Bedfordshire Regiment, 6th Battalion.
Killed in Action on Sunday, 7th October 1917
Aged 23
Arthur was born in Great Ashfield in 1893 (Stow Q4-1893 4A:745) the son of Harry and Hannah BOUGHTON (nee PRYKE). His link with Badwell Ash is that his father Harry and grandfather Charles were wheelwrights in Long Thurlow in 1861, and then moved to Daisy Green so may have attended the Badwell Ash Church although they are buried at Great Ashfield.
1901 census...Aged 7 he was at Daisy Green, Ashfield Magna (Great Ashfield) with his father Harry [52] a carpenter, born Ashfield Magna; his mother Hannah [38] born Combs, Suffolk; brother Charles W[11]; sister Olive G [9]; brothers William G [4] and Herbert F [1] All the children were born in Ashfield Magna.
1911 census...Aged 17, he has no occupation recorded, living at Great Ashfield still, with his parents; brother Charles and Frank (Herbert F) and sister Annie [8] born in Great Ashfield.
He enlisted in Bury St Edmunds: An excellent website www.bedfordregiment.org has the war diaries, from where we have this recorded:-
"7 Oct 1917 Heavy artillery bombarded the GERMAN front line throughout the day with success. Our front line coys pushed forward patrols to ascertain if the ENEMY was still holding his same position. He was! Inter-coy relief took place between D & A coys - "B" would have relieved "C" coy but got badly shelled and was unable to do so. 10 O.R's killed 15 O.R's wounded.
Arthur Boughton is buried in Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery,Zillebeke, Belgium grave 5:A:2
Click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details
East Surrey Regiment, 8th Battalion.
Killed in Action on Saturday 1st July 1916
Aged 21
George Spencer Buckle was born in Badwell Ash (Stow Q2-1895 4A:815) son of Spencer and Emma Susannah BUCKLE (nee GARNHAM).
1901 census...Aged 6, George was living at The Green, Badwell Ash with his father Spencer BUCKLE [29] a horsekeeper on farm, born Badwell Ash; his mother Emma S [29] born Rickinghall; his sister Gertrude J [4] and brother Percy W [2]. All three children were born in Badwell Ash.
1911 census...Aged 16, George was a farm labourer still living at The Green, Badwell Ash, with his parents, sister Gertrude and brother Percy, plus 4 new siblings; Leonard [8] Olive [6] Bertie [2] and Gladys [9 months], all born in Badwell Ash. 2 of the 9 children had died.
He enlisted in Walsham le Willows.
On July 1st 1916, the worst day in British Army history, when nearly 20,000 were killed and a further 40,000 became casualties, the 8th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment were part of the 55th Brigade, 18th (Eastern)Division, attacking from between Taus Boise and the Carnoy-Montauban road towards Montauban Ridge. They started well, Captain Nevill (EastYorks) had obtained permission to kick footballs into no man's land and supplied these to each platoon. They were instructed that proper formation and distance should be kept though. The 2 leading platoons "kicked off" at 7.30 am, but the disciplined troops stuck to orders about formation and distance and that assisted the German defenders considerably and they were able to machine-gun the leading waves of advancing British with devastating effect. The 8th East Surreys did however manage to reach their objective by about 12.30 pm.and dug in on the Mametz Road, to the west of Montauban, where they were relieved at daybeak on 2nd July. They had sustained 446 casualties, 139 of these were killed and of them 198 have no knwon grave and are named on the Thiepval Memorial.
c Roy Beardsworth
George Buckle is buried in Dantzig Alley British Cemetery,Mametz,France, grave 7:Q:2
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details
