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By November 1914 Mr. Thomas Jelley, of Cosgrove, had three sons in military service. Two were in Kitchener’s Army, but the third, Private Charles Jelley, of the 1st Northants. Regiment, was in hospital at Liverpool, with a leg wound sustained at Ypres. The following extract is an extract from a letter that he wrote whilst in No. 1 General Hospital, France, where he remarked that he was being well looked after by the British Red Cross nurses;

“There have been several fellows of our regiment killed who come from roundabout Cosgrove. We have had some close fighting, and have often used our bayonets, but it is a job to get near the Germans, as they do not like the bayonet; when they see we mean business they run like rabbits. They try all sorts of fakes to try and surprise us. Sometimes they dress up as English and French soldiers, but it is generally a dear game for them as they do not catch us napping.” “You would be surprised to see how interested the fellows are out here as regards football, and when they get the papers one can hear them shout along the trenches and ask how so and so got on, and they don’t seem to trouble much about shells and wounds.”

Employed in the gas department at Wolverton Works, being in the Reserve he had gone to France at the beginning of the war, and took part in all the battles. An army pensioner, his father had gone through many campaigns with the old 58th Regiment (2nd Northants.), and was a veteran of the Zulu War of 1879. During the Boer War in 1881 he was present at the battles of Laings Nek and also Majuba Hill, where he was wounded and taken prisoner.

In December 1914 Mrs. Atkinson, of The Priory, Cosgrove, gave a dinner to the men of the village who were back on leave.

Erected near the entrance of the church, on Saturday, April 7th 1917 the dedication took place of a war shrine, on which was inscribed the names of the 43 men from the parish who were serving in the Forces, as well as 32 from Old Stratford parish. The eleven names of the men killed in action had place of honour, and the church service was fully attended.