Smith; joined up in 1904, Reserves from 1910; d. 21 October 1914:
Killed in action at Poelcappelle
Wife: Gertrude Lewington, married 1910
1901 Census: name given as Sam Smith, living in New Bradwell as bricklayer's labourer.
1911 Census: agricultural labourer aged 29 living in Shipton with his wife; daughter Emily b.1911
His war gratuity was paid partly to his wife in Kent and partly to his mother Mrs Elizabeth Smith for his child. She was the wife of Samson Smith, chair and umbrella repairer (1911 Census).
Guardsman 29428,
Grenadier Guards, 3rd Battalion
b.1897, Steeple Claydon; d. 27 November 1917:
Killed in action, Battle of Cambrai
Parents:
George and Priscilla Stairs, Shipton. Father’s occupation:
Horsekeeper
Payment of £4 16s 5d authorised on 24 October 1918 to father, George. War Gratuity of £3 authorised on 12 November 1919 to father, George. (Ancestry)
1911 Census: living with parents at Water Eaton. He was their only child.
Private 43351,
Essex Regiment, 10th Battalion (originally enlisted in Royal Bucks Hussars)
b.
24 June 1890, Millbrook, Beds;
d. 22 October 1917:
Killed in action, Third Battle of Ypres
Occupation:
Apprentice at Winslow Station Goods Department from 8 December 1904; transferred to Northampton, Leighton Buzzard, Blunham and Cheddington; railway clerk (1911)
Parents:
Cornelius and Selina Theobald. Father’s occupation:
Railway station master at Winslow
1911 Census: living with parents and sister at Station House, Winslow
Lance Corporal 5594,
6th Bn.
The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
d. 18 April 1916, buried at Vermelles (no family details recorded)
Included in Roll of Honour, 1916 and War Shrine, 1917, but not on War Memorial. Connection to Winslow unknown; official Casualty List said he was from Ashford, Kent.
Private
3022, 2nd/4th Bn.
Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry
d. 19 July 1916; buried at Laventie Cemetery, La Gorgue
Not on War Memorial; included in 1925 Lest We Forget. Serving in Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry in Winslow Roll of Honour, 1916
Son of Mrs. M. J. Tolley, of Headington. Connection to Winslow unknown.
Australian munitions worker
d. 14 March 1919 at Bedford Military Hospital; buried at Winslow
Not on War Memorial but his grave is classified as a war grave; thanks to Simon Cains for bringing his story to light and Cathy Sedgwick for researching it. Click here to read more. He was born at Macoma, Victoria, in 1890; enlisted in 1914 but was discharged from the Australiam Imperial Force twice on health grounds; worked at the Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, August 1916 to February 1917; married Louisa Leah Walker at Harefield in December quarter 1916; returned to Australia but came back to England as a volunteer munitions worker.
Husband of Louisa Leah Walker (1894-1960) of Piccadilly, Winslow, daughter of William and Ruth (nee Thorpe) Walker and sister of William Frederick Walker (see below); after his death she married David Horsler (1899-1980).
2nd Lieutenant (Pilot),
Royal Flying Corps 8th Squadron
b.
4 September 1885;
d. 1 July 1916:
Died of wounds in France after being shot while flying over German lines.
Parents:
Dr Thomas Frederick and Lucy Hellicar Vaisey of Norden House, Winslow (later
Norden Cottage, Combe Down, Bath)
24 January 1916 : aviator’s certificate – Maurice Farman Biplane (Ancestry). He visited Winslow by plane on 12 Oct 1915.
There are some letters about him on the Keep The Home Fires Burning website. He emigrated to Australia as a farmer in 1908. The plaque below is in Winslow Parish Church. The Buckingham Advertiser of 15 July 1916 reported on a special memorial service for him.
Private G/63813,
London Regiment (previously Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry)
b.1900, Harlesden ; d. 22 August 1918 on the Somme
Occupation: Labourer, L.& N.W. Railway
Parents:
Arthur and Emma Jane Viccars,
Drayton Parslow. Father's occupation: Platelayer, L. & N.W. Railway
1911 Census: living with parents and 2 brothers in Drayton Parslow.
His name was not on the War Memorial in 1920 and appears to have been added erroneously after the Second World War. William and Frederick Viccars are listed in the Winslow Roll of Honour.
Private 19266,
5th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment
b.1883, Queen's Park, Middlesex; d. 10 April 1917, Battle of Arras
Parents: George and Amelia Vokins of the Rose & Crown (closed 1910)
1911 Census: brewer's drayman (for The Bell) boarding with Joseph & Edith Harding, Horn Street
Payment of £2 3s 6d authorised on 20 June 1917 to father George as sole legatee. War Gratuity of £6 10s authorised on 15 October 1919 to father and sole legatee, George. (Ancestry)
His name was correct on the original War Memorial but when it was re-inscribed after the Second World War it was put below the WW2 names.
Lance Sergeant 265032,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 2 / 1st Bucks Battalion
b.
26 February 1887; d. 9 September 1917, Third Battle of Ypres
Parents:
Thomas George and Mary Ann Walker of Perseverance House, formerly the Old Crown. Father’s occupation:
Builder (retired)
1911 Census: Bricklayer's labourer, living with parents and sister, Market Square.
In the Territorials before the War; Corporal when they left for active service on 14 Aug 1914; transferred to 2/1 Battalion and saw action in Battle of Fromelles (diversionary attack during Battle of the Somme). Commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, having no known grave, and in Winslow Churchyard (below). Also below is an image of a postcard he sent from London to his brother Tom (Thomas Edwin) in 1905
Private 1186,
Australian Infantry, 9th Battalion
b. 1890, Steeple Claydon (according to 1901 Census); d.
25 April 1915: Killed in action, Gallipoli
1901 Census: living with mother and sister, Piccadilly
1911 Census: Milk factory worker, living with grandparents Frederick & Rhoda Walker, High Street
Parents: William Walker and Ruth (later Warner),
Shipton
Emigrated to Australia 1913
Private 7731,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion
b.
?1884, Winslow; d. 25 September 1915: Killed in action, Givenchy
Parents:
George and Mary Warner (also parents of Walter Warner, below). Father’s occupation:
Rural postman
1901 Census: aged 17, agricultural labourer living with parents and 8 siblings / half-siblings, Shipton
1911 Census: aged 24, agricultural labourer, living with father (widower) and sisters at Shipton
Private 7663,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion
b. ?1885, Winslow; enlisted in 1904; d. 25 September 1914:
Killed in action, Battle of the Aisne
See George Warner above for family
1901 Census: aged 16, agricultural labourer living with parents and 8 siblings / half-siblings, Shipton
Buckingham Advertiser, 31 Oct 1914: Mr George Warner, ex-postman, has lost his son Walter at the front. He has still three sons and a son-in-law serving with the Forces.
Lieutenant,
South Wales Borderers, 7th Battalion
b. 1882, Banbury; at home on leave in Winslow in August 1918; d. 18 September 1918:
Killed in action, Doiran, Macedonia
Parents: William Lampet Whitehorn and Betsy Whitehorn nee Shilson, High Street, Banbury
Came to Winslow c.1910 as part of his father's legal practice.
Admitted to Wineslai Lodge of Freemasons, Jan 1911. Lived at The Beeches, Buckingham Road. Became a Parish Councillor in 1913.
Buckingham Advertiser, 29 March 1913
Partnership of William Lampet Whitehorn and William Joseph Whitehorn of Banbury and Walter Richard Joseph Law, solicitors at Buckingham and elsewhere under the name of Whitehorns & Law, is dissolved. W.J. Whitehorn in conjunction with W.L. Whitehorn and Leopold Shilson Whitehorn will continue to practice at Winslow and Aylesbury as Whitehorns.
Buckingham Advertiser, 19 Sep 1914
Mr W.J. Whitehorn, solicitor, Winslow has joined the Public Schools Brigade.
Probate at Oxford on 3 December 1918 to William Lampet Whitehorn and Leopold Shilson Whitehorn Solicitors – effects £2,238 15s 1d.
Lieutenant; initially 19th Battalion (Public Schools Battalion), Middlesex Regiment (Private), commissioned into King’s Own Royal Lancashires (7th Battalion) on 21 May 1915
b.1880, Winslow; educated at Leys School, Cambridge; d.
31 July 1917:
Killed in action, Third Battle of Ypres
Occupation:
Land agent and auctioneer - partner in father’s firm of Auctioneer Valuer Surveyors and Land Estate Agents
Parents:
George Davis E and Laura Wigley, Sunny Lawn
In action in Battle of Albert from 1 July 1916, the first engagement in the Battle of the Somme: Battalion was involved in capture of the village of La Boiselles. Lt Wigley was wounded in the thigh, head and wrist, and evacuated home to convalesce. Returned to front in January 1917 and saw action in Battle of Messines in June 1917. In July, he was wounded in the left shoulder with a rifle grenade three hours before he was killed. Grave initially unknown and name was included on Menin Gate Memorial. Later identified and buried in Voormezeele Enclosure No 3, Ieper, Belgium.
Probate – Oxford on 11 February 1918 to Sidney Prudden Wigley (brother), land agent and auctioneer, and George Osborn, gentleman – effects £3233 10s 1d.
Private 266361,
Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, 1 / 1st Bucks Battalion
b.1892,
Bermondsey; enlisted at Aylesbury; d. 16 September 1917:
Died of wounds, Third Battle of Ypres
Parents: John and Clara Willmott. Father’s occupation:
Police constable, Bermondsey (1901)
1911 Census: baker's roundsman, living in Bermondsey with parents and 4 siblings.
Not listed in the Winslow Roll of Honour (1916); connection to Winslow unknown.
Albert Ginger (1889-1914)
Albert Ginger was probably Winslow's first casualty of the Great War. He was born at Mursley, lived at Drayton Parslow, and came to Winslow to work as a groom: in the 1911 Census he is listed at Winslow Hall, but according to the evidence at his inquest he worked for Captain Lambton at Redfield for five years. War broke out on Tuesday 4 August 1914. On the 7th Albert went to Buckingham to join the Royal Bucks Hussars (Bucks Yeomanry) with a recommendation from the Captain, and on the 8th cycled to Winslow to fetch some clothes and see his brother, who was an ostler at The Bell. On the 9th, as the Yeomanry were preparing to leave Buckingham to join the British Expeditionary Force (they were actually sent to Egypt in September), he was found in the stables at the White Hart with his throat cut. The official verdict was that he took his own life through "temporary insanity", but he had told his brother that he didn't know what would happen if he had to go to war, and had joined up because he thought he would lose his job. The Register of Soldiers' Effects records that he had £2 3s 6d credit which was paid to his father Alfred in April 1915. He is commemorated on Drayton Parslow war memorial in the list of "those who served".
Baptist Tabernacle Roll of Honour
This list of names preserved in the Tabernacle was apparently begun early in the war.
Baptist Tabernacle, Winslow
The following members of the Church and Congregation are serving with H.M. Forces.
- Pte Charles King
- Pte George Beckett
- Spr Charles Askham
- Pte Ernest Hamp
- Sgt William Viccars
- Pte Sidney Rowe
- Pte Albert Hamp
- Pte Ernest Rowe
- Pte Albert Taylor
The following names were added later
- 2nd A.M. Ernest G. Bailey
- Pte Charles Forster
- Pte Arthur E. Haswell
- Pte Frederick Viccars
- Pte Harry Gibson \missing/ [d.1916; see above]
- Pte Sidney Clarke
- Pte Harry Roose
- Pte Thomas Gibson
- Gnr George Deacon
- Pnr Charles Deacon [d.1918; see above]
- Gnr William Royce
- Pte William Rowe
- Pte Charles Walker
1914-15: Belgian Refugees
In September 1914 the Parish Council agreed to set up a War Distress Relief Committee.
In October 1914, it was reported that Mr & Mrs McCorquodale were turning The Elms (30 High Street) into a house for Belgian refugees. 20 were expected at the end of the week. A committee of ladies was being formed to provide furniture. Miss Edith Hawley and Miss Gertie Stevens collected over £15 for the Refugee Fund. Mrs Slade, Botolph Claydon PO, was taking in 4 Belgian refugees through the instrumentality of Mrs F.W. Verney.
Lady French (nee Selby-Lowndes; she was a descendant of William Lowndes), wife of Sir John French, visited in Jan 1915 for a concert in the Oddfellows Hall organised by Mrs Selby-Lowndes. Performers included M. and Mlles Fontyn of the Elms, Belgian refugees.
The Advertiser on 6 Feb 1915 reported that Henry Arthur Jones the playwright had offered the house in which his father Silvanus Jones died (3 Horn Street) to the Belgian Relief Fund, and 12 Belgians were expected; previously it had been offered as a hospital. Up to December 1915 £400 was raised by the Red Cross for the Belgian Refugees in Winslow at this house and The Elms.
The postcard below was sent by one of the refugees to Harry Turnham, the Winslow photographer, on 17 May 1915:
As a former student of the Winslow Classical & Commercial School Mr Turnham would have had a good reading knowledge of French, and would have known that Jeanne Vigor, staying with Mme de Donker at Steeple Claydon, was asking him to send the photographs when he had a moment, and apologising for not taking delivery sooner but they had been called to London suddenly.
Constance McCorquodale wrote to the Advertiser, 8 Jan 1916, that 20 Belgians from Antwerp arrived in November 1914 at The Elms, 6 more in February 1915 at 3 Horn Street, later joined by four invalided soldiers and two more refugees. They stayed for about 12 months, and had apparently now all left.
1914-16: The Norfolks
The Norfolk Reserves were stationed in Winslow for over a year. Some of them were billeted at the Workhouse. They took part in concerts, provided buglers for church services, etc. They had bowls matches against the Winslow club on 12 Aug and 2 Sep 1915 (they had to play on Thursday afternoons because some of the Winslow players were shopkeepers and Thursday was early-closing day). The photo shows them on the Bowling Green, apparently after another match. There were also shooting matches with the Winslow Volunteer Defence Corps. 400 of them passed for active service in October 1915. There were still some in Winslow in December, holding a concert.
Bucks Herald, 25 Mar 1916: DEPARTURE OF THE NORFOLKS
Arriving about 180 strong in the autumn of 1914, the Norfolks had become part and parcel of the town, and the news that they had all to depart this week was received with considerable regret, especially as Captain Hansell and his officers from their first coming threw themselves into every charitable and social function… Captain Hansell said they had come to look on Winslow as their home … they should always look back with pleasure to their stay in this pretty little spot …
1915: Entertainment
One of many events held in the Oddfellows Hall was this concert by the Girls' Friendly Society (an Anglican organisation), arranged by Miss Hinkley the Vicar's daughter. It concluded with a series of tableaux representing the Allied countries, with the choir singing their national anthems. The Buckingham Advertiser gave this cast list (some are easier to identify than others): Belgium: Miss B. Verney. France: Miss M. Chapman. Canada: Miss E. Roads. Scotland: Miss B. Carter. Wales: Miss D. Holdom. Russia: Miss D. Cook. Japan: Miss W. Young. Australia: Miss V. Roads. Ireland: Miss D. Bradbury. Egypt: Miss N. French. India: Miss E. Boyall. Servia: Miss M. Smith. Britannia: Miss H. Miles.
1915: Horses for the Western Front
Horses outside Winslow Station; they are on the land where Comerford Way now stands
Buckingham Advertiser, 1 May 1915
2,052 horses were loaded or unloaded at Winslow station for military purposes during the period from April 1st to 23rd.
Buckingham Advertiser, 22 May 1915
Notwithstanding the fact that 1,000 horses a week have been going through Winslow lately, very few accidents have occurred. A boy let four horses get entangled round a lamp-post in the Station Road a few days ago, with the result that the post was pulled down and broken ...
Buckingham Advertiser, 26 June 1915
The horse traffic at Winslow has assumed very large proportions. The camp on Mr. Bishop's farm on the Great Horwood Road is quite a sight to see. There were about 1,000 horses at Grandborough last week, and the total number is estimated at about 4,000.
Buckingham Advertiser, 7 Aug 1915
Under the auspices of the National Patriotic Organisation and the Bucks County Council, a crowded public meeting was held at the Oddfellows' Hall on Wednesday evening, the anniversary of the declaration of war, in order to strengthen the hands of the Government by passing the following resolution: "... this meeting of the inhabitants of Winslow records its inflexible determination to continue to a victorious end the struggle in maintenance of those ideals of Liberty and Justice which are the common and sacred cause of the Allies" ... no less than 134 of their men were serving in various capacities ... Captain Hansell (Norfolk Reserves) seconded the resolution ...
Support for the troops, 1917
The schoolmaster George Pass, whose name is on the card on the right (sent with a parcel to Winslow soldiers on the Western Front) was the moving force behind most practical efforts to support the troops, beginning with magic lantern shows about the British Expeditionary Force in November 1914. Winslow had a Soldiers' Comforts Fund.
Buckingham Advertiser, 10 Nov 1917
On Thursday, November 2nd, the third annual popular patriotic bazaar was held in the New Schools, on behalf of the Winslow Red Cross Working Party and Winslow Soldiers' and Sailors' Christmas Boxes, and proved a huge success, over £138 being cleared ...
Buckingham Advertiser, 19 May 1917
Mr. and Mrs. Fairman, of High Street, received on Sunday morning a post-card stating that their only son, Lieut. Bernard Fairman, was in hospital in France wounded. On Monday morning they received an official telegram telling them to go and see him at once, and on Tuesday a letter came from his nurse stating that he was dangerously ill. Everyone hopes that the gallant young fellow, who has received the Military Medal, been mentioned in despatches, and promoted from the ranks, wil have a speedy recovery.
[Bernard Fairman, shown in the photo on the left, was a railway clerk before the War, and a member of the Territorials. He was originally in the Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, but got a commission in the Duke of Cornwall's Regiment, and was acting Captain when injured. He was in hospital for 18 months, then went to run a cotton plantation in Nyassaland (Malawi) where he died of blackwater fever in 1923, aged 29. His parents' general store was at 72 High Street (now "Aroma").]
Buckingham Advertiser, 19 May 1917
Stoker (Petty Officer) John French, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph French, Vicarage Lane, was on board the "Broke" when the scrap took place outside Dover a few days ago. He had charge of one of the boilers, but had just finished his watch and gone to bed, but was soon up and in the thick of it. Unfortunately a shot went through the boiler, and several of his messmates were scalded to death. He is now home on leave.
The Buckingham Advertiser of 28 July 1917 reported on the unveiling and dedication of the War Shrine in the place where the War Memorial now stands. A service was held in the Parish Church "in which a very large congregation assembled, including the inmates of the V.A.D Hospital and other soldiers." The Bishop of Buckingham took the service, then led a procession to the Shrine, which was draped in a Union Jack and uncovered by Mrs Vaisey. "It is of dark oak and comprises a centre and two wings. Over it are the words 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." On the Shrine is a bronze crucifix with the words on either side 'Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,' and 'Light perpetual shine upon them.' Then follow the names of those who have given their lives ... On the wings are 248 names of those either serving or who have been discharged. Underneath is a large laurel wreath tied with red, white and blue. The whole has been excellently carried out by Mr. R.J. Matthews."
1917-19: The Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital
The Elms (30 High Street)
Buckingham Advertiser, 3 Feb 1917
The Winslow V.A.D. Hospital having been inspected on January 29th by Col. Ranking (Administrator 3rd Southern General Hospital, Oxford) received its first convoy of eleven patients on January 31st ... A good supply of clothing, etc., has been sent from St. John Ambulance headquarters ... the members of the Church of England Men's Society Winslow have undertaken the duties of night orderlies for the first two months. The hospital will be open to visitors each Tuesday and Friday in February from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Gifts of eggs, cake, fruit, and vegetables will always be welcome ...
Dorothy Lambton, Deputy Commandant Bucks No.8
This photo was taken three days after Armistice Day
Miss Lambton of Redfield was Deputy Commandant of Bucks 8 Detachment, and Dr Kennish was medical officer when the hospital opened. Constance McCorquodale was Quartermaster. The hospital closed in February 1919. There is more information about the volunteer nurses here: Red Cross: First World War volunteers (search for "Winslow" as location).
The end of the war, 1918
Buckingham Advertiser, 16 November 1918
WINSLOW PEACE REJOICINGS. The news the armistice reached Window about 11.15 a.m. [on 11 Nov], and soon spread. The Chairman of the Parish Council [A.J. Clear] exhibited a poster in large type, and soon flags were to be seen in the High Street and then on the Church tower. Presently the ringers were got together, and then from about 12.30 till dusk the bells pealed out, and when it was dark the V.A.D Hospital was illuminated, to the pleasure of everyone. At night a thanksgiving service was held in the Parish Church, which was quite full, and where a grand service was most impressively conducted by the Vicar, Rev. H.L.L. Denny. … On Tuesday, the weather being finer, the streets showed to even better advantage, and at night most people took privilege of the doing away with the lighting restrictions, so that with illuminations, etc., quite a good effect was presented. A good display of fireworks in the Old Flower Show Field, kindly lent by Messrs. Matthews, formed an appropriate ending to the day, especially as it concluded with the burning of an effigy of the Kaiser, after which three cheers were given for the King and Queen, and for the Commandant of the V.A.D. Hospital.
General election, 1918: Edward Jackman
The War was still very much in progress when registration for the next general election began in April 1918. The election was not actually called until November, three days after the Armistice, and took place in December. Registration was done under the Representation of the People Act of Feb 1918 which gave the vote to all men over 21 (and some women over 30). Serving soldiers aged 19 had to fill in a form like the one on the right.
Edward Jackman was the son of John and Emily Jackman. His father was a roadman for Bucks County Council. They were living in Avenue Road in 1911, and later moved to The Walk. Edward worked as a groom before the War. He was (according to information he gave in 1939) born on 30 May 1898, so he was actually 20 on 15 April 1918. However, when he joined the Royal Field Artillery on 30 Aug 1915 he claimed to be 19, so he had to put 22 (changed to 21) on his registration form. His military records show that his mother claimed he was too young to serve abroad. He was in fact sent to the Western Front, but was declared medically unfit for service in the field. He is recorded as a driver, and had the rank of saddler when he completed the form.
Edward was not demobbed until June 1919, when he was in Antwerp. He returned to Winslow and in 1923 he and his brother found themselves before the magistrates for poaching rabbits. They pleaded guilty but said that they were out of work, and the case was dismissed. He got married and left Winslow for Barnet, where he was working as a lorry driver in 1939.
General election, 1918: Thomas John Stairs
Thomas John Stairs is listed in the 1911 Census as an agricultural labourer aged 15 living in Hobhouchin Lane with his parents Christopher and Ann (nee Weston) Stairs and six siblings. He was born at Winslow on 20 May 1895. When he joined up at Oxford on 7 June 1915 he gave his occupation as groom. He served in the Oxon & Bucks Light Infantry on the Western Front from 30 Sep 1915. He was "dispersed" from the army on 2 Jan 1919 but not officially discharged until 28 June 1920.
Peace celebrations, 1919
Buckingham Advertiser, 26 July 1919
In common with the locality the Peace celebrations were sadly marred by the rain … The first thing was a peal of bells from the grey old Church tower at 9 a.m.; then at 11 o’clock there was a united service on the Market Square … At 1 o’clock the Leighton Carriage Works Band commenced to play on the Market Square, but soon the rain fell heavily, compelling them to make a hasty retreat into the Bell Yard … At 2.30 the sports commenced [in Winslow Hall grounds] … The ladies’ bicycle parade, with its decorations, was extremely pretty and greatly admired; the Winslow Jazz Band (with instruments) race was capital … The tug-of-war between eight Canadian and eight English soldiers was watched with great interest … The committee expected 1,300, but owing chiefly to the weather only about 1,100 partook of tea… The dance was finished up [on the Market Square] at about 10 o’clock. The band played under Mr. Cowper’s awning … Fireworks were let off in the Home Close …
1919: Parish meeting about a War Memorial
Minutes from the Parish Meetings Minutes Book
1919 Febry 5 A Parish Meeting held in the Oddfellows’ Hall Winslow on Wednesday the 5th February 1919 at 7.30 p.m. convened for the purpose of considering the advisability of erecting a Permanent War Memorial for the Parish. Present Mr. A. J. Clear Chairman of the Parish Council (Chairman) Mrs. E. M. Greaves, Miss Lambton, Mrs. E. R. Neal, Capt. W. H. Lambton, N. McCorquodale Esq. Messrs. J. Varney, W. Wise, H. C. Stock, A. Watson, J. White, G. Gazey, R. J. Matthews, T. F. Vaisey, J. C. Hawley, W. H. Stevens, E. A. Illing, G. Pass, R. J. Cowper, S. P. Wigley, G. Chapman, W. Emerson, G. A. Midgley, B. Sanderson, R. E. Golledge, R. T. Wise, G. H. Thompson, W. B. Viccars, R. Saunders, W. G. Wise, W. E. French, E. T. Lines, J. G. Wynne, D. Money, H. G. Rowe, Revd. W. H. Beer and about 100 others.
The Notice convening the Meeting was read.
The Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held 9th April 1918 were read and confirmed.
The Chairman having explained the object of the Meeting invited proposals for consideration.
Mr. McCorquodale proposed that the following Scheme be adopted:-
- That the War Memorial should take the form of a Cross placed on the Churchyard Wall facing High Street - where the temporary War Shrine now stands – with the names of those who have given their lives engraved on the base of it in legible letters.
- That an Institute or Club be founded, the names of all those who have served in H. M. Forces \to/ be put up In a prominent position inside the building.
- That a Committee be formed of say 7, with power to add to their number, to go into the question and to report to another meeting later on.
This was seconded by Capt. W. H. Lambton.
Mr. Pass, \Revd. W. H. Beer/ Corpl. W. J. Theobald & Mr. H. G. Rowe spoke strongly supporting the Scheme proposed.
Mr. W. Emerson entered a protest against the suggested erection of a Cross & the site named & moved as an amendment that the Nos 2 & 3 of the Scheme be adopted & No 1 dropped.
Further suggestions \were made/ by Mr. Housely that Baths be added to the Institute; & by Miss Lambton that the Institute should be more particularly for the Young men & Boys, and be managed by them; the Chairman on
The amendment not being seconded, the Chairman put the original resolution, & upon a show of hands being taken, declared it to be carried.
The following were appointed the Committee:-
N. McCorquodale Esq. Revd. C. J. Wigan, Revd. W. Haddon Beer, Messrs. A. J. Clear, G. Pass, E. A. Illing & Miss Lambton.
A communication was read from the Rural League soliciting names of discharged Soldiers desirous of [to continue]
1920: Unveiling of the War Memorial
The War Memorial was unveiled by Mrs Vaisey of Norden House, whose son had been killed. It was on the site of a temporary dark oak shrine dedicated in July 1917. It was designed by Mr B. Sanderson and erected by Wise & Son of Winslow. The lettering which you can see on it now was redone after the Second World War, when some mistakes crept in. The relatives of the fallen had a special place at the front of the ceremony, with the Girl Guides. The united Anglican, Baptist and Congregational choirs in the Churchyard led the hymns. The Bishop of Buckingham dedicated the memorial. One of the wreaths had the inscription: “From the townspeople of Winslow to our glorious dead who made the Great Sacrifice for us”.
The postcard below was sent by someone called Barbara to her uncle (unidentified) on the first anniversary of the War Memorial's unveiling.
Acknowledgments were made to the survivors, like the one below to Cecil Roads (see above), who never recovered from his injuries and died in 1921.
1921: Oddfellows War Memorial
Buckingham Advertiser, 7 May 1921
(with thanks to Melinda Cole of Mursley History for the transcription)
WINSLOW Oddfellows' Memorial. A memorial to the members of the Loyal Western Lodge of Oddfellows who gave their lives for their country during the Great War was unveiled on Friday evening last by Sir Alfred Warren. M.P. There was a large attendance at the Oddfellows' Hall, including contingents from Buckingham and Steeple Claydon. Hon. Bro. S. P. Wigley presided. supported by Bro. F Lomas P.P.G.M. (Banbury District), Bro. E. A. Illing (trustee). Bro. G. Gibbs, etc.—Hon. Bro. S. P. Wigley, in opening the meeting, spoke most feelingly on the supreme sacrifice the departed brothers had rendered and of the bereavement caused to their families.— Bro Lomas then introduced to the meeting Past Grand Master Sir Alfred Warren. O.B.E. M.P., speaking very highly of the services he had rendered to the Manchester Unity and terming him the Oddfellows' M.P., and spoke of the obligation they felt to him for leaving his manifold duties to come to a country lodge like theirs. Sir Alfred Warren, in reply, expressed the great pleasure he felt in the fact that the Loyal Western Lodge had decided to honour the memory of its brave members who had given their lives for their country, and although he was a busy man - and he could assure them that being M.P. was not all honey, especially when you had to trudge home at 2 o'clock in the morning—yet he gladly acceded to Bro. Lomas' request to unveil that token of their remembrance.—Then in deep silence Sir Alfred drew the Union Jack off the artistic oak tablet containing the names the following departed brethren —A. E. Adams, W. G. Budd, C. W. A. Chandler, A. Clarke, C. G. Colton. R. C. Cook, C. Cripps, F. Cripps, R. V. Dallaway. E. C. Edwin. H. Foskett, H. Gates, H.R. Gibson, W. Gibson, J. R. Gough, A. J. Harris, W. J. Holdom, H. Holt, A. G. Kirk, C. H. Langley, G. T. Leonard, F. Moore, D. G. Norman. R. G. Norman, F. Norman, H. T. Phillips, H. W. J. Price, E. T. Rickard, J. Scott, S. Smith, H. Tennant, A. Theobald, A. Walker, G. Warner, R. J. White. W. J. Whitehorn, H.H. Wigley.— Two wreaths were placed below the tablet, one by Mr. Geo. Stevens on behalf the lodge, and the other by Mr. Chowles for the ex-Service men.—Bro. Collingridge then proposed a very hearty vote of thanks to Sir Alfred for his kindness in coming down among them.—This was carried with acclamation, and Bro. Lomas moved the thanks to the meeting to the Chairman, stating that his family had been of the greatest assistance to the Lodge right from its formation. - After the formal proceedings were terminated. Sir Alfred gave a most interesting and practical address on Oddfellowship, taking it back to its earliest source and dwelling upon its aims. He described the movement as a most practical Christian one. Without committing itself to any dogmas, it tried to carry out the Sermon on the Mount, and recognised the great central power which was above man with all his limitations, and to whom all must bow, "Do unto them as you wish they should do unto you" was the essence of their order, and "Love your neighbour as yourself'' was what they tried to include; while another very strong point was "Don't ask the State to do for you what you can for yourself," and he certainly did not believe in State interference with Friendly Societies. And with all respect to the good old Trade Unions, he did not believe the policy of double wages, short hours, and little work was likely benefit this country. What ought to be was that the employer should look upon the workman as his "neighbour" and the employee should regard the master the same. Sir Alfred's address was listened with great interest and was frequently applauded.
This memorial seems to have disappeared at the time of the fire in the Public Hall (as it was then called) in the 1970s, but is now understood to be in safe hands.
See also:
- History of the British Legion Hall by Alan Wigley (PDF, 113KB)