Upper Heyford:
Details of the aircrew burials may be seen by clicking on the button at the end of this page
Upper Heyford War Memorial
IN THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE
1914~1918 
The War Graves
TRUE LOVE BY LIFE - TRUE LOVE BY DEATH IS TRIED LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND! - WE FOR ENGLAND DIED 
Memorial Stone in the Cemetery
inscribed: ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS OF THIS VILLAGE IN RECOGNITION OF THE CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH ROYAL AIR FORCE UPPER HEYFORD 
Memorial plate on a wooden bench in the Cemetery which is engraved:
FRANK & VICTOR WICKSON RA
1939-1945 
A plaque in the Church
ROYAL AIR FORCE UPPER HEYFORD In grateful thanks to the Airmen and Women of the United States Air Force stationed at RAF Upper Heyford 1951-1993 in support of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 
IN MEMORY OF
CAPT JERRY LINDH and MAJ DAVID "MIKE" McGUIRE WHO GALLANTLY GAVE THEIR LIVES TO SAVE OUR VILLAGE ON 17 SEPT 1992 GOD BLESS FROM ALL YOUR FRIENDS AT UPPER HEYFORD A word of explanation in the words of an eye witness Captain Lindh and Major McGuire were the crew of an American F111 on approach to RAF Upper Heyford. They were flying too low. Captain Lindh flew the plane away from the village that was in the landing path. So in essence they saved others by steering the plane away. |
The Fallen from WW1
Arthur ALLEN Private, 9th (Service) Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 36 Brigade, 12th Division. Army no. 14641 He was killed in action in Flanders on 13 April 1916. He was 27. He was the son of James M and the late Sarah Allen, Upper Heyford who had moved to Western House, Harbury, Leamington and the husband of the late Sarah E Allen He is remembered on panel 25 to 27 of the Loos Memorial Jesse William BAYLISS Private, 2nd/1st Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 184 Brigade, 61st Division. Army no. 201905 He died from wounds received on the Somme on 2 April 1918. He was 19. He was the son of the late William and of Emily Bayliss, 23 Upper Heyford He is buried in grave I H 20 Namps au Val British Cemetery Joseph John BODDINGTON Private, 5th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 42 Brigade, 14th Division. Army no. 23861 He died from his wounds on 28 August 1916. He was 21 He was the son of Arthur J and Francis M Boddington, Upper Heyford He is buried in grave III G 25 Heilly Station Cemetery, Méricourt L'Abbé Corin Henry Benedict COOPER MSc Lieutenant, 178th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers He died of his wounds on 20 November 1916. He was 24 He was the son of the Rev. Sydney and Edith Cooper of Petherton, Truro who had previously had the living of Upper Heyford. Corin had gained his MSc at McGill University, Montreal He is buried in grave I A 70, Étaples Military Cemetery Christopher James DALE Private, Oxfordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars), 4 Cavalry Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division. Army no. 285498 He was killed in action during the fighting at St Quentin on 23 March 1918. He was 31 He was the son of Thomas and Augusta Dale, Rectory Farm, Upper Heyford and the brother of Thomas, see the next entry. He is buried in grave 2 K 15, The British Extension, The Communal Cemetery Chauny Thomas Robert DALE Private, 3rd Garrison Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Army no. 17824 He died on 14 April 1915. He was 37 and stationed near Portsmouth He too was the son of Thomas and Augusta Dale, Rectory Farm, Upper Heyford and the husband of Esther Dale of 22 Upper Heyford He is buried in grave C 30 Christ Church Military Cemetery, Portsdown Albert GOLDER Private 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5 Brigade, 2nd Division. Army no. 8611 He died from his wounds received during the Battle of the Aisne on 16 September 1914 He was 28 and the son of John and Jane Golder, Upper Heyford He is buried in grave I H 5 Vailly British Cemetery Arthur Charles Benson GOLDER Private 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5 Brigade, 2nd Division. Army no. 10029 He died from his wounds received during the Battle of the Aisne on 26 September 1915. He was 24 He was the son of Charles and Lavinia Golder He is buried in grave I E 9 Choques Military Cemetery Tom IZZARD aka Tom HUDSON He was known by both surnames because of his Father's death and his Mother's remarriage. Tom HUDSON DCM Company Sergeant Major, 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5 Brigade, 2nd Division. Army no. 6970 He was killed in action during the Battle of the Aisne on 25 September 1915. He was 32 He was the son of Robert and Mary A Izzard of Great Rollright and a native of Upper Heyford. He is buried in grave II E 5 Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuinchy James NORMAN Signaller, 5th (Service) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 42 Brigade, 14th Division. Army no. 10992 He died from his wounds on 15 July 1916. He was 24 He was the foster son of the late Mrs Elizabeth Nelder of Upper Heyford who died age 67, very shortly after James He is buried in grave IV A 4 Avesnes le Comte Communal Cemetery Extension Sidney George SCRAGG Private, 1st/1st Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 145 Brigade, 48th Division. Army no. 202096 He was killed in action during the Battle of Ypres on 27 August 1917. He was 30 He was the son of Thomas and Charlotte Scragg, 22 Australia Avenue, Maidenhead and a native of Upper Heyford and brother of Jesse, see next entry He is buried in grave XXIII C 17, New Irish Farm Cemetery, near Ypres Jesse SCRAGG Private, 2nd/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 184 Brigade, 61st Division. Army no. 203793 He was killed in action during the Battle of the Selle on 25 October 1918. He was 36. He was the son of Thomas and Charlotte Scragg, 22 Australia Avenue, Maidenhead and a native of Upper Heyford He is remembered on panel 7 of the Vis en Artois Memorial Thomas William SLATTER Private, 2nd Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 5 Brigade, 2nd Division Army no. 7481 He was killed in action near Arleux during the Battle of Arras on 28 April 1917. He was 33 He was the son of Phoebe Gardner previously Slatter, Upper Heyford He is remembered on bay 6 and 7 of the Arras Memorial Frederick John WILSON Private, Oxfordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars), 4 Cavalry Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division. Army no. 2375 He died in hospital in Rouen on 16 July 1915. He was 18 He was the son of Emma Golder (formerly Wilson), The Leys, Upper Heyford and the late John Wilson He is buried in grave A 5 31 St Sever Cemetery, Rouen The Fallen from WW1 not on the War Memorial George Edwin MULLIS Captain, 14th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery He was killed in action on 30 September 1916. He was 38 He was the husband of Florence L Mullis, 52 New Street, Leamington Spa He is buried in grave J 9 Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extension It has been suggested by his family that this soldier was born in Upper Heyford but there are two points which remain unclear. Was his second name Edwin and when was he born? His family believe that he was born in 1874 and baptised George Edward on 18 January 1874. They believe that the names Edward and Edwin are interchangeable Secondly, military records show that he recorded his year of birth as 1872 and 1877. His marriage certificate indicates the birth date as 1877. What we do know is that he was killed by shellfire, fighting for his country. The Fallen in WW2 Harry “Victor” WICKSON Gunner, 89 Battery, 35 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. Army no. 1483299 He was 41 when he died on 22 July 1943. He was a Prisoner of War of the Japanese Army. After he was captured in Java in March 1942 and subsequently sent to work on the forced construction of the “Burma Railway” He was the son of Harry and Catherine Wickson and the husband of Rose A Wickson, Upper Heyford He is buried in grave B4 Q 14, Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Burma Additional information Victor and Frank, see next entry, were brothers and had served in the same unit, 35 Regiment. This was a special TA Regiment formed at Oxford on 2 September 1939 for the defence of RAF airfields in the area against air attack. It recruited initially older men (aged 25 to 50) and by early 1940 comprised five batteries with Headquarters at Oxford, Abingdon, Gloucester, Cheltenham and Reading. In mid 1940 this Regiment reverted to a normal Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment and reduced to three batteries 78, 89 and 144. RHQ was located in Black Hall, St Giles, Oxford. Posted to the East, their convoy was diverted en route to India and the Battery disembarked in Singapore on 13 January 1942. At some stage the battery moved to Java Francis Thomas (Frank) WICKSON Gunner, 89 Battery, 35 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. Army no. 1483298 He died on 12 November 1942 at 14.20 hours. He was 34. He was the son of Harry and Catherine Wickson He is remembered on panel 4, The Cremation Memorial, Yokohama, Japan Additional information He was on a Hellship, “Singapore Maru” whilst a Prisoner of War of the Japanese Army and being transported from Java where he had been captured in March 1942 to Japan where he was to be a slave labourer. He was given a PoW reference Java Number 2696 He died at sea suffering from Diarrhoea & exhaustion. It is most likely that he was intended to become a slave labourer in the coal mines. He was cremated 13 November 1942 and his ashes buried in Moji Communal Grave, Takao City It is recorded that he died at sea as well as in Takao Port. At sea is probably the accurate answer. He was being transported on the “Singapore Maru” which left Batavia, Java on 17 October 1942 with 3,000 prisoners and arrived on 25 October 1942 in Singapore. It left Singapore for Takao/Moji, Japan on 30 October 1942 with 1,100 prisoners and arrived 25 November 1942. 108 died on the journey or as a direct result from the deplorable conditions the prisoners endured. The vessels are known as Hellships because the Japanese did not indicate that they were carrying prisoners so these were targeted like all Japanese shipping by the Allied Forces. The other factor is that the PoWs were transported like freight in the holds and given little water, food or fresh air Click the button below to read about the Aircrew who are buried in this Cemetery
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