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ROXTONWAR
MEMORIAL
World War 1 & 2 - Roll of Honour with detailed
information
Compiled and copyright © 2001 Martin Edwards
additional RFC/RNAS/RAF information David Manning
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Photographs
Copyright © Martin Edwards 2001 |
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The
Memorial stands in the churchyard of the parish church, St Mary Magdelene
adjacent to the road through the village. The memorial lists the men
from the parish who died in World
War 1 as well as those who served along with those who died in World
War 2. The three CWGC graves contain the names of men not listed on
the memorial.
TO
THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN GRATEFUL REMEMBERANCE OF
....<the list>....
WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE DURING THE GREAT WAR
1914-1919
"GREATER LOVE HAS NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN
LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS."
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Died |
| COVINGTON |
Alfred
John |
Private
17831, 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 30th
July 1916 in France & Flanders. Age 24. Born and resident Roxton,
enlisted Bedford. Son of Rosina Covington, of 2, Council Cottages,
Roxton, and the late Caleb Covington. Brother of the below. Commemorated
on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face 2 C |
| COVINGTON |
Wilfred
|
Private
27546, 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 12th
October 1916 in France & Flanders. Age 26. Born and resident
Roxton, enlisted Bedford. Son of Rosina Covington, of 2, Council
Cottages, Roxton, and the late Caleb Covington. Brother of the above.
Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face
2 C |
| DARRINGTON |
Alfred
|
Private
242109, 2nd/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, formerly 4113,
5th Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 22nd November 1917 in
France & Flanders. Age 21. Born Roxton, enlisted Bedford. Son
of Mrs. H. E. Ekins of the Post Office, Roxton. Commemorated on
ARRAS MEMORIAL, Pas De Calais, France. Bay 6.
Extract
from the National Roll of Honour:
DARRINGTON,
A., L/Cpl., 5th Bedfordshire Regt.
Volunteering in September 1914, he was sent to France in 1915. Whilst
overseas he was transferred to the 5th Gloucestershire Regiment,
and took part in the Battles of Loos, the Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele,
prior to being killed in action in November 1917. He was entitled
to the 1914-15 Star, and the General Service and Victory Medals.
“Courage, bright hopes, and a myriad dreams, splendidly given.”
Roxton, Bedfordshire.
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| DARRINGTON |
Peter
|
Private
20317, "D" Company, 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment.
Killed in action 1st July 1916 in France & Flanders. Born and
resident Roxton, enlisted Bedford. Son of Hannah Elizabeth Ekins
(formerly Darrington), of Roxton, and the late George Darrington.
Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face
2 C. Mentioned in the National Roll of the Great War, Bedford/Northampton,
page 66.
From
"Hunts & Beds News 14th July 1916".
Another Roxton Soldier Killed
Roxton was deeply distressed on
Sunday by an unhappy coincidence - the very day that had been chosen
for the special services to be held in the PArish Church in memory
of Lance-Cpl. B. Rutland, of this village, whose death was recently
reported, was the day that Mrs. C. Ekins received the sad tidings
that her eldest son, Private Peter Darrington, had met his death
while charging the German trenches during the big push made on the
Western Front on July 1st. Pte. Darrington, of the Beds, was trained
at the Duke of Bedford's camp at Ampthill, and had been on active
service for about six months. The village unites in offering heartfelt
sympathies to his mother, brothers and sisters in their sad loss.
From "Beds Times 21st July
1916"
The Late Pte. P. Darrington,
of Roxton.
Mr. C. E. Ekins, of Roxton, step-father
of the late Pte. Peter Darrington, has received the following letter:-
Bedfords, B.E.F., 19/7/16
Dear Sir, - I am in receipt of
your post-card of the 15th inst.
It is with the deepest regret
that I have to inform you that Pte. Darrington, 20317, of this Company,
met his death in action on July 1st. The part which the Bedfords,
and D Company in particular, played in the Battle of the Somme was
a crowning success, and in that success Pte. Darrington gave of
his best and met his death like a true Englishman. He was buried
by the Padre where he fell and his grave has been marked by a wooden
cross. At that date I was an A Company officer, and so I have no
personal knowledge of Darrington, but I hear though he had only
recently joined us, he had won favour with all, and made himself
popular.
Will you convey to his mother,
not only the deepest sympathy of myself, but of his platoon and
his company. I feel very deeply for her in her great trouble. Will
you break the news to her, if she has not already heard from the
W.O., and show her this letter.
May it be of comfort to her to
know he died, as she would have wished, doing his duty, and in the
height of a glorius success for the new armies.
Yours
very sincerely,
H.J.CARTWRIGHT
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| DICKENS |
Christopher
[Wesley] |
Corporal 5566, 4th (Queens Own) Hussars. Died of injuries and the
effects of gas on 3 May 1915. Aged 28. Son of William and Ellen
Dickens who lived in Sandy and Chawston. His mother was resident
at Grange Cottages, Hardwick, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire,
at the end of the war. born in Notting Hill in 1886. In the 1901
census his family (but not Christopher who aged 15 was working as
a gardener in Alton, Hants) had moved to Sandy and were living in
Church Path (William J, Ellen, William 17 and Herbert 5). Since
Herbert was born in Sandy, the family must have moved to Sandy in
at least the mid 1890s and Christopher who would have been 10 in
1896, must have been with them, so was clearly a ” Sandy boy”.
By 1911 William J had died and Christopher appears to have joined
the 4th Hussars and is at an Army Barracks in Colchester, Essex,
Ellen and Herbert had moved to Chawston/Roxton. In its report of
11 Sept 1914 the Biggleswade Chronicle reported William Dickens,
Arthur Dickens and Chris Dickens, all of Cambridge Road, Sandy,
were amongst the Sandy men serving in the British Army or Navy,
and that William was a member of the Hussars. William Dickens’
military records shows that he had a brother, Christopher, also
in the Hussars. The Biggleswade Chronicle of 4 June 1915 records
that the (unnamed) son of Mrs Dickens of Chawston’s had died
of his wounds, and the Beds Times 30 July 1915 records a memorial
Service for Christopher Dickens of the Hussars having been held
at Roxton Church on Sunday 25 July 1915. Buried in BAILLEUL COMMUNAL
CEMETERY EXTENSION, NORD, Nord, France. Plot I. Row D. Grave 11.
Also commemorated on the Sandy
War Memorial
Extract
from Bedfordshire Times and Independent - Friday 30
July 1915, page 3:
ROXTON
A
memorial service was held in the parish church on Sunday evening
to the memory of Christopher Dickens, of the Hussars, who died
of gas poisoning.
Thanks
to Alistair Gammell for this information
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| EKINS |
Albert
Walter |
Airman
2nd Class, 46133, 100th Sqdn., Royal Flying Corps. Killed in action Sunday, 6th May 1917, aged 19, while serving
as observer with 100 Squadron, Izel-le-Hameau; flying an FE.2b.
with pilot 2nd Lt. Thomas George Holmes, from Redhill, Surrey (also
killed, buried in the plot next to Albert in Douai Cemetery), failed
to return from night-bombing sortie against Dorignies Aerodrome.
Eleven 100 Squadron aircraft took part in the aerodrome that night,
becoming airborne from their airfield at 21.50 hours. Native of
St. Neots. Only son of Albert Alexander and Ada Ekins, of
Roxton. Educated Bedford Modern School (1911-13). Buried in DOUAI
BRITISH CEMETERY, CUINCY, Nord, France. Grave F. 7. See also Bedford
Modern School and Roxton
Congregationalist |
| GADSON |
F
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No
further information currently |
| GILBERT |
John
William |
Private
3/10746, 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment. Age 22. Died of wounds
9th May 1917 in France & Flanders. Born Roxton, enlisted Bedford.
Son of Alice and the late George Gilbert, of Roxton. Buried in BARLIN
COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, Pas de Calais, France. Grave III. B.
3. |
| JONES |
Frederick
|
Private
23706, 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Died of wounds 14th
June 1918 in France & Flanders. Age 37. Born Roxton, enlisted
and resident Bedford. Son of Frederick and Elizabeth Jones, of Roxton.
Buried in AIRE COMMUNAL CEMETERY, Pas de Calais, France. Grave III.
C. 20. |
| NEWELL |
G
F |
No
further information currently |
| RUTLAND |
Bertie
[John George] |
Lance
Corporal 17735, 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Died of wounds
27th June 1916 in France & Flanders. Age 27. Born Roxton, resident
Chawston, enlisted Bedford. Son of John and Jane Rutland, of Roxton;
husband of Martha May Rutland, of Willow Deane, Clapham, Bedford.
Buried in WARLINCOURT HALTE BRITISH CEMETERY, SAULTY, Pas de Calais,
France. Grave I. D. 3.
From
"Hunts & Beds News 14th July 1916".
The
Late Lance Corporal B. Rutland, of Roxton
A
the aprish church on Sunday a special service will be held in mmeory
of Lance-Corpl. B. Rutland, who died in France on June 27th from
wounds received while on active service. His wife has received the
following letter:-
20th
Casualty Clearing Station
B.E.F., France, July 2nd. 1916.
My
Dear Madam, - A letter is a very poor means (though the only means
I have) of conveying to you the very real sympathy I feel for you
and yours in the loss of your husband, Lance-Corpl. B. Rutland.
I officiated at his funeral in are little cemetery here in the afternoon,
and it will be a small consoloation to you to know that your dear
one received orderly and Christian burial. The grave will be well
cared for, and already a neat wooden Cross has been erected. If
at a later date you desire a photograph of the grave, you may be
able to obtain one by applying to the Chaplain 20th C.C.T., France.
Again assuring you of my deep sympathy,
Yours
sincerely,
O.N. Swift, C.F.
Chaplain C. of E. |
| SIMCOE |
Joseph
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Lance
Corporal 33511, 8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in
action 18th April 1917 in France & Flanders. Age 25. Born and
resident Roxton, enlisted Bedford. Son of George William Simcoe,
of Roxton, and the late Susan Simcoe; husband of Edith Rosina Bruce
(formerly Simcoe), of Meagre Cottage, Hail Weston, St. Neots, Hunts.
Commemorated on the LOOS MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais, France. Panel
41. |
| STAY |
Arthur
[George] |
Lance
Corporal 65340, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Killed in action 21st
September 1917 in France & Flanders. Age 33. Born Rugby, enlisted
Lambeth, resident Roxton. Formerly 6341, London Regiment. Husband
of Emily Stay, of 59, Claremont Rd., Rugby. Commemorated on TYNE
COT MEMORIAL, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 154 to
159 and 163A |
| WOOD |
Gilbert
Henry |
Private
29804, "a" Company, 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment.
Killed in action 15th March 1917 in France & Flanders. Born
Greasly, Notts, enlisted Bedford, resident Roxton. Pte Wood was
wounded and died in the operations to capture Achiet-le-Grand, on
this day a colleague in the same Battalion (Pte Christopher Cox)
was awarded the VC for his work bringing in A Coy men. Commemorated
on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face 2 C |
NOT
ON MEMORIAL BUT IN CHURCHYARD |
| AYRES |
W
U |
 |
Private
G/73487, Royal Fusiliers. Died 8th May 1919. Age 18. Buried
in St Mary Magdelene churchyard, Roxton. |
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ALSO
SERVED |
| BALL |
F
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No
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| BAMBRIDGE |
T
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No
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| BAMBRIDGE |
W
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No
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| BANNISTER |
A
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No
further information currently |
| BARTRAM |
G
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No
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| BONE |
A
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No
further information currently |
| BRACE |
F
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No
further information currently |
| BRIMLEY |
J
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No
further information currently |
| BRIMLEY |
K
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No
further information currently |
| BRITAIN |
R
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No
further information currently |
| CAVE |
S
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No
further information currently |
| CLARKE |
J
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No
further information currently |
| COVINGTON |
H
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No
further information currently |
| DARRINGTON |
G
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No
further information currently |
| DICKENS |
W
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No
further information currently |
| EKINS |
J
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No
further information currently |
| FOLBIGG |
B
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No
further information currently |
| FULLER |
A
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No
further information currently |
| GADSDEN |
C
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No
further information currently |
| JEFFERIES |
J
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No
further information currently |
| JARVIS |
G
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No
further information currently |
| JARVIS |
L
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No
further information currently |
| JARVIS |
R
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No
further information currently |
| JOHNSON |
H
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No
further information currently |
| JONES |
C
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No
further information currently |
| JONES |
J
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No
further information currently |
| JONES |
R
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No
further information currently |
| KIDMAN |
M
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No
further information currently |
| KIDMAN |
R
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No
further information currently |
| KING |
W
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No
further information currently |
| MINNEY |
J
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No
further information currently |
| PARTRIDGE |
L
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No
further information currently |
| PELL |
J
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No
further information currently |
| PELL |
W
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No
further information currently |
| RUTLAND |
H
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No
further information currently |
| SUGARS |
F
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No
further information currently |
| SWEPSTONE |
W
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No
further information currently |
| THEIDD |
W
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No
further information currently |
| WATTS |
H
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No
further information currently |
THIS
CROSS WAS ERECTED BY THE PARISHONERS
THE GROUND
IS THE GIFT OF THE VICAR
Wm. Fk. PYM M.A. A.D. 1919
1939-1945
ALSO IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF |
| LOVELL |
Cyril
[Charles] |
Driver
T/ 5960387, Royal Army Service Corps who died on Friday, 11th September
1942. Age 22. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Herbert Lovell, of Colesden.
Buried in TRIPOLI WAR CEMETERY, Libya. Grave 6. D. 13. |
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Colin
PANTON |
No
further information currently |
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NOT
ON MEMORIAL BUT IN CHURCHYARD |
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John
William HUNT |
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Sapper
1921012, 121 Road Construction Company, Royal Engineers. Died
6th February 1940. Age 24. Son of Cuthbert and Florence Ada
Hunt; husband of Florence Lilian Hunt, of Chawston. Buried
in Roxton St Mary Magdelene churchyard, north west of church
near lych gate. |
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Arthur
John PAYNE |
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Leading
Aircraftsman 1144434, Royal Air Force. Died 13th August 1945.
Age 23. Son of Thomas and Jessie Payne; husband of Gladys
May Payne, of Bath, Somerset. Buried in Roxton St Mary Magdelene
churchyard, north west of church near lych gate. |
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"THEIR
NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE."
Last updated
18 November, 2024
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