DANCE....Philip.
Private. Labour corps. (Formerly 130236 R.F.A.)143146.Date died 28th June 1918. Aged 26. Labour corps formed in Jan 1917 numbered around 390,000 men of this total around 175,000 were working in the UK many were physically unfit for front line duties. Philip Died of peritoneum in Bridgewater hospital.UK. He was kicked in the stomach by a horse and as a result was transferred to the Agricultural company,was formerly a driver with the Royal Field Artillery(130236) probably serving in France and Flanders while in the R.F.A. Born Bidford. Employed as a steamroller drivers assistant at Bomfords in Salford.
Buried Stow-on-the-wold Cemetery.


St Edwards Stow-on-the-wold church.



Memorial inside Stow church.

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DAVIS....Frank. Frank died of pulmonary tuberculosis on Wed 17th May 1922. Aged 30.The husband of Fanny Davis who lived in Broom. He is buried in the local cemetery at Bidford.


Bidford cemetery.

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DAVIES....Herbert.
Private.service no 6897. Worcestershire regiment 3rd Battalion, 25th div 74th brigade. Date of death 10th July 1916.
Herberts brigade were at La Boisselle, taking part in the attacks at Ovillers, there were many attacks between the 5th and 16th July Herbert was killed in action on the 10th.
Born and resident of Bidford.
He is remembered on the Thiepval memorial were over 72,000 Identified casualties to the missing from the battles of the somme.


Thiepval Memorial

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DEE....Edward George.
Corporol. service no Y/1227. Kings Royal Rifle Corps, 9th Battalion. Date of death 24 Aug 1916. Edwards battalion was part of the 42nd Brigade 14th division. Heavly involved in the battles of the Somme, Edward was killed in action probably in one of the battles for Delville wood which was secured on the 25th Aug 1916 by the 14th (light) division.
Born in Stratford Resident of Bidford. Buried in Delville wood cemetery Longueval.


Delville wood
cemetery. cwgc

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EDKINS....Christopher John.
Private. service no 11762. Oxford and Bucks light infantry. 2nd battalion. Date died 13th Nov 1916. Christopher was killed in action his Division was heavily involved in the battles on the Somme around the time of his death battles were ranging along the Ancre river between 13th-18th Nov 1916 North of Thiepval. UK casualties on the Somme were 360,000 of these 95,600 killed. Christopher is buried at Redan ridge cemetery Beaumont-Hamel.


Redan Ridge
cemetery. cwgc

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FINNEMORE....Michael Charles.
Rifleman. Kings Royal Rifles Corps 12th Battalion. Aged 26. Service No A/3398. Date of death 21st Aug 1917.Aged 26. Part of the 20th division, the KRRC were active in the Battle of Langemarck, 3rd battle of Ypres 16th-18th Aug 1917, It took place in the wettest weather in 75 years, the battle fields turning into quagmires and became known as Passchendaele after the village to the east of Ypres, the battle cost 300,000 allied casualties, Michael although dying of disease was one of these.
Son of Michael Charles and Elizabeth Ann Finnemore of Marcliff, Bidford.
Buried Harlebeke New British cemetery.


Harlebeke new British cemetery. cwgc

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FREER....Leacroft Howard.(William).
Sapper. Canadian Engineers 1st field company. Service no 5089. Date died 15th June 1915. Died at Givenchy aged 30.


Leacrofts signing on paper.

On the evening of Tuesday, the 15th of June, 1915, the 1st Canadian Brigade found itself involved in one of the bloodiest engagements of the whole war. Over against its left flank was a German "fortin," known to us as Stony Mountain, bristling with machine guns, guns which later did terrible execution. Before it, some 250 yards more to the south, was another strongly entrenched post known as "Dorchester." The operation orders directed that the 7th British Division on the Canadian left (with the East Yorks next to us) should make a frontal attack on Stony Mountain. The 1st Canadian Battalion (Ontario Regiment), under General Mercer, was to attack in support and secure the two lines of enemy trenches between Stony Mountain and Dorchester. Working parties of the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Battalions were to secure and connect the trenches taken by the 1st, or, if necessary, assume the defensive.
A Canadian national at the time of his death Son of Mrs G.L. Freer of Port Hammand. B.C. and the late Howard Freer. Born Bidford August 27th 1884, trade carpenter. Family lived at Bidford grange, his father Howard was a farmer.


Vimy memorial. cwgc

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FREEMAN....Henry.
Sergeant. Worcestershire regiment 3rd battalion. 7th Brig 3rd Div. service no 13202. Date died 16th June 1915. Henry was invovled in the 2nd battles of Ypres. One of which was the 1st attack on Bellewaarde on the 16th July 1915 the day Henry was killed in action. The 3rd WORCS attacked with the 7th Irish rifles and were met by heavy artillery and machine gun fire, ground was won and consolidated. Henry was born and resident in Bidford. Enlisted Worcester. Ypres (Menin gate) memorial.



Ypres memorial.


Menin gate panel 34.

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GARDNER....David.
Driver. Army Service Corps Aged 19. Date of Death 21st Oct 1916. Service no T4/161185.
David was part of the ASC who supplied the Army with food equipment and ammo.nearly 325,000 men served, David died of a serious illness at home aged 19 He enlisted in Dec 1915 but due to accident was discharged in June 1916. He did not serve overseas. Buried in his home Cemetery.
St Laurence churchyard Bidford.





Bidford-on-Avon Church.

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GOULD....Gerald.
Private. Royal Warwickshire Regiment 10th Bat. service no 36145. Date died 8th Nov 1918.Also formerly H/57222. Queens own Oxford Hussars. Gerald unfortunatly was killed in action just 3 days before the armistice was signed on the 11th Nov 1918. His Division the 19th Western Division were involved in the final advance in Picardy. The battle around the time of his death was at The passage of the Grand Honelle in early November 1918. Enlisted in Warwick, Born in Bidford also resident in Bidford.
Buried at Bettrechies communal cemetery. (3 Warwicks buried here in the foreground, Gerald is the third one in from the left)



Picture kindly taken by Pierre Vandervelden. Click here

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HANCOCKS....Frank.
Emigrated to Canada. Private. Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment) 8th Battalion.(90th Rifles) aged 29. Date of death 28th April 1917. Service no A38018. Frank was born in Birmingham on 2nd Apr 1889 his trade in Canada was a Linesman he also served 3 years in the Alberta 15th Light Horse, he enlisted into the Canadian over-seas expeditionary force (CEF) on Dec 18th 1914 aged 25 years 9 months he was 5ft 9ins tall. Frank Hancocks (438018) originally joined the 52nd Bn at Port Arthur on 18 Dec 1914. He was one of the first to join. He was part of the first reinforcing draft that was stripped off the 52nd Bn of which many went to the 8th Bn.




Franks signing on papers.

On his date of death Franks battalion nicknamed the Little black devils were involved in the battle of Arleux loop, to eventually capture the villiage of Fresnoy. 50 ordinary ranks were killed 200 wounded and 50 were missing after the battle.. Son of the late William Hancocks and of Maria Harbige( formerly Hancocks) of Waterloo cottage, Bidford. Remembered on the Vimy memorial.


Vimy memorial.cwgc

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HANCOCK....
Horace James. Died in 1922. The son of Joseph,an agriculttural labourer and Elizabeth Hancock. Born Bidford in 1886.

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HARRIS....Edgar.
Private. 1st Battalion Lincolnshire regiment.Service no 13729. Date died 16th June 1915. Aged 30. Edgar was killed in the same battle as Henry Freeman on the same day two Bidford lads together. 1st battalion Lincolnshire regiment involved in the attack for the enemy front line and the Hooge farm trench, the attack was so successful that the infantry were shelled by thier own artillery and had to fall back to the German front line, ground was held and consolidated. Ypres(Menin gate) Memorial. Son of Major and Ann Harris Bickmarsh Bidford. Husband of Annie Elizabeth Houghton.(formerly Harris).


Ypres Menin Gate
memorial


Menin gate Panel 21.

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HARRIS....Albert Edward.
Private Royal Warwickshire regiment 1st Battalion Service no 9919 Date of death 31st July 1915.
Member of the 10th Brigade 4th Division. Battalion located near Mailly-Maillet, north of Albert from 22nd July 1915 until February 1916. Buried at Sucrerie Military cemetery, Colincamps.


Sucrerie cemetery. cwgc

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HARTLAND....Arthur.
Private. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. 2nd battalion, Service no 11772. Date of death 28th July 1916. A member of the 5th brigade. Arthurs battalion a member of the 2nd div were involved in the battles of the Somme around the time he was Killed in action. Pozieres being one of the main stratgic positions fought for in Late July 1916. Born and resident in Bidford. Served in action in France and Flanders. Son of Mr and Mrs W. Hartland of Broom, Bidford.
Remembered on the Thiepval memorial.


Thiepval memorial. cwgc

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HARTWELL....Horace Frank.
Private Essex Regiment 1st Battalion. Aged 22. Date of death 14th Apr 1917. Service no 20326.Before the war Horace was a butcher. A member of the 37th div. At the time of Horace's death his regiment were involved in the battles of Arras including the capture of Monchy Le Preux which was held in allied hands for nearly 12 months and was recaptured by the Germans in their spring offence of 1918,regained again by the Canadians in Aug 18.
Son of Mr T.C. and Mrs J.A. Hartwell, of "Gascotte" Bidford.
Remembered on the ARRAS Memorial.


Arras memorial.cwgc

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HEAVER....C.
Private. Aged 39. Royal Marine Light Infantry. 1st RM.Bn R.N.Div.
Date of Death 25th Aug 1918. Service no CH/1676(S).
Private Heaver probably died during the battle of Louport wood the final objective at the Eastern Edge of Le Bargue which was captured and despite many enemy counter attacks with the enemy suffering losses from Lewis gun and rifle fire.
Buried at Valenciennes(St Roch) Communal cemetery.
Son of Resta and Ellen Heaver.of Godstone,Surrey. Husband of Gertrude Annice Heaver, of Borris Cottage,Bidford.


Valenciennes
community cemetery. cwgc

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HOUGHTON....
Bernard H.
Corporal. Worcester Regiment 1st/8th Battalion. Date of death 24th Apr 1917. Service no 240580. Part of the 144th Glous/Worcs Brigade 48th South Midlands. Killed in action during the attack on Guillemont Farm on 24th Apr 1917 aged 26. The youngest son of Henry, a Stonemason and Sarah Ann Houghton. He was born and resided in Redditch and enlisted in Worcester. Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.


Thiepval Memoral.cwgc

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HUGHES...Richard george.
Airman 2nd class. Royal Flying Corps. 22nd Kite Balloon Section. Aged 18. Date of Death 5th Dec 1916. Service no 33125.Died of injuries following a motorcycle accident.Before the war he was employed as a driver. He was a dispatch rider and died following a collision in which he fractured his skull and broke his collarbone and some ribs.
Son of Richard and Ella Hughes. of Broom, Bidford-on-avon. Remembered with honour at Varennes military cemetery.Varennes is a village about 7 miles from Albert, was used in December 1916 by the 4th and 11th casualty clearing stations.


Varennes military cemetery.cwgc

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LANE....William.George.
Private. Worcs 1st battalion.8th Div. Service no 22155. Aged 20. Died of wounds, Was involved in the 1st phase of the battle of the Somme, the fighting on and around Albert 1st-13th July 1916. Date of death 7th July 1916.
Son of Edwin and Bessie Lane of 14, Council houses, Broom, Bidford.
Buried. Mericourt-L'Abbe communial cemetery


Merciourt communal cemetery.cwgc.


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LEONARD....George.
Awarded Distinguished Conduct Medal. 126485. Lieutenant.8th Battalion South Staffs Regiment 51st brigade 17th Division. Died in hospital of Choleycstitis on the 1st Sept 1916. The son of Josph and Harriet Leonard of Handsworth. The Husband of Minni Leonard of Waterloo rd Bidford. born in Warwick. He served in the South Africa Campaign. Buried in the Le Treport Military cemetery Seine-Maritime France.


DCM. Second only to the Victoria Cross for other ranks.


Le Treport Military Cemetery.cwgc

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LIDDELL...William.Henry.
Private,Gloucestershire regiment. 2nd/5th battalion. Date of death 5th Dec 1917. Service number 32835. 61st division.Employed before the war on Horn farm Bickmarsh,Nr Bidford.. 2/5th on the 5th Dec 17 were at Villers Plouich, the day Liddell died of wounds. Major incident in November for the 2/5th was a bomb dropped by aeroplane killing 16 and wounding 53. His brother Francis also fell details below Buried Sunken road cemetery Villers-Plouich.


Sunken road cemetery.cwcg.

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LIDDELL....Francis.
Private Hampshire Regiment 1st Bat. Aged 18 Date of Death 22nd Apr 1918. Service no 28633. The Hampshire was part of the 4th division this division remained on the western front throughout the war. Francis was probably killed during the German spring offensive of 1918, which was Germanys final attempt to force a victory before the Americans came into the war, there was a battle at Hazebrouch 12th-15th Apr.
Remembered on the Loos memorial which commerates over 20,000 officers and men with no known grave.
Son of William and Annie Liddell, of Brook Leys, Bickmarsh, Bidford.


Loos memorial.cwgc.

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LOCKE....Nathan.
Private. Royal Berkshire regiment. 2nd battalion. Date of death 2nd Dec 1917. Service no 38274. 25th Brigade 8th Div. aged 28. Before the war he was employed as a painter. Based at Ridge camp, moved up to the front late November, Nathan was killed in action, war diary for the day states "battalion formed up for attack on enemy line" at the time of the attack battalion was in the WIELTTE area.
Remembered on the Tyne cot memorial.


Tyne cot
memorial.


Tyne cot Panel 105-106

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