Keep the Home Fires Burning - detailing wartime life in the towns and villages mentioned.

Private Bert Cotton, of the 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, writes to his mother at Lavendon;

“We have been having it rather hot this last ten days. It has been nothing but continual fighting the whole time. Thousands of shells have been flying about. We had a rather stiff battle on Sunday night, and I am sorry to tell you that my mate, E. Harper, from Harrowden, was killed, also P. Allibone, who is related to the Drages, of Bozeat. I was near them at the time. A rifle grenade, which the Germans use, and which is a kind of a shell, fell among eight of them. Three were killed and the other five wounded. They all belong to my Company. We have lost rather heavily, but I fancy we ‘gave it’ to the Germans on Wednesday night about eleven o’clock. Talk about a noise! - there were thousands of us in the firing line, which was miles in length. We exploded a mine and then treated the enemy to rapid fire. We used 300 rounds of ammunition each, so you may guess we made a bit of a noise, and the German lines were only about 500 yards from us. They could not get a chance to fire at us, for if they had happened to put their ‘nuts’ up it would have been all up with them. I went to my mate’s funeral on Monday. I have put a stone with an inscription on his grave. Three of them were buried side by side. We are now having eight days’ rest. Some of the German spies have been busy in our trenches, but we happened to just miss them; they were dressed as English officers. They cut all the telephone wires in the trenches, and cut us off from communication.”

B.S. 1917 Sep. 22nd

News has been received that 23 year old Private Hector Fielden, of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, died on August 27th, 1917, at Duhallow Advanced Dressing Station, consequent to wounds received in the severe fighting in Flanders. Many letters of sympathy from his comrades have been received, and his commanding officer writes;

“Please tell his parents from me how greatly I sympathise with them, and how sorry we all are; but still they have every reason to feel proud of their son.”

(Private Fielden was the only child of Thomas and Rachel Fielden, of Lavendon, and having joined the Royal Bucks Hussars in 1915, was transferred this year to the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, subsequently serving for eight months’ on the Western Front. Before enlisting he was in the office of Messrs. J.W. and E. Sowman, Ltd., ironmongers of Olney.)

B.S. 1917 Sep. 29th

Private Thomas Bamford, R.M.A. Howitzer No. 11, died on Thursday, August 16th, 1917, after being wounded on the Western Front, where he had served for 15 months. He was sleeping in a dug-out with his comrades when an enemy shell fell amongst them, killing and wounding almost all. He was regarded as the best shot of his company, and gained the crossed guns and star badge after only three months of service. In the following letter his commanding officer writes to Private Bamford’s mother, who is the sub postmistress of Lavendon;

“You will by now have heard of the unfortunate death of your son, so I will not repeat the details. Everything was done for him, and he was very quickly sent off in a motor ambulance, but he died soon after reaching the hospital on the 9th instant. He was buried in a British military cemetery, the last rites being administered by an army chaplain. A cross will be erected, and you may rest assured that every care will be taken to tend the spot where he and several of his comrades lie in peace. I am very sorry over this misfortune, for I had known your son since he first came out here, and had grown to like him very much. He was always so cheerful and anxious to help even under the most depressing conditions, and was as brave as a lion. None of us could afford to lose him. With the deepest sympathy, yours very sincerely, LLEWELLYN HARRIES.”