8571 Pte William E Syratt, 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment

8571 Private William Edward Syratt of the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment was killed in action on the 4th January 1915. He was born in Buckingham and enlisted at Northampton on the 16th August 1907. He was therefore just a couple of weeks away from being transferred to the Reserve when war was declared.

William's service record - 39 pages of it - survives in WO 363 and from it we can see that he was eighteen years and five months old when he joined up and that he was a shoe finisher by trade. He stood five feet, five and a half inches tall, weighed 114 pounds, had a fair complexion, green eyes and brown hair. He was tattooed on both forearms and had a scar on the back of his neck.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that William was 28 years old, the son of William and Elizabeth Syratt of 54 Spencer Street, New Bradwell, Wolverton, Bucks. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Le Touret War Memorial.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC, WO 363)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

7264 Pte William Marney, 1st Bn, Northamptonshire Regt

7264 Pte William Marney of the 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, died on the 17th August 1914. He was born in Forest Gate, Essex and enlisted at Warley (Essex) in late 1903. He arrived in France on the 13th August 1914 and, according to his medal index card, committed suicide four days later. He is buried in Esqueheries Communal Cemetery in France.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

27836 Pte Allan Ernest Brame, 6th Bn, Northamptonshire Regt

27836 Private Allan Ernest Brame of the 6th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, was killed in action on the 20th March 1917. He was a Norfolk man - born in Diss - but enlisted in Ipswich. His number indicates that he joined the Northants in September 1916. He is buried in St Leger Cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

9189 Cpl Joseph Stacey, 2nd Bn, Northants Regt

9189 Corporal Joseph Stacey of the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, was killed in action on the 4th March 1917. He was one of 541 men to die on this date.

Joseph Stacey was born in St Margaret's, Leicester, and enlisted at Northampton. Papers from his service record survive in the WO 363 series at the National Archives, and the following information is taken from these.

When he joined the Northamptonshire Regiment on the 9th August 1910, Joseph Stacey was a serving member with the 4th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment. This was a Territorial Force battalion and so Joseph's commitment would only have been of a part-time nature. He obviously felt, however, that he was cut-out for army life and wanted to make a career of it. His attestation papers record that when he joined the Northants Regiment he was 18 years and five months old and working as a printer. He was five feet four and a half inches tall, had a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. On his right forearm he had a tattoo of Buffalo Bill's head and also a woman's head.

In common with many regular soldiers, Joseph clocked up a few misdemeanours during his time with the army: dirty and untidy quarters are noted in February 1912; absent from pass and being improperly dressed are also recorded for the same year. In October 1914 he was again absent from his pass for a few hours. Such "crimes" seem trivial these days and even then they weren't sufficiently serious to prevent him from being awarded his first good conduct badge in August 1912.

On 13th March 1913, having spent two and a half years in England, Joseph Stacey sailed for Malta. Whilst there, he was inoculated twice for typhoid, a disease which had exacted a heavy toll on British forces during the Boer War. He remained there until the 17th January 1914 and then sailed for Egypt. He was still in Egypt when Britain went to war with Germany, and he headed back for England on the 16th October that year. On the 4th November 1914 he arrived in France, thus just qualifying for the 1914 Star and clasp; an Old Contemptible - just.

Joseph Stacey was certainly wounded twice before he was killed. On the 5th July 1916, with the Battle of the Somme raging, he was promoted corporal. Two days later he received a shell wound to his right shoulder.

He was wounded again on the 21st October 1916, this time receiving a gunshot wound to his right arm. He spent eight days in the 5th General Hospital at Rouen, was transferred to a convalescent camp at Etaples on the 4th November, and was back with his battalion by the 15th. Three months later, his luck ran out.

On the 15th November 1917, letters, photos and postcards, the sole remaining personal effects of 9189 Pte Joseph Stacey, were despatched to his aunt, Miss Sarah Ann Stacey, at 4 Canning Street, Leicester. In due course, his medals would also be sent to the same address.

Joseph Stacey is buried in Fins New British Cemetery at Sorel-Le-Grand in France.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers

8324 Pte Alfred James Mabbutt, 2nd Bn, Northamptonshire

8324 Private Alfred James Mabbutt of the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, was killed in action on the 12th December 1914. He was 29 years old, the son of Josiah and Elizabeth Mabbutt of St. Andrew's Lane, Titchmarsh, Thrapston, in Northamptonshire. Alfred was born in Moulton and enlisted in Northampton. He was serving with A Company at the time of his death.

Alfred joined the Northamptonshire Regiment between 28th December 1906 and the 1st January 1907. This means that unless he'd extended his service with the Colours, he would have been on the Reserve when war was declared; a seasoned campaigner with seven years of soldiering under his belt. In all probability though, Alfred was probably overseas with the regiment, waiting to come home. The 2nd Battalion was in Mustapha Barracks in Alexandria, Egypt and did not sail for England until the beginning of October, arriving at Liverpool on the 16th.

The bulk of the battalion sailed for France on the 4th November, arriving at Havre the following day. Alfred though, arrived on the 6th November. December appears to have been a fairly quiet month for the 2nd Northants but two Northants Regiment men died on this day in 1914, although Alfred was the only man to be killed in action and die overseas. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in France.

Alfred came from a large family and the surviving members must have felt his loss. The 1901 census shows them living at Manor Farm Cottage in Horton St Mary, Northants. Josiah, a 47 year old waggoner, headed the family with his wife, Elizabeth, aged 37. Their children, in age order, are recorded as Alfred (aged 15), Albert (aged 12), Harry (aged nine), Sarah (aged seven), Frank (aged five), Florence (aged three) and Arthur (aged one). Alfred is noted as an assistant waggoner.

There were also two other half brothers who must have left home by the time the 1901 census was taken. They appear on the 1891 census as John G Mabbutt (aged 15) and Charles E Mabbutt (aged 14).

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, 1891 & 1901 census returns)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in The Great War

16871 Pte William Alfred Inchley, 2nd Bn, Northamptonshire Regt

16871 Private William Alfred Inchley of the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment was killed in action on the 28th October 1915.

William was born in Middleton, Northants and he enlisted at Kettering in the second half of December 1914. His medal index card notes that he arrived in France on the 25th August 1915 and so he'd barely been overseas for two months when he was killed. He is buried in X Farm Cemetery at La Chapelle D'Armentieres in France.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission gives the barest detail about this man and records him simply as W A Inchley. He is possibly the same Alfred William Inchley whose birth was registered in the Kettering district of Northamptonshire in the June quarter of 1891, but I have been unable to find convincing matches for both William Alfred and Alfred William on census returns.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, Birth index)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission