They Gave Their Today
  • Home
  • Memorials
  • Gallery
  • RAF Stations/Squadrons
  • Chaplains
  • Contact
  • My Thoughts
  • Links
  • Middlesmoor
  • Ramsgill

Watchfield, The Church of St Thomas

Picture
FOR GOD, FOR KING, FOR COUNTRY
IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF
THE MEN OF THIS VILLAGE WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR
1914    -    1918
Picture
Picture
Picture
FRANK CHESTER BUCKLAND. PRIVATE
1ST ROYAL BERKS REGT
3RD MARCH 1916. AGED 23 YEARS

BENJAMIN LOVEGROVE. GUNNER
HMS DEFENCE
31ST MAY 1916. AGED 36 YEARS

HENRY JOHN WALKER. SERGEANT
2ND WILTS REGT
7TH JULY 1916. AGED 26 YEARS

JOHN SIMMONDS. LANCE CORPORAL
4TH LONDON REGIMENT
7TH OCTOBER 1916. Aged 34 YEARS

JOHN WILLIAM FULLER
PRIVATE 1ST ROYAL BERKS REGT
25TH OCTOBER 1914
AGED 35 YEARS

THOMAS WINTLE
PRIVATE 1ST GLOUCESTER REGT
18 NOVEMBER 1914
AGED 34 YEARS

NORMAN BOOTH WYATT
LANCE-CORPORAL 5TH ROYAL BERKS REGT
14 OCTOBER 1915
AGED 19 YEARS

JAMES RIDDELL BUCKNILL
LIEUTENANT RN HMS NEGRO
21 DECEMBER 1916
AGED 23 YEARS

WILLIAM THOMAS ANGER (I believe that his name is incorrectly recorded and should be AINGER)
PRIVATE, 7TH WILTS REGT
25 APRIL 1917
AGED 24 YEARS

ALBERT EDWARD HIGGINS
GUNNER, RGA
5 JULY 1917
AGED 30 YEARS

GEORGE HENRY WOODHAM
PRIVATE, 1ST WILTS REGT
FEBRUARY 16TH 1917
AGED 30 YEARS
The War Memorial in the Churchyard of the Church of St Thomas, Watchfield

The fallen in WW1

William Thomas AINGER
Private, 7th (Service) Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment), 79 Brigade, 26th Division. Army no 32348. He was formerly Army no 1287 with the Middlesex Regiment
He was killed in action on 24 April 1917. He was 24
He is remembered on the Doiran Memorial, Greece
Additional Information
He was the son of Thomas and Emily Ainger of Watchfield

James Riddell BUCKNILL
Lieutenant, HMS Negro, Royal Navy
He died on active service when his ship was lost on 21 December 1916. He was 25
He is remembered on panel 15 of the Chatham Naval Memorial
Additional Information
He was the son of George Edward and Alice Dorothy Bucknill, Watchfield House, Shrivenham.
Further information
On 21 December 1916, while escorting the Grand Fleet during a sweep, the new flotilla leader HMS Hoste suffered a steering engine failure. She was ordered back to Scapa, escorted by the destroyer HMS Negro. The weather worsened and, when the temporary repairs to her steering failed, HMS Hoste sheered to starboard and HMS Negro, only 400 yards astern couldn’t avoid her and ran into her aft. The collision knocked two depth charges off HMS Hoste and the resulting explosions blew in the bottom of HMS Negro, which sank quickly and seriously damaged HMS Hoste.
The destroyers HMS Marmion and HMS Marvel closed the scene and were able to rescue some of HMS Negro’s crew and attempted to tow HMS Hoste but she had to be abandoned as she was breaking in half.
​In very heavy seas HMS Marvel closed her thirteen times, a part of HMS Hoste’s crew jumping to safety each time. Casualties, HMS Negro, 5 officers and 45 men lost, HMS Hoste 4 men lost.

John William FULLER
Private, 1st Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment), 6 Brigade, 2nd Division. Army no 7539
He was killed in action near Ypres on 25 October 1914. He was 35
He is remembered on panel 45 of the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres
Additional information
He was the son of Alice and the late John Fuller

Albert Edward HIGGINS
Gunner, 289th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. Army no 110667
He was killed in action near Ypres on 5 July 1917. He was 29
He is buried in grave II B 29 Dickebusch New Military Cemetery Extension, Ypres
Additional Information
He was the husband of A H Higgins, Hillside Cottage, Watchfield

Benjamin LOVEGROVE
Gunner, HMS Defence, Royal Marine Artillery. RN no RMA/7480
He died when his ship was lost on 31 May 1916 during the Battle of Jutland. He was 36
He is remembered on panel 21 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial
Additional information
He was the husband of Esther Lovegrove. He was born in Longcot
Further information
At the Battle of Jutland, 31 May -1 June 1916, HMS Defence blew up whilst under heavy fire from the German battleship Friedrich Der Grosse. Her crew of 903 were all lost.

John SIMMONDS
Lance Corporal, 1st/4th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), 168 Brigade, 56th Division. Army no 5926
He was killed in action on 7 October 1916 in the fighting at Transloy Ridges. He was 34
He is remembered on pier and face 9D and 16B of the Thiepval Memorial
Additional information
He was the son of Thomas and Ann Simmonds of Watchfield.
He was born in Watchfield and enlisted in Greenwich

Henry John WALKER
Sergeant, 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment), 14 Brigade, 32nd Division. Army no 8037
He was killed in action on 7 July 1916 on the battlefields on the Somme. He was 26
He is remembered on pier and face 13A of the Thiepval Memorial
Additional information
It is probable that he had been transferred to 6th Battalion.

Thomas WINTLE
Private, 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment, 3 Brigade, 1st Division. Army no 6556
He died from his wounds on 18 November 1914. He was 34
He is buried in grave III A 53 Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
Additional information
He was the husband of Florence Ethel Wintle of Watchfield

George Henry WOODHAM
Private, 1st Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment). Army no 18766
He died probably from natural causes on 16 February 1917. He was 30
He is buried in grave III A 39 Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord
Additional information
He was born in Wantage and living in Marlborough when he enlisted

Norman Booth WYATT
Lance Corporal, 5th (Service) Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment), 35 Brigade, 12th Division. Army no 10262
He was killed in action on 13 October 1915 in the fighting near the Quarries at Hulluch. He was 18
He is remembered on panel 93 to 95 of the Loos Memorial
Additional Information
He was the son of Sarah Jane Wyatt of Watchfield and the late Charles Thomas Wyatt

The Fallen who are not on the War Memorial

Thomas BROGDEN
Private, 8th (Service) Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment), 1 Brigade, 1st Division. Army no 14868
He was killed in action during the Battle of Loos on 25 September 1915. He was 25
He is remembered on panel 93 to 95 of the Loos Memorial
Additional Information
He was the son of John Brogden of Watchfield and the husband of A F Brogden of Lyford, Wantage

Frank Chester BUCKLAND
Private, 5th (Service) Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment), 35 Brigade, 12th Division. Army no 9644
He was killed in action on 3 March 1916 in the fighting at the Hohenzollern Craters. He was 21
He is buried in grave VI C 29 Vermelles British Cemetery
Additional Information
He was the son of Ellen Miness (formerly Buckland) of Watchfield and the late Frank Buckland

Douglas Bertram HUTSON
Lieutenant, Army Service Corps
He died, probably from natural causes, on 23 July 1918. He was 19
He is buried in grave 1 C J 115 Charlton Cemetery, Greenwich
Additional Information
He was the son of Mrs Katharine Hutson of Watchfield

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.