They Gave Their Today
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Milcombe

Picture
A Plaque in the porch of the Church of St Laurence, Milcombe
Picture
IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN
OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVES THEIR
LIVES FOR US IN THE GREAT WAR
1914-1918

CHARLES FLETCHER
THOMAS FLETCHER
WILLIAM PRATT
HERBERT COLEMAN
PERCY BISHOP

AND IN THE WAR
1939-1945

J W WOODWARD
H R WOODWARD
Picture
The Fallen in WW1

Charles George FLETCHER
Private, 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5 Brigade, 2nd Division. Army no. 6757
He was wounded during the fighting near Ypres and died on 26 October 1914. He was 34.
He was the son of John and Elizabeth Fletcher, The Green, Milcombe and his younger brother Thomas is the next entry.
He is buried in grave III A 12, Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
Additional information
The CWGC record that he was in a different battalion but as that battalion was not in France, I have presumed that the other records are correct

Thomas (Tom) FLETCHER
Rifleman, 13th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own), 111 Brigade, 37th Division. This Brigade was attached to 24th Division at this time. Army no. S/2760
He was the son of John and Elizabeth Fletcher, The Green, Milcombe.
He was killed in action on 10 July 1916 during the Battle of Albert, Somme.  He was 22
He is buried in grave III B 18 Pozières British Cemetery, Ovillers La Boiselle
            
William Albert PRATT
Private, 5th (Service) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 42 Brigade, 14th Division. Army no. 17360
He was killed in action on 3 May 1917 during the third Battle of the Scarpe. He was 26
He was the son of Sarah and the late Fred Pratt, Geels Lane, Milcombe
He is remembered on bay 6 & 7 of the Arras Memorial

Herbert COLEMAN
Private 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, 1st Guards Brigade, Guards Division. Army no. 28521
He was killed in action on 27 August 1918 at the Battle of the Scarpe during the second Battle of Arras. He was 21
He was the son of Una Coleman of Milcombe 
He is buried in grave IV D 14 Mory Abbey Military Cemetery, Mory

Percy Frederick BISHOP
Private, 5th (Service) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 42 Brigade, 14th Division. Army no. 202755
He was killed in action on 23 March 1918 during the Battle of St
Quentin. He was 21
He was the son of Henry and Mary J Bishop, High Street,
Milcombe
He is remembered on panel 50 & 51 of the Pozières Memorial.

The Fallen in WW2

Herbert William WOODWARD
Sergeant, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.  Army no. 5381488
He died in a plane crash in Norway on 10 May 1945. He was 29 
He was the son of Albert J and Mary A Woodward, the brother of John and the husband of Doris Woodward, Wantage.
He is buried in Coll Grave 1 E 1-8 Oslo Western Civil Cemetery.
I am led to believe by a member of the family that this is the correct man even though the second initial on the memorial is therefore incorrect. As he was known to have died in Norway after VE Day, it is memorable
Additional information
Operation Doomsday     1st British Airborne Division flew into Norway on 9 May 1945 to oversee the surrender of the German Forces. The task was to maintain law and order, secure airfields, prevent sabotage and oversee the German surrender. This was a difficult assignment as 6,000 airborne troops were to disarm and control 350,000 German soldiers. 1st Airborne Division retained control until the arrival of HQ Allied Land Forces in Norway as well as conducting the welcoming ceremony for the return of the King of Norway from exile.
The accident                          
Stirling IV LK297 took off from RAF Great Dunmow with bad weather conditions in the Oslo area with heavy rain and fog. The Stirling hit AndtjernÂsen, ploughed down the hillside and exploded, killing all 24 on board. 
Among them: Air Vice-Marshal Sir J R Scarlett-Streatfield and the Norwegian liaison officer Major Petter Cato Juliebø.
The aircrew were Squadron Leader Douglas R Robertson, Flight Lieutenant Norman L Roseblade, Flight Lieutenant Lemuel E Prowse, Flight Sergeant Arthur G Davies, Flight Sergeant Ronald Alderson and Warrant Officer George E Thompson
Soldiers from 1st Airborne: Sergeant Herbert W Woodward,
Corporal Sidney G Rayner, Private Frederick Sainty, Private Edward Waby, Private David W Cooper, Private Walter R Lovett, Private Walter W Elliott, Private Kenneth J Watts, Private George Walton, Private Michael M Wade, Private Francis G Trainor, Private John Shannon, Private Clarence Sutherland, Private William 
Rodger, Private Edmund C Monk and Private Frank G McGlynn.
They are all buried at Vestre Gravlund in Oslo.
During Operation Doomsday, 663 planes landed at Gardermoen and a further 405 at Sola carrying a total of 7,139 soldiers. But on the day that Herbert Woodward died, two other Stirlings crashed on this operation.

John William WOODWARD
Rifleman, 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Army no. 6898253
He was killed in action on 30 August 1944 in the fighting near Gournay during the Falaise actions. He was 29.
He was the son of Albert J and Mary Woodward and the elder brother of Herbert, the previous entry
He was buried in an isolated grave near Fleury la Forêt. This grave has since been lost but he is remembered on spec memorial block S near plot IV St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen
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