© JOHN TAYLOR

Old Bletchley War Memorial

Fenny Poppers ornament

In last month's article - written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War - mention was made of the replica Fenny Stratford Poppers, fashioned from china.

These were made during the war for the souvenir trade - which was to be had from the thousands of troops stationed in the town - by the famous firm of Goss in Southend.

By a fortunate coincidence, one of them has recently come to light - see pictures on the opposite page.

As can be seen in the photograph on the right, Goss china was readily available from Staniford's shop on the comer of Aylesbury Street and Church Street. The Staniford family were locally renowned for their many entrepreneurial ventures, ranging from mobile cinemas to local newspapers.

For those who had fought in the First World War, in view of the unprecedented horrors and carnage it was earnestly hoped that this would be the 'war to end wars'. While many realised that this was no doubt a little optimistic, they might be justified in thinking that their children would be spared such an experience.

Therefore, the amputation endured by Corporal Joseph Cheney, 13335 Oxon & Bucks Light Infantry, when wounded in 1917 was to prove tragically ironic. He had only just rejoined his regiment after being wounded for the first time when his right leg was blown off above the knee, confining him to the 28th General Hospital, Salonika and a series of operations.

It is therefore incredible that, at the age of 21, Frank Cheney, a former member of the 1st Bletchley Company Boys' Brigade and the Boys' Brigade Old Boys Football Club, had to have his left leg amputated, after being wounded at Dunkirk on May 21, 1940.

With the advent of the internet, details of the the First World War soldiers commemorated on local war memorials are now readily available.

According to the Roll of Honour website, information concerning the fallen of the Second World War is, however, not yet available - except of course to readers of the Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Local Pages!

OLD BLETCHLEY WAR MEMORIAL

Edward Ayres, son of Mr F. Ayres, 41 Saffron Street. Killed in action aboard the destroyer Trollope, 1944.

Sergeant Frederick Brown, RAF. Reported missing on flying operations, June 1942.

Private John Catterall, Beds and Herts Regiment. Husband of Mrs Catterall, The Shop, Water Eaton. Died at sea while a POW en-route to Japan, September 21 1942.

William Calver, information unknown.

Private Harry Douglas Davis, 5th Suf-folks. Youngest son of Mr A E. Davis, 114 Buckingham Road. Died as a Japanese POW in Siam (now Thailand), August 18 1943.

Driver George Joseph Essen, RASC. Second son of Mr and Mrs C. F. Essen, 21 Duncombe Street. Killed in an ammunition explosion in western Germany, April 28 1945.

Sapper Charles Arthur Essen, Royal Engineers. Eldest son of Mr and Mrs C. F. Essen, 21 Duncombe Street. Killed in the evacuation of France three weeks after Dunkirk, when the Lancastria was sunk, June 17 1940.

Sergeant Pilot Glyn Hankins, RAF. Third son of Mr and Mrs W. H. Hankins, 46 Windsor Street. Killed while dropping air supplies to forward troops in Burma. December 23 1943.

Able Seaman John Jones, husband of Nora Jones, son of William and Emily Jones. Killed while serving on HMS Samphire. January 20 1943.

Lance Corporal Albert Ernest Knight. 5th Beds and Herts Regiment. Youngest son of Mr and Mrs B. F. Knight 70 Newton Road. Killed during; Osaka while a Janapese prisoner, June 5 1945.

Sergeant Pilot Leoard May, RAFVR. Only son of Mrs. A. E. Stokes, 23 Tattenhoe Lane. Killed whilst on special flying duties, July 8 1941

Sergeant Edgar Mynard, Royal Bucks Yeomanry. Husband of Mrs. E. G. Mynard, 44 Newton Road. Killed during the evacuation from Dunkirk, May 28 to June 5 1940.

Corporal Alec Peacock, Military Police, formerly of the Royal Bucks Yeomanry. Son of Mrs E. Clare, East View, 18 Newton Road. Killed when his motorcycle collided with a car between Nottingham and Mansfield while on despatch duties, March 31 1941.

Frying Officer David Foster Sinfield RAF. Only child of Mr and IMrs. W. P. Sinfield, 53 Buckingham Road. Killed on duties with a pathfinder squadron in a night attack over Germany. February 20/211945.

Flying Officer Leslie Smith, RAF. Husband of Mrs N. Smith. 'Killala', Stoke Road, eldest son of Mrs J. F. Smith, Water Eaton Mill. Shot down over England while giving night-flying instructions, September 7 1943.

Brigadier John Percival Whiteley MP, formerly Commanding Officer Royal Bucks Yeomanry. Husband of Mrs A. Whiteley, The Grange, Buckingham Road. Killed in a plane crash off Gibraltar, July 4 1943

Pilot Officer Donald Baker, RAF. Youngest son of Mr and Mrs. F. Baker, Ivy Cottage, Church Green Road, and fomerly of Newton Longville. Killed on a bombing raid over Germany, December 16/17 1943.

James Tompkins, Died in India, 1947.

BLETCHLEY ROAD (QUEENSWAY) MEMORIAL

Sergeant Vincent Barber, The Intelligence Corps. Only child of Mrs M. D. Barber, 4 Lennox Road. Killed on active service during an air raid on Southampton, July 8 1941.

Private Leslie Barden. 1st Loyals. Husband of Mrs L Barden of Brickhill, and third son of Mr and Mrs P. H. Barden, 21 Church Street. Killed in action at Anzio, Italy, February 8 1944.

Fusilier Frank Breedon, The Royal Fusiliers. Son of Mrs F. Breedon, 37 Eaton Avenue. Killed in action in North Africa, May 9 1943.

Gunner Ronald Bowler, 148 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Youngest son of Mr and Mrs C. W. Bowler, 3 Manor Road. Died as a prisoner of the Japanese, April 16 1944.

Alfred Burgess. 9 Brooklands Road. Killed in an explosion near Rome, 1944.

Private William Gladstone Chambers, The Queens. Only son of Mr and Mrs W. G. Chambers, 10 Tavistock Street. Killed in action at El Alamein, north Africa, October 24 1942.

Gunner Geoffrey Lionel Chew. 148 Field Regiment Royal Artillery. Youngest son of Mrs E Chew. 21 Aylesbury Street. Killed when the ship taking him from Siam to Japan as a POW was torpedoed, September 12 1944.

AC2 Albert Clements, son of Albert and May Clements. Killed on October 25 1942.

Private Frederick Eastaff, 1st Suffolk Regimant.Youngest son of Mr and Mrs F Eastaff. 32 Albert Street. Killed when the ship taking him from Siam to Japan as a POW was torpedoed, September 12 1944.

Private Herbert Richard Goodwin, The Warwickshire Regiment. Only son of Mrs W. Goodwin, 23 Oliver Road. Killed in the Battle of France, near Ypres, May 28 1940.

Private Henry Grace, The Cambridgeshire Regiment. Husband of Mrs H. Grace, 13 Eaton Avenue. Died in Siam while a prisoner of the Japanese, October 11 1943.

Private Walter Colin Harris, Beds and Herts Regiment. Husband of Mrs Harris, 26 Brooklands Road. Died in Siam while a prisoner of the Japanese, September 1 1943.

A Catterall, information unknown.

AC2 Joseph Reginald Haynes, RAF. Husband of Mrs Haynes, 29 Tavistock Street. Died through illness in Uxbridge RAF Hospital, November 22 1943.

Private John William Thomas Levick, 10th Hussars. Husband of Mrs J. W. T. Levick, Bow Brickhill. Eldest son of Mr and Mrs W. J. Levick, 48 Duncombe Street. Killed in action, June 16 1942.

Private Alec Lingard, The Queens. Husband of Mrs Lingard, Drayton Parslow. Son of Mr F. Lingard, 52 Westfield Road. Killed on active service in the Middle East, September 4 1942.

Private George Lovell. only son of Mr and Mrs L Lovell, 60 Victoria Road. Shot by a sniper while clearing a small German village, while other Germans were coming out under a white flag, April 20 1945.

Signaller Peter Eric Meadows, Royal Navy. Only son of Mr A. T. Meadows, 67 Eaton Avenue. Killed in action aboard a minesweeper, May 20 1940.

Frank Nursaw, third son of Mrs K. Nursaw, 61 Duncombe Street. Killed on the Western Front, May 8 1940.

Signaller John Eric Payne, Worcestershire Regiment. Nephew of Mrs T. R. Bazeley, 34 Windsor Street. Killed in action in the Middle East, June 14 1942.

Sergeant Pilot Harold Ernest Perry, RAF. Second son of Mr and Mrs A Perry, 4 Bedford Street. Killed in a crash following a bombing raid, May 7 1942.

Private Kenneth Harold Walter Perry, The Loyal Regiment. Husband of Mrs Perry, 6 Western Road. Killed in action on the Anzio beach head, February 15 1944.

ADDITIONAL

Flying Officer J. E. Watts, Eldest son of Mr and Mrs J. Watts, 49 Eaton Avenue. Killed in action, Setpember 6 1943.

Sergeant Pilot Gordon Downs Bushell, RAFVR Only son of Mr and Mrs J. D. Bushell, High Street. Killed while returning from an air patrol, December 31 1940.

Flying Officer James Edward Hanks, RAF. Eldest son of Mr and Mrs A E. Hanks, 1 Simpson Road. Shot down over Holland following an attack on Dusseldorf, April 23 1944.

Sergeant William Edwin Meredith, Grenadier Guards. Eldest son of Mr and Mrs W. E. Meredith, Hollybank, High Street. Killed while in command of a tank on the France-Belgium border. September 3 1944.

Private Leonard Wilfred Pettier The Loyal Regiment. Youngest son of Mr and Mrs W. Pettier, Walnut's Cottage, Simpson. Killed on active service in North Africa, August 16 1943.

Sidney Fleming, The Beds and Herts Regiment. Formerly of 21 Church Street. Killed in an air raid on Formosa where he was being held as a prisoner by the Japanese, February 7 1945.

Private Frederick Arthur Tofield Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry. Youngest son of Mr and Mrs E A Tofield, 6 Council Houses, Sin Killed in an accident while home on leave, February 11 1943.

John Whitfield, RAMC. Formerly of 19 Lennox Road. Killed by enemy action on Mersyside, November 1940.

Lieutenant Jacques Donald Alphouse Buisson, RAOC, of Cheshire. Died January 1945 at the age of 32 in a motor accident between Bletchley and Little Brickhill on Watting Street. Stationed at Bletchley, he had been living at 18 Vicarage Road and the commanding officer of the unit, Major Saxon, was among the four other occupants of the vehicle who were injured.

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