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FROM THE CONTEMPORARY LOCAL NEWSPAPERS OF NORTH BUCKS (BUCKS STANDARD, NORTH BUCKS TIMES, WOLVERTON EXPRESS)
With today’s internet a wealth of official information is available regarding those who served.
In an age before local radio and television, families often allowed letters to be published in the local press from their loved ones on active service.
However, for their descendants the letters reveal a more personal aspect, graphically describing the experience of the people and providing an insight into their personalities.

B.S. 1917 Aug. 25th

News has been received of the death in action of Private Walter Watson, of the Beds. Regiment, attached to the South Lancashire Regiment. He was 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 is to be held in Broughton Church on Sunday, August 26th, at 6p.m. His elder brother is in the Royal Engineers, and has been in Egypt for about 16 months.


B.S. 1919 Mar. 15th

Sergeant Alfred West, M.M., 2nd Battalion, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, died on February 27th, 1919, from influenza, at the Military Hospital, Gravesend. Aged 27, he was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. A. West, of Broughton. At the outbreak of war, being on the Special Reserve he mobilised with his regiment and experienced much hard fighting in France and Flanders, being wounded in the retreat from Mons. He received his promotion on the battlefield, and was awarded the Military Medal for rescuing his officer, and carrying him to safety under heavy fire. After the Armistice, he was with the British Army of Occupation and was on his way home, to begin work on the farm of Mr. Adams at Broughton when he contracted his illness. Only nine months ago he had married Mrs. Lake, of Priory Street, Newport Pagnell, her first husband having been killed early in the war. The body was brought from Gravesend for interment in Newport Pagnell Cemetery on Wednesday, March 5th, and amongst those present were several soldiers who had seen active service.


ALSO AVAILABLE IN BOOK FORM AS ‘LETTERS FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR’ FROM WWW. LULU.COM,
PRODUCED WITH THE INVALUABLE EXPERTISE OF ALAN KAY & ZENA DAN.