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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.

W.E. 1915 May 21st

By Sergeant J. Bond, and Private Arthur Barby, the death of their 27 year old son, Sergeant H. Walker, 2nd Northamptons, has been confirmed to Mr. and Mrs. Walker, of Wicken Road, Deanshanger, By their news it appears that on the 9th of the month Sergeant Walker, with his Battalion, was advancing towards the enemy trenches when he was instantly killed by a shot to the head. He was very much liked by his comrades, and the writers have assured his parents that he died a hero. Promoted to sergeant on the battlefield, he had served for nearly nine years in the Northamptons at Malta and Egypt, being recalled from the latter at the outbreak of war.

(As Sergeant Barby, Arthur the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Barby, of Deanshanger, would be awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during the attack on the enemy defences north of the Piave on October 27th, 1918. He was in charge of the 68th Brigade forward party, which he successfully guided to the assembly position under heavy fire. Subsequently he supervised the laying and maintenance of the Brigade main line from the Brigade Headquarters through a chain of report centres to Battalion Headquarters, following up the attacking infantry. By this, telephone communications were quickly established between Brigade Headquarters and the Battalions.)


W.E. 1916 Aug. 4th

The youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Andrews, of Deanshanger, Lance Corporal O. Andrews, of the Royal West Kents, has been wounded in the arm. Also, a shrapnel bullet passed through his cheek and upper lip, fracturing the jaw. He is now in hospital in Swansea.


W.E. 1915 May 28th

Private Robinson, of the Wolverton Company, Bucks Territorials, writes to his mother at Deanshanger on May 19th;

“Last Sunday we had a very warm time all day long. We fired until our rifles were red hot; it made our hands awful and you know I should have the last shot. The Germans put up a red flag in their trench. Then we made the dust fly, and at the end they put the white one up. We did have a time, and it didn’t seem much like Sunday. You may bet we do have some fun in the trenches. … We are altogether now in an old barn in Belgium … It is a much better life here than the training in England.”


W.E. 1918 Mar. 1st

Private W. Cattell, of Deanshanger, has been awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. When acting as H.Q. runner, in operations near Ypres he many times delivered messages under very heavy shell fire, machine gun fire, and rifle fire, and never once failed. On one occasion, despite coming in utterly exhausted from a run he volunteered to be the guide for two companies. Having to be ready for a dawn attack, they had lost their direction on the way to the assembly positions, but over broken ground, in the pitch black of night, and exposed to heavy gun fire on all sides, Private Cattell successfully accomplished the task.


W.E. 1918 Nov. 22nd

Sergeant R. Canvin is the younger son of Mr. Tom Canvin, of Deanshanger, and having gone through the Gallipoli campaign saw some of the severest fighting in France. From an Australian regiment, as a tribute to his bravery 234 of his comrades of A, B, and C Companies have presented him with a smoker’s cabinet, a gold watch, and an illuminated address worded;

“Presented by his comrades of the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance as an appreciation of his qualities as soldier and comrade during a period ranging from August, 1914, to May, 1918.”

The address was beautifully worked by a comrade, with the names of the engagements in which Sergeant Canvin took part; Mons, Lemnos, Anzac Cove, Lone Pine (Dardanelles), Tel-el-Kebir (Egypt), Pozieres, the Somme, Laguicourt, Bullecourt, Menin Road, Passchendaele and Picardy (Flanders).

After four strenuous years of campaigning, just before the end of the war Sergeant Canvin had been sent back to base for a rest, and it was during this time that the presentations were made. Now aged 25, he joined up in Australia, and although often near his elder brother, Captain J.A. Canvin, M.C., they never met. Captain Canvin was awarded the M.C. for bravery in Palestine, and in his previous career had served all through the South African campaign - 1899-1902 - for which he gained the Queen’s Medal with Transvaal, Orange River and Cape Colony clasps, and the King’s Medal with two clasps - 1901 and 1902. In addition, for duty in the Royal Bucks Hussars he was awarded the Long Service Medal, and now aged 36 he has a splendid record of nearly 22 years’ service. His father and grandfather both served in the Bucks Yeomanry.


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.