Shipton on Cherwell
In The Church of the Holy Cross
A brass plaque To the Glory of God and in honour of JAMES STEVENS 2ND LIEUT 5TH BATTALION OXFORDSHIRE AND BUCKINGHAMSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY WHO FELL IN ACTION IN THE BATTLE OF ARRAS EASTER MONDAY APRIL 9 1917 AGED 26 YEARS I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH HE RESTS IN THE BRITISH CEMETERY AT NEUVILLE VITASSE A STAINED GLASS WINDOW INSCRIBED
THY BROTHER SHALL RISE AGAIN BUT MARY SAT STILL IN THE HOUSE Underneath is a brass plaque inscribed
TO THE GLORY OF GOD IN MEMORY OF HORACE COWLEY BROWN A CAPTAIN IN HER MAJESTY’S REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY WHO DIED OF INJURIES RECEIVED IN THE DISCHARGE OF HIS DUTY THIS WINDOW IS HERE SETANNO DOMINI MDCCCLXXIII AETATIS XXXIV (1873) A wall plaque
REMEMBER THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE TWO GREAT WARS 1914 -1918 WALTER COOPER ALFRED HINTON ALLAN PARROTT DENYS PARROTT 1939 – 1945 PATRICK G BULFORD JOSEPH COLES CHRISTOPHER DUNCAN JOHN FREARSON |
The Fallen from WW1
Walter COOPER Private, 1st Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 28 Brigade, 7th Indian Division. Army no 18979. He died on 17 May 1916. He was 40 He was the husband of Edith Minnie Cooper of Shipton. He is buried in grave VIII H 8 Amara War Cemetery, Iraq Alfred HINTON Private 2nd/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 184 Brigade, 61st Division. Army no. 203812. He was killed in action during the Battle of St Quentin on 21 March 1918 He was the son of Thomas and Sarah Hinton He is buried in grave III E 6 Chapelle British Cemetery, Holnon, near St Quentin Allan Bourne PARROTT Private 1st/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 145 Brigade, 48th Division. Army no 5110 He was killed in action on 23 July 1916 in the fighting at Pozières Ridge. He was 19 He was the son of Benjamin and Charlotte E Parrott, Shipton House. He is remembered on pier and face 10A and 10D of the Thiepval Memorial Denys Hele PARROTT Lieutenant 2nd/17th (County of London) Battalion (Poplar and Stepney Rifles) London Regiment, 180 Brigade He was killed in action on 30 April 1918. He was 23 He was the son of Benjamin and Charlotte E Parrott, Shipton House. He is buried in grave N 64 Jerusalem War Cemetery Additional Information His birth was registered as Denis. His probate record spells his second name as Heale James STEVENS Second Lieutenant, 5th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 42 Brigade, 14th Division He was killed in action on 9 April 1917. He was 26 He was the son of Henry Thomas and Emma Stevens of Wootton He is buried in grave III F 5 Tilloy British Cemetery, Tilloy-Les-Mofflaines, near Arras The Fallen from WW2 Patrick Gordon BULFORD Lieutenant, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Army no 184575 He was killed in action on 26 August 1944. He was 24 He was the son of Gordon J E and Phyllis Bulford of Thrup He is buried in grave 2 Beuzeville Communal Cemetery Additional Information An extract from contemporary War Diary notes: Battle for Manneville La Raoult 26 Aug 44 Approx Timings Received orders to attack and capture village. Plan. 22 pl (Nicholson) fire pl firing across valley from the right flank. 25 pl (Vasey) main effort to adv under arty fire, capture church and X rds. Recce pl (Bulford) res. 18.50 hrs. Enemy SP gunned church and X roads area. 19.00 hrs. Information from 25 by runner that they were in possession of church area and were near X roads where SP fire and LMG fire had held them up. 19.05 hrs. Issued orders to Recce Pl to move up on right of 25 to secure area South of X roads to give me a base on hill. 22 to come into res. 19.15 hrs. Information through 25 that Recce had reached line of road South of X roads without serious opposition. I therefore moved up to just short of X roads with adv Coy HQ and 22. 19.30 hrs. Reached X roads under LMG fire to find that enemy were holding N.E. of village in some strength (afterwards learnt from civilians that there were some 70/75 Germans milling around this area at this time). The Recce Pl had apparently swung across the front of 25 and were pinned down in the orchard by accurate enemy fire from the N.E. They were between the enemy and 25. 19.45 hrs. Could get no information from Recce Pl. Gave orders to 22 to make a wide right flanking to cut off and deal with enemy posn. 20.15 hrs. 25 still under my hand, no further information from two other pls. Coy HQ under constant MMG fire, expecting enemy SP or Mortar fire any moment. 20.30 hrs. Decided to commit 25 on left flank to complete a pincer movement on the enemy posn. Sent runner to recce and 22 giving them plan. Recce to act as fire pl. 20.48 hrs. 25 moved off to left. Orders for consolidation were - 25 astride road running North from village, 22 X tracks East of village, Recce astride road South and to Liaise with C Coy. 21.00 hrs. Received information that Lt Bulford seriously wounded. Sent S.Bs who returned to say Lt Bulford and L/Cpl Ballantyne killed. Put CSM in Comd of Recce with orders to get them together and sp 22 and 25 moving up on either flank. 21.15 hrs. Visited by LO and told A Coy attacking on my left. Still no information from 22 and 25; went off to find 22, had to crawl all the way because of enemy fire. Could not locate 22, afterwards found out they had made a wider flanking than I thought and were dealing with enemy pulling out along a sunken track running East from main road 250 yds North of X rds. 2" Mortar HE used by 22. 21.30 hrs. Returned to Coy HQ. No information from 25. Was getting dark and enemy fire had died down. Confirmed on the air that A Coy not required. Much uncertainty caused during battle by enemy using Bren guns. [???]5 hrs. Information from 25 that they had consolidated and had captured 13 prisoners in the act of leaving with two fully loaded horse drawn vehs. Other pls also consolidated. Sent out patrols to confirm no enemy left in area and to get in touch with C Coy. 22.30 hrs. Received orders for patrolling throughout the night. For more information see: http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/war_2ndOxBucks.htm Joseph COLES Lance Corporal 2nd/7th Battalion, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey). Army no 5389440 He died on 3 March 1945 during the Italian Campaign which was driving the German forces north and out of Italy. He was 29 He was the son of Joseph H and Harriett Marie Coles and the husband of Alice Coles of Thrup He is buried in grave V B 23 Forli War Cemetery, Italy Christopher James DUNCAN Midshipman (S), HMS Orion, Royal Navy He was killed in a bombing attack on 29 May 1941. He was 21 He is remembered on panel 45, column 1 of Plymouth Naval Memorial Additional information In the early part of 1941 the Cruiser, HMS Orion was in the Crete and Aegean and was also at the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941. On 29 May 1941, during the evacuation of Crete, she was bombed and badly damaged while transporting 1900 evacuated troops. Around 360 lives were lost, of whom 100 were soldiers. After extensive damage control had been undertaken she limped to Alexandria at 12 knots, providing a spectacular sight in the harbour with the mast wedged into the ship's funnel and with significant battle damage Frederick John FREARSON Flying Officer, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, 15 Squadron, Royal Air Force. RAFVR no 156827 He died in an air crash on active service on 2 November 1944. He was 22 He was the son of Frederick H and Rebecca A Frearson of Woodstock He is buried in grave 4 Roman Catholic Cemetery, Erp, Netherlands Additional Information Erp is a village 8 kilometres north-west of Gemert and 48 kilometres south-west of Veghel. Lancaster HK612 LS-L took off at 11.03 hours from RAF Mildenhall. It collided with another aircraft from the same squadron at 20,000 feet over the Netherlands. The rest of the crew who died were: Flight Lieutenant Earley DFM, MiD, Pilot Officer AA Marrkovitch, Flying Officer J E Campbell DFC, Pilot Officer GW Lilley, Wireless Operator G W Morris and Flight Sergeant S F Woollard |