AMBRIDGE

AMBRIDGE

ASHBY

BIRD

BURR

BURR

DAVIS

FROST

GUTTERIDGE

HILL

HILL

JANEWAY

MARTIN

MARTIN

MARTIN

NICHOLLS

PAYNE

Pte 204157 4th Bn. Bedfordshire Reg.. Died: Tues. 30 Oct 1917 aged 22. Son of Sabta & Louise Payne, Barton Hill Cottage, Streatley. Comm: Tyne Cot.

SAUNDERS

Pte 15598 10th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) Killed in action Friday 28 Sept 1917 aged 23. born 1894 in Camberwell, the family returning to Barton by 1897 where his parents ran a grocer's shop and tearooms. Resident Ampthill. Enlisted London. Only son of Thomas & Elizabeth Saunders of Barton. No known grave. Commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Extract from contemporary newspaper:

24^th January 1916

Mr. And Mrs. Saunders, of The Stores, High Street, have recently received some interesting letters from their only son, Tom, who has seen service with the 8^th Duke of Wellington’s at the Dardanelles, but who is now at a rest camp at Cairo. In one of his letters he says:- "I would like to stop here for the duration of the war. This is the best shop I’ve had since I enlisted. All you have to do is feed and sleep, and a nice little bed-cot to sleep in; different from laying in the bottom of the trenches. By the papers here it looks as if conscription is coming in England. I think all the single men should enlist. Let them come out and have a bit of a skirmish or two; it will liven them up, especially when a shell knocks their dug-out in on top of them like it did mine a few weeks back, but to my pal’s surprise it did not hurt me a little bit, with the exception of taking a bit of skin off the top of my head. Of course, I was buried with stones and dirt, but my mate was there, luckily, and got me out. But I’ve had some near "dos". I’m wearing my cap with a bullet hole in it now, and hope to bring it home with me, and hope to keep it in remembrance of a Turkish sniper who was not a bad shot. I felt the bullet go across the top of my "napper." It was an explosive one too, and hit the wire on the back of my cap, but did not as much hurt a hair of my head, only gave me a bit of a headache. I was between the British and Turkish firing lines with a small party when it happened. There were poor fellows laying dead here and there – somebody’s sons, even if they were Turks, as I know by the dress one or two were".

SIMPKINS

STURGESS

[Sturgiss on SDGW CD] Pte [L/Cpl on War Memorial] 242111 10^th Battalion Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own (Yorkshire Regiment). Died 22 June 1918. Born Barton. Resident Ampthill. Enlisted Luton. son of Isaac and Mary Ann Sturgess; husband of Elizabeth May Sturgess, from his census and pension records he lived at Barton. Before serving in the Yorkshire Regiment he had served as a Lance Corporal in the Bedfordshire Regiment No. 7404 both pre-war and from 1914 to early 1916. Buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery, Germany. Ref. II.H.3. No known grave.

STURGESS

WARD

WARD

WORKER

WORKER

DUNNE

Gunner 1100598. 69 (The Denbighshire Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery Died Thursday 6 April 1944. Aged 33. Son of Patrick & Bridget Dunne, husband of Eileen Edna Dunne of Barton. Buried in Naples War Cemetery, Italy. Ref. II.F.18

Extract from local newspaper:

27^th April 1944 (P05)

Mrs. Eileen Dun has been notified that her husband, Gunner Thomas Dunn, has been killed in Italy – the first local casualty. Gunner Dunn, who was a native of Limerick, volunteered in August 1940, was called up the following November, and went overseas in July 1942. He was at the battle of El Alamein, in the advance to Tripoli, and was in Sicily before going to Italy.

Before joining the Army he was employed by Messrs. Davison on the construction of air raid shelters in Luton. He was married in 1940, and there is a son, Patrick, aged three.

HAYNES

Pte 5833288 1st Bn The Cambridgeshire Reg., Suffolk Regiment. Died Monday 26 Jan 1942 Aged 28. Son of Richard & Rose Haynes, husband of Ada Kate Haynes of Barton. No known grave. Commemorated on Singapore Memorial. Column 59. See also Shillington

Extracts from local newspaper:

4^th November 1943

Nearly two years have elapsed since Mrs. George Haines had any news of her husband in Malaya. The Red Cross have written a very sympathetic letter, promising news immediately it can be obtained.

26^th March 1946

Mrs. Haynes of Barton, has received official notification that her husband, Pte. George Haynes, was killed on January 26^th 1942 at Sangjerang, Malaya. He had arrived in Singapore on January 13^th and was 28. Mrs. Haynes is left with a son aged five. Pte Haynes was a native of Shillington.

HOLMES

No further information currently.

HYDE

Bombardier. 148 (Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Died: Tuesday 12 Sept 1944. Aged 24. Son of Thomas & Mary Emma Hyde of Barton. No known grave. Commemorated on Singapore Memorial. Column 36

Extract from contemporary newspaper:

3^rd June 1943

Mr. and Mrs. T. Hyde of manor Road, Barton, have heard that their son, L/Bdr. Ronald Hyde is in the Malai Camp. He joined the Territorial Artillery at Luton when he was 17, and will be 23 this month. Before the war he worked for Dunstable Aircraft.

PAINE

Sgt 1633408. Air Gnr 207 Sqdn Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Died Wednesday 19th July 1944. Buried in Margny Communal Cemetery, Marne, France. Mil. Plot, Coll. Grave 1

Extracts from contemporary newspapers:

26^th July 1945

Reported missing on air operations on the night of July 18 – 19 1944, Sgt. Keith Paine, second son of Mr. and Mrs. R Paine of 140 Bedford Road, Barton, is now presumed to have lost his life.

Sgt. Paine was 21, and before joining the RAF was employed as a fitter at Barton Airport, where he had several flights. He was married in June 1943, and leaves a baby son, born last October.

A brother of Sgt. Paine is with the B.L.A., his service having taken him to Africa, Italy, France and Germany.

Undated article:

A statement by the Maire of the French village of Margny (Marne) has given Mr. R. Paine of 140 Bedford Road, Barton, the first authentic news of the fate of his younger son, Sergt. Keith Paine RAF, who was reported missing on his first bombing raid in July 1944, and the touching description of the last honours paid.

The statement, received through the RAF Missing Personnel Inquiry Service says:- "Eyewitness reports state that the crash occurred on the night of July 18-19, one and a half miles east of Margny. After a thorough search next day by gendarmerie and villagers, a piece of a white pullover was found. (This was identified as belonging to the pilot of the plane).

The remains of the crew were buried in two coffins in a single grave on Friday July 21^st and it had been a long time since this little village had seen so many at a funeral. The entire population was there. Many came from neighbouring villages, and over 50 floral tributes were brought.

Before the service in front of the church, bugles sounded Last Post, and repeated this at the Elevation during the service. For the first time, perhaps, the bells of the old church echoed their notes.

The Dean of Orbais paid tribute to the glorious memory of those who had died at the call of duty, and thanked the council and the population for coming to pay tribute. Preceded by the Tricolor of the ex-service men of Orbais, and numerous people carrying flowers, the two coffins were borne by young villagers to the cemetery, the Maire and the council leading the mourners and the local freemen followed.

After the last prayers at the cemetery, and Last Post, the Maire, in the name of the relatives, the Motherland, and all the allied countries, thanked all who had helped in these tragic circumstances, and paid his own tribute to those who had died on the Field of Honour."

Sgt. Paine was 21, was employed as a fitter at Barton Airport, and left a wife and a baby son.

~*~

Note: This was not his usual crew

RANDALL

SMITH

Gunner 925387. 148 (The Bedfordshire Yeo.) Field Regiment Royal Artillery. Died Sat 11th Sept 1943 aged 23. The son of Matthew & Kate Smith of Barton. Buried in Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand

Extract from contemporary newspaper:

30^th November 1944

Gunner David Smith, whose parents are Barton people, and who was among those captured at Singapore, is now known to have died of fever and dysentery about a year ago.

This news was broken to them by Gnr. W. H. Emmett, of 147 New Bedford Road South, one of the two Luton men who recently returned home after being "recovered" from the Japanese. He also is a native of Barton, and has visited the village to give several families news of pals who joined up with him.

Gnr. David Smith joined the Territorial Field Artillery at Luton with a number of the Barton lads just before the war. He had just completed his apprenticeship with the Cundall Folding Machine Co., Luton, and played for their football and cricket teams.

STOTEN

Gunner 925386 148 Field Regiment Royal Artillery. Died Tuesday 12 Sept 1944. Aged 23. No known grave. Commemorated on Singapore Memorial. Column 38.

Extracts from contemporary newspaper:

17^th June 1943

Gunner Desmond A. H. Stoten, third soldier son of a Barton "Old Contemptible" Mr. Archie Stoten, is in Malai Camp. He was mobilized with the Territorials at the outbreak of war.

7^th December 1944

Gnr. Desmond A.H. Stoten R.A. one of two sons of Mr. A. Stoten, a Barton Old Contemptible, who were both prisoners in Siam, although not in the same camp, is also among those now listed as "Missing at Sea". He joined the Territorial Artillery when 17, and was 19 when he went abroad.

His brother Bernard was last known to be in No. 1 Camp, Siam, while another brother, Cecil, is in Burma.