Today we remember Kirkby underwood man, Bertie Rudkin who gave his life in the Great War 100 years ago in 1916.
Bertie Rudkin was born in Morton in 1893 to Henry James Rudkin, a wagoner and his wife Mary Ann Wrighton.
Bertie was one of 7 children and the family moved from Morton to Witham on the Hill, Corby Glen and then on to Swinsted. Later the family settled at Kirkby Underwood.
Bertie can be found on the 1911 census was living with the Cook family in Swinsted and working as a wagoner on a farm.
He enlisted, along with his brother, Ernest, and joined the 1st Lincolnshire regiment.
During the week of the 23rd September, the battalion had been encamped near Fricourt and were called into action on the 25th September to be part of an attack. That day the battalion lost 21 men with 127 wounded and 16 missing in action.
On the 27th September Bertie Rudkin died of wounds and is buried at Etaples Military cemetery.
Etaples was the site of the final military hospital before being shipped back to England, it can be assumed that he died of wounds attained in the earlier fighting with his battalion but never made it back as far as being evacuated back to England.
Bertie is commemorated on the stained glass window at Kirkby Underwood Parish Church as well as the memorial plaque in the church.
Photograph courtesy of Lincolnshire Free Press
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