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GRATELEY WAR MEMORIAL

World War 1 & 2 - Detailed Information
Compiled and copyright © Stephen Pope 2006

The names of those villagers from Grateley, in the Great War and the Second World War, are listed on the northern wall of the nave of the Parish Church of St Leonard’s, and in the Village Hall which was also erected in their memory.

THE GREAT WAR
1914 - 1918

ALEXANDER

W E

The memorial states that William (as he is known to the village) served with the Royal Marine Artillery but no other information is known

DANGERFIELD

George

George was born at Corhampton, in East Hampshire, in 1881; the fourth son of Thomas and Ann Dangerfield. He must have settled in the Grateley area before the war as he enlisted in Andover. He served with 2/4th (Territorial Force) Bn of The Hampshire Regt. He later served with 14th Bn, which mainly fought in France. He was married to Rose and they lived at the Railway Cottage in Amport. George died of wounds shortly after the war ended aged 37 on 15th December 1918. His body is buried in St Leonard’s Churchyard at Grateley

GODDARD

William

William was born in Tidworth; his parents being George and Mary Ann Goddard. He enlisted at Winchester) and served as a private soldier (number 10469) with 2nd Bn the Hampshire Regt. Aged 25 years, he drowned when the troop transport "Royal Edward" was torpedoed by a German submarine in the Aegean Sea, on 13th August 1915, whilst the Bn was on its way to attack Turkey. William is commemorated on the Helles memorial on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The memorial shows his initial as D and he is known to villagers as David.

HOARE

Archie

Archie was born in Quarley, the nearest village to Grateley, in 1 April 1878. He was one of four sons born to George and Agnes Hoare who later became the grocers and bakers in Grateley. He was small but physically robust (5 ft 4 in with a broken nose and scar on his upper lip). He initially worked as an agricultural labourer and served with 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment.

At the age of 18½ years, he joined the regular army, enlisting in London on 3 October 1895. Initially allocated to the Highland Light Infantry, he immediately transferred to the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC). He served in the Boer War and was known to have been besieged at Ladysmith, where his brother was part of the relieving party. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 29 April 1902 and re-enlisted. He was an first class instructor and an excellent shot; he rapidly made his way though the ranks, being promoted Colour Sergeant (the most senior other ranks appointment in a company) in Jun 1907 whilst the 2nd Battalion was at Jubbalapore in India. He returned to England in September 1907 when married he Mary Lydia Hillier, at Christchurch Hampshire and then continued to serve with 2nd Battalion KRRC in India, before returning with the Battalion to Shorncliffe on 1 February 1910.

He probably participated in the Coronation of King George V in Jun 1911 and was the best shot in D Company in 1912. On 10 January 1913 he moved with the Battalion to Blackdown Barracks, near Camberley, and was appointed C Company Serjeant Major on 1 October, when the battalion reorganised from 8 to 4 companies. He was appointed RSM on 6th August 1914, just before the Battalion deployed to France on 13th August 1914. One of his brothers, Samuel? who was the Band Sergeant of the Battalion, deployed at the same time.

Archie took part in the retreat from Mons and the battle of the Marne. He was commissioned, in the field, on 1 October 1914, whilst the battalion was out of the line near the River Aisne, and was later shot in the foot during the first battle of Ypres. He was evacuated back to the UK and sent to convalesce at the newly opened hospital at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. His wounds however did not prevent him returning to Grateley for Christmas 1914 where he gave the vote of thanks at a Christmas concert specially arranged by the village children to maintain morale amongst the families.

He was promoted to Lieutenant in Oct 1916. He was appointed temporary Captain on 2 June 1916 and served as a company commander, and sometime battalion second in command, in 12th Battalion KRRC, which had formed at Winchester in September 1914. He fought at the battle of the Somme, the advance to the Hindenburg Line in Spring 1917 and at the battle of Passchendaele in July and August 1917.

During the Battle of Cambrai, Archie commanded B Company during the opening attack on 20th November 1917. The leading companies of 12th KRRC broke through into the first and support trenches of the Main Hindenburg Line, to the northeast of Villers Plouich, and the CO (Lt Col Geoffrey Moore DSO) then directed Archie to take the final element of the battalion’s objective. The two men discussed the task and a Stokes mortar was allocated to Archie’s company for fire support. Archie deployed two platoons to take the first element of the position; this was achieved with heavy casualties. As he led his remaining platoon forward to take the last element, they came under heavy fire, near the “Mound”, from a machine gun post to their front. Archie received a severe head wound and most of his men were injured. Rifleman Albert Shepherd, who was Archie’s orderly, got the remaining troops in cover, moved 70 metres to the rear, under heavy fire, and bought forward a tank which destroyed the enemy machine guns. Shepherd then led the few remaining troops forward to take the final position. For this gallant act, Albert Shepherd was awarded the Victoria Cross.

When the objective was finally taken, only 34 men survived unhurt of 3 officers and 96 men of B Company. Although Archie’s injuries were severe; it was hoped he would survive and he was evacuated to the rear. However he died of his wounds, aged 39, on 27 November 1917 and his body is now buried at Tincourt New British Cemetery

Lt Col Moore wrote to Archie’s wife, Lydia, describing the events that lead to his death and then added a personal tribute. "He was an ornament to the Regiment, to which he had given so many years untiring and wholehearted service, and for which he was now given his life. He was the colour serjeant of my company at Blackdown and I had the greatest respect for him as had all who knew him." Archie service was also described in the 12th KRRC Chronicles: "Among the losses by the Battalion on November 20th the name of Capt A Hoare will always be remembered by those who knew him. His whole life had been devoted to the Regiment to which he had given 22 years of spotless service, and in which he had risen from private rifleman to Captain. The example of coolness, courage and skill he displayed in leading his Company was such as might have been expected from veteran of the old army. The devotion he inspired in his men was great. Himself conscientious, almost to a fault, in the exact performance of the smallest duty, he maintained amongst them a rigid disciple. But no man who did his best ever wanted help or encouragement from his captain and they all bitterly regretted his death."

Archie is not only commemorated within Grateley Church on the brass wall plates but also on his parent’s gravestone, which is near the North wall of the church yard

HORNE

Charles E

Charles Horne was born in Grateley in 1892, his parents were Mr and Mrs. Fred Horne of the Railway Cottages; Fred being a railway signalman. He was a Regular soldier who served with 1st Bn Hampshire Regt. He deployed to France at the outbreak of the war, arriving in Le Havre on 23 Aug 1914 and then fought during the initial German attacks in Belgium. He was killed in action, aged 22 years old, on 18 November 1914 to the south of Ypres. There must have been something special about Charles’ death because he is buried in Ploegsteert Churchyard amongst the Officers of the Battalion; the other ranks being buried in the Lancashire Farm Military Cemetery close by.

PICKERING

Leonard

Leonard was born in 1891 and was the son of Leonard and Ann Pickering, whose family had owned Manor Farm at Grateley. A Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, at the time of his death, on 9 April 1918, he was serving with 79th Field Company. He is buried in Gentelles Communal Cemetery, a small village on the Somme, to the east of Amiens. His grave was destroyed by artillery fire, during the subsequent battles, so the exact burial site is no longer known but a special memorial commemorates him at the cemetery.

THE SECOND WORLD WAR
1939 TO 1945

AYRES

Wilfred John

John Ayres was the one of twins born to Edgar and Agnes Ayres of Grateley; the Ayres (or Ayers) being established in the village for many generations. He was born in 1924 and served with 1st Bn The Hampshire Regt as a private soldier. He died on D Day, during the Battalion’s assault on the Normandy coast, and is buried in Bayeux War Cemetery

AYRES

Percival James

Twin brother of John Ayres, James served as a private soldier with 7th Bn Hampshire Regt. He died, at the age of 21, on 28 March 1945 and is buried in Mook War Cemetary, in the Netherlands.

FUTCHER

Eric

Eric was born in 1919; he was the son of Mary Kate Futcher who later married William Armstead, of Grateley, Hampshire. He served as a private soldier (5727829) in 5th Bn The Dorsetshire Regiment. He died (aged 25) on 10 Jul 1944, during the fighting for Caen. He is buried at Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetery in Normandy.

GRANT

Roy

Roy was born in 1911; the son of Alexander and Laura Grant. He was married to Florrie Grant, of Sheldon in Birmingham. He was a Regular soldier (S/52977) in the RASC. At the time of his death (aged 29) he was serving, as WO II (Staff Quartermaster Sergeant) with 1 Base Supply Depot. The date of his death is recorded as 17 June 1940; after the evacuation from Dunkirk. His name is listed on the Dunkirk Memorial, which commemorates more than 4,500 casualties of the British Expeditionary Force, who have no known grave.

MANSELL

Reginald Baynes

Born in 1897, the son of Alfred Ernest and Laura Evelyn Mansell of Bristol. He served with the Gloucestershire Regt, during the First World War, prior to joining the RFC. He transferred to the RAF and later served as Director of Technical Services in Washington, USA, from 1943-45. He was a Companion of the Bath. Husband of Mabel Lucie Mansell, of Compton Martin, Somerset, he died (aged 48) on 22 January 1945. His name is also listed on the Ottawa Memorial, which commemorates 800 men and women of the Commonwealth Air Forces who lost their lives while serving in units from bases in Canada, the British West Indies and the USA, and who have no known graves.

SHEARES

Arthur Douglas

Arthur served as a Leading Aircraftsman in the RAF Volunteer Reserve. He died on 2 December 1943 and is buried on Ambon Island, which lies close to the south west coast of Ceram in the Molucca Group of islands. The War Cemetery was constructed on the site of a former camp for Australian, British and Dutch Prisoner of War, some of whom had been transferred from Java in 1943, and many of those buried in it died in Japanese captivity.

SHIPSEY

Frederick George Gordon

Gordon Shipsey was born in 1917, the son of Frederick and Bessie Shipsey of Grateley. He served as a Gunner in 9 Coast Regiment RA; this Regiment was based at Singapore and it seems likely that he was made a Prisoner of War when the British Forces surrendered in 1941. He died (aged 28) on 08 June 1945 in Thailand and is buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. This cemetery has many graves of those POWs who died constructing of the notorious Burma-Siam railway.

SIMPSON

Terence D

Terry Simpson was born in 1925; the son of Dennis and Nellie Simpson, of Sudbury, Middlesex. He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and served as Sergeant Radio Operator. At the time of his death, aged 19 years, on 27 January 1944, he was serving with 101 Squadron RAF. He is buried in a collective grave, with 10 others, in the Hanover War Cemetery in West Germany, this seems to show that he was shot down whilst taking part in a bombing mission over Germany

Last updated 21 May, 2007

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