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

W.E. 1914 Nov. 13th

Mrs. Osborne, of Potterspury, has received a letter from her brother, Quartermaster Sergeant Phillip Church, of the 1st Northants. He states that he spent ten days in the trenches, and after being wounded it took another ten days for the journey to England. He is now in Glasgow Hospital with wounds to his left arm, left shoulder and left thigh. Having undergone operations for the wound in his shoulder, he is now progressing as well as can be expected. The son of Mr. and Mrs. G. Church, presently of Lillingstone Lovell, he has 16 years of military service, and went through the Boer War. His wife lives at Aldershot, and they have four children.

W.E. 1914 Nov. 13th

Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Tapp, of Potterspury, have received news regarding their son, Lance Corporal Gerald Tapp, of the 1st Northants. Wounded by shrapnel in the thigh and hand (three fingers being blown off) he is now in No. 4 (temporary) hospital at Stobhill, Glasgow. A reservist, he was in the district on manoeuvres last year, and had left the Army for only six months before being called up. In fact two days before rejoining he had married Miss Barby at Passenham Church. He was employed at Wolverton Carriage Works, and last season played regularly with Potterspury Football Club.

W.E. 1914 Nov. 20th

Last Wednesday week, Mr. Eli Sanders, of Potterspury, received official notification from the War Office that his second son, Lance Sergeant Eli Sanders, of the 1st Royal Warwickshire Regiment, had died of wounds at Boulogne. Possessing a medal for the last frontier campaign in India, and the winner of an Army prize for long distance running, he had been in military service for 10½ years, and had been home in January on a month’s furlough. Two of his brothers are in the Army at the Front. The elder is Private Benjamin Sanders, aged 33, of the 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers, and the younger, Corporal Edward Sanders, aged 27, is in the 2nd Royal Warwicks. On Sunday, in the parish church a well attended memorial service was conducted by the Vicar, the Reverend Plant, whose wife sung with deep feeling her own special composition, ‘A vesper hymn in war time.’

W.E. 1916 Aug. 4th

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Glenn, of Potterspury, have been informed that their youngest son, Private Sidney Glenn, of the Northants. Regiment, was killed in action on July 14th. The news of their sad loss came in a letter from the Commanding Officer, who added; “some day there will be a reckoning, and such men will not be forgotten.” Private Glenn was aged 24, and of his four brothers two are in the R.A.M.C., one in the R.F.A., and one in the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry.

W.E. 1916 Aug. 4th

News has been received that Private Alfred Tapp, of the Northants. Regiment, has died of wounds July 1st, 1916. Aged 27, he was acting as a stretcher bearer, and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Tapp, of Potterspury. Having previously been employed in the Wolverton Carriage Works, he had joined the Army in September, 1914, and for gallant conduct in the field on April 13th, 1916, received a certificate.

W.E. 1917 May 11th

News has been received that Private Charles Lambert, Middlesex Regiment, the son of Mr. Alfred Lambert, of Church Lane, Potterspury, was killed in action on April 16th. Aged 24, he had joined up last July, and went to the Front in November. Before enlisting, he had worked for three years as a horse keeper for Major H. Grant Thorold, J.P., of Cosgrove. He leaves a young widow, who is the daughter of Mr. G. Williams, a gardener employed by the Duke of Grafton.

W.E. 1917 Aug. 31st

Private A. Barley, Northants. Regiment, the 21 year old son of Mr. A. Barley, Brackwell End, Potterspury, is now in hospital, having been wounded in the right leg and thigh by gunfire at the Dunes battle on July 10th. He was employed at Wolverton Carriage Works, until joining the colours on April 4th, 1916.

W.E. 1917 Sep. 21st

Mrs. Meakins, of Potterspury, has received a letter from her son, Private Eli Meakins, of the Northants. Regiment, stating that he is well, and a prisoner of war in Germany. He was previously reported missing at the Dunes battle, last July 10th. Before joining up Private Meakins was a coach painter at Wellingborough.

(Also taken prisoner at the same battle was Albert Smith, of Yardley Gobion.)

W.E. 1917 Nov. 23rd

News has been received that during heavy shelling Lance Corporal T. Pratt, of the Northants. Regiment, was killed on November 7th. A married man, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. T. Pratt, of Potterspury.

W.E. 1918 Sep. 6th.

Suffering from gun shot wounds in the neck, Private C. Lawrence, Beds. Regiment, attached to the Trench Mortar Battery, was admitted to the Australian Hospital in France on August 20th. He is the son of Sergeant C. Lawrence, of Potterspury, and before joining up had been head clerk at Norman’s Grocery Stores, Wellingborough.

W.E. 1918 Sep. 6th

Private W. Meakins, the son of Mr. Meakins, of Church End, Potterspury, has been wounded in the face, arm, knee and thigh. He had previously been wounded in the jaw. Before joining up he worked as a cowman for the Duke of Grafton.

W.E. 1918 Sep. 13th

Private D. Tapp, Northants. Regiment, the son of Mr. R. Tapp, Blackwell End, Potterspury, has been seriously wounded, resulting in the amputation of a leg. He was called up as a reservist at the outbreak of war, and has been in France for the whole time.

W.E. 1919 Feb. 7th

Private F. Jefcoate, R.A.M.C., one of the five soldier sons of Mr. H. Jefcoate, of Potterspury, has received information that he has been awarded the Croix de Guerre and Bronze Star. An extract from a copy of the French decoration reads;

“On 20th July, at Little Camp Wood, he occupied a hill without interruption under a violent bombardment and enemy machine-guns and contributed in saving a great many lives.”

Private Jefcoate already holds the Military Medal, for gallant conduct on the battlefield.