by James | Jun 24, 2017 | Remembrance
Today we remember Samuel William Jackson of Haconby, who fought with the 76th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery and died this day, 24th June in 1917.
Remembered with Honour at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery and also on the Haconby Memorial.


by James | Oct 23, 2016 | Remembrance
Today we remember Morton man John Taylor. Killed this day, 23rd October 100 years ago in 1916.
John was born in 1896 and was the second of 8 children born to Joseph Parker Taylor and his wife Emma Downs.
By 1911 Emma had passed away leaving Joseph to bring up the children.
By 1915 brother Joseph had joined the army and was killed in September 1915 fighting with the 7th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment.
John also joined the army although records would suggest that he did not see overseas service until 1916 which could indicted that he joined after the death of his brother.
In 1916 John saw action with the 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire regiment on the first day of the battle of the Somme. This day saw such divisional losses that they Battalion was withdrawn from the line and John spent the rest of the summer with his Battalion around the Loos area.
By mid October the Battalion had engrained for the Somme again arriving to a very wet, muddy and winter trench system. They entered the front line on the 19th October in advance of a planned attack on the 23rd October.
This attack would see the first wave of the Battalion being mown down, almost to a man, by rapid rifle and machine gun fire. Part of the brigade did succeed in taking 200 yards of enemy trench whilst under very intense raffle and machine gun fire. The main part of the were withdrawn after only a few hours but some part that had made the trench were still there some time later.
John Taylor was lost during this action that cost the Battalion 13 officers (out of 16) and 272 men out of 470.
Private John Taylor, 1943, Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 23rd October 1916 is remembered with honour on the Thiepval Memorial on Pier 1 face C.
John and his brother Joseph are both honoured on the Morton Memorial.

by James | Sep 27, 2016 | Remembrance
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


by James | Sep 25, 2016 | Remembrance
Today, 25th September, we remember George Hill who was killed in action 100 years ago today in 1916.
Rippingale born George and his brother Arthur, both signed up to fight for King and Country, unfortunately, along with their brother in law, Charlie Sharpe, none were to make it home at the end of the war.
George, a Wagoner working in Rippingale, signed up in Bourne on the 30th September 1914, first serving with the 10th battalion and then later with the 1st battalion Lincolnshire regiment. George was killed during the on going actions for the Battle of the Somme on the 25th September 1916.
George Hill is buried in Guards Cemetery, Lesboeufs, France and also commemorated on the Rippingale Memorial.
A short history of George’s military career can be found on the Rippingale pages on the Jamie and Sue website.

Photo courtesy of Jim Latham


by James | Sep 20, 2016 | Remembrance
Rouen was the final resting place of over 8000 men who died of wounds during WW1 whilst in one of its many hospitals.
Today we pay our respects to Bourne Man Private Albert Chambers 4838 of the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), who died of wounds received on the Somme on 20th September 1916 age 26.
Albert was the son of John Thomas and Dinah Chambers of 11 Stanley street Bourne and was a resident of Cawthorpe.
Remembered on the Bourne Memorial, Buried in St Sever Cemetery, Rouen.
Rest in Peace


by James | Sep 14, 2016 | Remembrance
This week we remembered the 100th Anniversary of the death of Haconby man Lance Corporal Robert Wand, of the 6th Lincolnshire Regiment, killed on the Somme on 14th September 1916.
Robert was the son of Richard Wand, a farm labourer and his wife Sarah Ellis. One of 12 children, he was born in 1883.
Robert was a member of the choir and also a bell ringer at Haconby and worked as a waggoner on a farm in Dunsby.
He was one of 9 men from the parishes of Haconby and Morton who joined up in October 1914. He first saw overseas service with the 6th Battalion Lincolnshire regiment in 1915.
On September 12th 1916, the Battalion left Bouzincourt and marched to trenches north of Orvilliers. In the following 2 days the Battalion lost 7 men with a further 30 wounded before being moved to the Battalion HQ on the 15th.
Robert is buried at Ovillers Military Cemetery and commemorated on the Haconby Memorial.
Robert’s cousins Tom Hutchins and Edward Ellis along with his nephew Thomas Wand all gave their lives in the service of their country during the Great War.


by James | Sep 3, 2016 | Remembrance
Today we remember William Scotney (b William Scotney Handford) of Haconby, Sergeant in the 17th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, who gave up his life for King and Country this day in 1916.
Remembered at the Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme and also in Haconby Church.

by James | Aug 5, 2016 | Remembrance
Today we will be remembering one our local soldiers that paid the ultimate price in the name of King, Country and Freedom.
100 years ago today, the 5th August 1916, John Robert Porter was killed in action during the battle of the somme whilst serving with the 10th battalion Lincolnshire regiment.
In Memory of Private John Robert Porter, 1406, 10th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 5 August 1916 Age 20.
Son of Mr R Porter of Dunsby, Bourne, Lincs
Remembered with Honour Thiepval Memorial and Dunsby Memorial
We will remember them.

by James | Jul 14, 2016 | Remembrance
Tomorrow we remember Private William Wyer of the 9th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment. A Haconby man killed in action on the 14th July 1916. He lies in a corner of a foreign field on the Somme and is commemorated on the Haconby memorial.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
In Memory of Private W Wyer, 14004, 9th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment who died on 14 July 1916.
Remembered with Honour Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L’abbe
Grave Ref: II.B.34

by James | Jul 3, 2016 | Remembrance
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Haconby man Robert Wilson Wyer who made the ultimate sacrifice on the 3rd July 1916.
Robert grew up in Haconby, the son of a farm labourer and moved to Oldham by 1911 living with his uncle and working as a labourer there.
He, like so many of Haconby’s young men enlisted and joined the 7th battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment.
Robert was killed in action on the 3rd July 1916 giving his ultimate sacrifice in the first days of the battle of the Somme.
Robert is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme and on the Haconby war memorial.
Lest we forget

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