Alkerton by the drive to the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels
In memory of the men of
This parish who gave their lives In the great war 1914 -1918 J B BOLTON P J CRAWFORD-WOOD W H BUTLER H GARDNER G CRAWFORD-WOOD P E PERKINS D E POWELL 
OLIVER A N SIMMONDS
Engraved on a side panel. I assumed that it was a later war but it turned out to be an omissission from the front panel |
The Fallen in WW1 named on the War Memorial
James Benjamin BOLTON Private 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5 Brigade, 2nd Division. Army no. 7088 He died of his wounds received in the first Battle of Ypres on 3 November 1914. He was 31 He is buried in grave II A 6 Ypres Town Cemetery Extension Additional Information He was the son of George Bolton and the husband of Jessie Bolton of Alkerton. He was born in Steeple Aston William Henry BUTLER Driver, 15th Reserve Battery, A Reserve Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. Army no. 226681 He died, probably of natural causes, on 29 April 1917. He was 33 He is buried in grave 239 Durrington Cemetery, near Larkhill, Wiltshire Additional Information He was the husband of Harriet Annie Butler of Alkerton, Guy Dominic CRAWFORD-WOOD Second Lieutenant, 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, 3rd Guards Brigade, Guards Division He was killed in action in Belgium on 1 July 1916. He was 21 He is buried in grave II J 2 Brandhoek Military Cemetery near Ypres Additional Information He was the son of James Crawford-Wood JP, Alkerton House Peter James CRAWFORD-WOOD Probationary Flight Officer, RNAS Eastbourne, Royal Naval Air Service He was killed on active service on 23 October 1917. He was flying in Avro 504G (Admiralty 179 Dual Type) tractor biplane when it crashed. He was 18 He is buried in the churchyard of St Michael’s Church, Alkerton Additional Information He was the son of James Crawford-Wood JP, Alkerton House Harry GARDNER Private, 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 57 Brigade, 19th Division. Army no 17787 He was killed in action on 31 May 1918 at the Battle of the Aisne. He was 28 He is remembered on the Soissons Memorial Additional Information He was the son of John and Ellen Gardner Percy Edward PERKINS Lance Corporal, 5th (Service) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 42 Brigade, 14th Division. Army no 10088 He died on 25 August 1916 from his wounds he received in the fighting at Delville Wood. He was 20 He is buried in grave I A 17 Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension Additional Information He was the son of Clara Annie and the late James Perkins of Alkerton David E Powell Private, Warwickshire Yeomanry. Army no 2696 He died on 19 August 1915 at sea from the wounds he had received in Gallipoli. He was 23 He is remembered on panel 16 of the Helles Memorial Additional Information He was the son of Jane Powell, Hillesden, Oxford Road, Banbury He was probably being evacuated in a Hospital Ship Oliver Arnold N SIMMONDS Petty Officer 1st Class, HMS Bulwark, Royal Navy. RN no 190001 He was killed on active service on 26 November 1914 He is remembered on panel 1 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial Additional Information He was the husband of Elizabeth Pattie, formerly Simmonds, 27 Baker Street, Landport, Portsmouth Further information On the afternoon of Thursday, 26 November, 1914, Winston Churchill made the following statement to the House of Commons: "I regret to say I have some bad news for the house. The Bulwark battleship, which was lying in Sheerness this morning, blew up at 07.35 o'clock. The Vice and Rear Admiral, who were present, have reported their conviction that it was an internal magazine explosion which rent the ship asunder. There was apparently no upheaval in the water, and the ship had entirely disappeared when the smoke had cleared away. An inquiry will be held tomorrow which may possibly throw more light on the occurrence. The loss of the ship does not sensibly affect the military position, but I regret to say the loss of life is very severe. Only 12 men are saved. All the officers and the rest of the crew, who, I suppose, amounted to between 700 and 800, have perished. I think the House would wish me to express on their behalf the deep sorrow with which the House heard the news, and their sympathy with those who have lost their relatives and friends." Later findings HMS Bulwark, a battleship of 15,000 tons, was moored to No. 17 buoy in Kethole Reach on the River Medway, almost opposite the town of Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, Kent. It was one of the ships forming the 5th Battle Squadron. She had been moored there for some days, and many of her crew had been given leave the previous day. They had returned to the Bulwark at 7 o'clock that morning and the full complement was on-board. The usual ship's routine was taking place. Officers and men were having breakfast in the mess below deck, other were going about their normal duties. A band was practising while some men were engaged in drill. The disaster struck. A roaring and rumbling sound was heard and a huge sheet of flame and debris shot upwards. The ship lifted out of the water and fell back. There was a thick cloud of grey smoke and further explosions. When the smoke eventually cleared, the Bulwark had sunk without trace. None of the Bulwark's officers survived. On Monday, 30 November, the funerals of 21 of the victims took place in the Naval Burial Ground at Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham. WW2 I have not identified any casualties in WW2 from Alkerton |
