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In October 1914 Mr. Bernard Morice, the brother in law of Colonel Good, of the Manor House, placed an order for an up to date ambulance body, which was to be fitted onto the chassis of his private vehicle.

On Wednesday, November 25th 1914 a memorial service was held in the parish church for Private Ernest Nichols, of the Oxon & Bucks Light Infantry. Many people attended, and there was much sympathy for his grandmother, whom he had supported.

In February 1915 Colonel A. Good, of Broughton House, who was a County magistrate, was sworn in as a special constable at Newport Pagnell.

In August 1915 Mrs. Good, of the Manor House, sent three pairs of socks to the Bucks Territorial Units’ Comfort Fund.

On Tuesday, November 16th 1915, police constable Christopher T. Nichols, the youngest son of the late Mr. Benjamin Nicholls and Mrs. Nicholls, of Broughton, joined the Royal Horse Guards (Blue). As a member of the Bucks Constabulary, for the last 3½ years he had been stationed at Datchet.

(Within a year he was sent to France, being subsequently transferred to the Household Battalion. Later he joined the Coldstream Guards, with whom he was serving when killed in action in France on March 24th 1918, aged 29.)

Broughton’s oldest inhabitant, John Teagle, died after a short illness on December 9th 1915. He was aged 78, and for many years had been employed on the Tyringham and Broughton estates. Since childhood he had lived in the house which for generations had been occupied by the family, but now this would pass into new ownership. Aged 52, his wife had died five years ago, and he was buried in the same grave on Tuesday, December 21st.

In August 1917 news was received of the death in action of Private Walter Watson, of the Beds. Regiment, attached to the South Lancashire Regiment. He had been killed on August 3rd, having gone to France on June 13th. 29 years of age, he had voluntarily enlisted at the beginning of the war, when employed as a groom by Mr. Donald Fraser, J.P., of Tickford Park, and as a servant to one of the officers of his regiment had been in England for quite a while. The second son of Thomas Watson, of Broughton, he had been a member of the Parish Church Choir and organ blower, and was very popular in the village. A memorial service took place in Broughton Church on Sunday, August 26th at 6p.m. His elder brother was in the Royal Engineers, and had been in Egypt for about 16 months.

For the benefit of the Y.M.C.A., on the evening of Shrove Tuesday, 1918, a subscription dance took place at the village school from 7p.m. until 12p.m. A number of Royal Engineers from the Fenny Stratford Wireless Depot attended, and the proceeds would total £8.

At the Newport Pagnell Divisional Petty Sessions, on Wednesday, May 29th 1918, William Whitehouse, a mat mender, of no fixed abode, was charged in custody for having maliciously damaged the offertory box in Broughton church, causing damage to the amount of 7s 6d. Hannah Gooby, the caretaker of the church, said that on Wednesday, May 22nd at 10.30a.m. she found the broken box on a seat, but although she had seen the prisoner go through the village, it had not been during that day. Her husband, Joseph, said that about 8.55a.m. on May 22nd the prisoner had asked him if there was a pub in the village, to which he replied that there was only an off licence house. As for his evidence, the Reverend E. Harper, the rector, said that on Tuesday evening having looked in to see if anyone was there he had locked up the church, but the following morning found that the church expenses alms box had been broken, which he duly reported to the police. Continuing, he said that on August 17th 1916 he had the church porch mat repaired for 5s, and as far as he could remember the man said that he was a discharged sailor. Superintendent Dibben said that between 4p.m. and 5p.m., when cycling at Lathbury on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 21st he stopped the prisoner, who was walking towards Newport Pagnell, and examined his papers. He found that the man had been discharged from the Royal Naval Division on January 31st 1916, and since he was carrying a basket containing a mat repair kit, Superintendent Dibben asked if he had a pedlar’s certificate for that type of work. When told that he hadn’t, he informed the man that he needed one, and that he would be stopped if he tried to ply for work in Newport Pagnell. The man then asked to carry out two hours of work in the town, but permission was refused. On May 23rd Superintendent Dibben had received a letter from the Reverend Harper, and consequent to a description having been circulated on Saturday, May 25th the man was arrested by Luton Borough Police, having arrived at Luton from Newport Pagnell at 7.45p.m. During his evidence Superintendent Dibben said that the knife and file belonging to the prisoner exactly matched the marks on the alms box, but pleading his innocence, the prisoner said that he had stayed in Newport Pagnell on the Tuesday night, and gave further details of his movements. Possessing the two South African medals, he had tried to enlist in the army in 1914, but was rejected. Later he joined the Naval Division, but was discharged for epilepsy. After deliberations the Bench ruled there was an element of doubt, and although the case was dismissed, Superintendent Dibben was congratulated on his efforts.

(However, it seems that the man was imprisoned for 14 days for wearing decorations which, although earned, had been forfeited whilst in the army, from which he had been dismissed with ignominy. At the end of this imprisonment he was then arrested for having allegedly stolen about 10s from Woburn Church, but when the case came before the Woburn Police Court, Superintendent Mathews announced that another man had admitted the offence, at Cumberland Quarter Sessions. This man had also confessed to the Broughton offence, and was sentenced to three years penal servitude. Thereupon William Whitehouse was discharged, and the magistrates gave him 5s out of their own pockets for his rail fare to Oxford, where he said he wished to go.)

Well known in Newport Pagnell, where he had come to live 11½ years ago, on Friday, July 19th 1918, at the Newport Pagnell Petty Sessions, Jan Dirk Mienes, of Highgate, a Dutchman, and therefore an ‘alien,’ was summoned for having failed to notify his arrival at Broughton on July 5th 1918. Also for having failed to notify his departure on July 8th. Police constable Bunce, stationed at Woburn Sands, said that on Sunday, July 7th he had seen the defendant at 12.15a.m. on the Newport Pagnell road in Broughton. He seemed to be under the influence of drink, and when questioned said that for the time being he was living at Broughton, having come to see his wife. He hadn’t thought it necessary to register as a Neutral - “and a friendly one at that” - and so had left Broughton on the Monday without notifying his departure. Pleading ignorance of the law, he said that he omitted to read the last instructions pasted on the back of his identity book. A fine was imposed, and with the chairman telling him that he was careless not to read them, the defendant replied “I have read them since.”

Supported by the rector, Colonel Good, Mr. R. Hedges Mr. Adams, and others, in July 1919 Mr. Beavington lead the village men in making the arrangements for Peace Day. A short thanksgiving service in the church at 2p.m. was fully attended, and in the afternoon a cricket match took place, plus a good programme of sports. A meat tea for all the villagers was then given in Mr. Hedge’s barn, which had been especially decorated with bunting and flags, and in the evening the events concluded with a dance.

With their families, demobilised men from the village - W. Stanford, Bedfordshire Regiment, A.T. Watson, Royal Engineers, W. West, R.A.M.C., and E. West, Dorset Regiment - were entertained to dinner at Broughton Manor by Colonel and Mrs. Good on Saturday evening, August 2nd 1919. The Reverend Harper also attended, and after the meal ‘The King’ was loyally honoured, followed by a silent toast by Colonel Good to the village men who had fallen in the war; 2nd Lieutenant C. Harper, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry (the son of the rector), Sergeant A. West, M.M., Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, and Privates E. Nichols, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, C. Nichols, Royal Horse Guards, and W. Watson, Beds. Regt. The health of the returned soldiers was then proposed by Colonel Good, after which the company retired to the garden, for an occasion to which all the adults in the village had been invited. This had been arranged by Mr. C. Kenneth Garratt, and he and a party of friends from Newport Pagnell gave an entertaining programme which included songs by Miss Eva Garratt, and duets and a recitation by Mr. Cullop, of Broughton. Mr. Garratt provided the accompaniment, and also performed a piano solo and a musical sketch. During the interval refreshments were served, and at dusk the garden was illuminated by fairy lights. The proceedings closed at about 10p.m. with the singing of the National Anthem, and with this being followed by hearty cheers for Colonel and Mrs. Good, a vote of thanks was proposed by Colonel Good to Mr. Garratt and the performers.

(From the early days of World War Two, Dorothy, the second daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Good, would work on a farm at Broughton as a member of the Women’s Land Army. Being very popular in the district, at her wedding in October 1941 the parish church was crowded, and after her marriage she intended to continue working on the land. Her husband, Captain George Crawford, of the Intelligence Corps, had been in the Civil Service before the war.)

The eldest son of Mr. and Thomas Watson, who were long established residents of the village, Arthur Thomas Watson had joined the East Anglian Royal Engineers in early 1915, and saw much active service in Egypt from March 1916 until the Armistice. However, during his military service he had been gassed, and having suffered frequent attacks of gastric trouble, and other complications, he died aged 36 on Wednesday, November 11th 1925, at the hospital at St. Leonards on Sea. Despite his afflictions he had worked until five days before his death, and although on the Saturday it had been thought that an operation would be beneficial, he sadly succumbed to the anaesthetic. Being for a while the organ blower, as a boy and a young man he had sung in the church choir, and at the time of his death his father had served 41 years as clerk and sexton at the church. For ten years Arthur had been employed in the gardens at Hatton Court, Hanslope, but left to enter the service of Dr. Charnock Smith, who was in practice at Woburn. Held in high regard by his employer, Mr. Watson accompanied the doctor when he moved to Hastings, and remained in his employ as chauffeur until his death. His body was brought from Hastings to Broughton by road, and with the funeral taking place on the Monday afternoon, two of those who had served with him in Egypt - Mr. W. Stanford and Mr. W. West - were among the bearers. Apart from family and relatives many of the villagers were not only present, but had also sent wreaths.