Bradford Abbas

WAR MEMORIAL

 

"Just to the west of the post office stands the village War Memorial, which stands on a site which, in 1838, was occupied by a blacksmith's shop with a cottage alongside. It is a small stone structure with a tiled roof and was erected in 1917 by Mr Bartlett of Yeovil with Mr C.E.Benson as architect, at a total cost of £120 19s 6d. Within, on a central panel are the names of all those who fell in the two wars, whilst the side panels contain the names of all those who served in the same wars. An inscription reads:

'Be of good comfort, O my children

For ye shall be remembered.' "

'Bradford Abbas, The History of a Dorset Village' by Eric Garrett, published 1989

 

Further information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website * Names from the war memorial transcribed on-site by Caryl Parsons.

 

Left side panel ( MIs indicate WWII)

Who served

Pte P.LANG

Cpl J.LUMBARD

Pte G.MITCHELL

C.P.O. H.NEWTON

Pte A.NORGATE

Pte R.PEARCE

Pte D.PAUL

Sgt E.PARSONS

Sgt.Maj. W.PATCH

Pte A.PATCH

Pte E.PATCH

Sgt F.PURCHASE

Pte W.REYNOLDS

Pte L.RING

 

Back left panel (Mis indicate WWI)

Who served

Dvr G.T.ARTHURS

Dvr J.V.ARTHURS

Pte W.BAKER

L.Cpl. F.BERE

Sgt T.BERE

Pte W.BERE

Pte F.BURROUGH

Pte W.BURROUGH

L.Cpl. L.BRAGG

Sgt A.COOMBS

Pte G.CHAFFEY

Pte W.CLEAL

Pte F.CLEAL

Pte B.COOPER

1st Cls.Stk. F.COX

2nd Lt. A.COX

Pte H.COX

Pte W.CONWAY

Stkr. G.CALLER

Stkr. F.CALLER

Pte A.CALLER

Pte A.DISKETT

Pte F.DENNETT

Pte W.DODGE

Pte E.DICKER

 

Centre back panel (WWI)

Who gave their life

In Memoriam

C.S.M. A.BURROUGH *

Pte F.CALLER

Cpl W.CHAFFEY *

Pte F.GARRETT

Pte H.GLOVER *

Sgt F.GRAY ?*

Pte J.KENT

Pte W.MARTIN

Seaman A.SYMES * (also has a headstone in the churchyard)

Pte H.SMITH

Pte B.GOULD

 

Centre back, below above panel

1939-1945

Edward Ainsley THOMAS *

Pilot Officer, RAF, VR

'Greater love hath no man than this

that a man lay down his life for his friends.'

 

Back right panel (MIs indicate WWI)

Who served

Far.Cpl. A.DENTY

Dvr E.FOWLER

Cmr W.FOWLER

Capt A.FIRTH

Capt P.FIRTH

Lt M.FIRTH

Gnr W.GOSNEY

Gnr T.GOSNEY

Pte R.GOSNEY

Pte W.GOODENOUGH

Stk.P.O. R.GILL

Dvr W.GOULD

L/Cpl L.HIGGINS

Pte A.JEANS

Pte J.KENT

Sgt.Maj. W.LANG

Pte J.MARTIN

Pte A.TASWELL

Pte J.TOWNSHEND

Gnr W.TROWBRIDGE

Dvr W.UPSALL

Pte S.UPSALL

L/Cpl G.WALLBRIDGE

Pte H.WALLBRIDGE

Pte G.WILLIS

 

Right side panel (MIs indicate WWII)

Who served

Stk H.SMITH

Pte W.SMITH

Gnr W.SMITH

Pte J.SMITH

Pte A.SMITH

Pte V.SMITH

Pte E.SMITH

Pte C.SMITH

Pte W.SMITH

Pte E.STEVENS

Sgt J.BOUCHER

Pte H.ELLAWAY

Gnr W.TURNER

Pte C.GARRETT

Pte C.W.GARRETT

 

Additional information from the Commonwealth War Graves website

Edward Ainsley THOMAS

Pilot Officer 132619, 630 Sqdn, Royal Air Force, Volunteer Reserve

Died Monday 1st January 1945, aged 26

Son of John and Mary Jane THOMAS, husband of Clarice Mary Warr THOMAS of Iwerne Minster, Dorset

A.SYMES

Petty Officer Stoker 310701, HMS Hampshire, Royal Navy

Died Sunday 3rd October 1915

Cemetery – Bradford Abbas, north-east corner, headstone

Wilfred John CHAFFEY, M.M.

Lance Corporal 230196, Dorset Yeomanry (Queen's Own)

Died Wednesday 21st November 1917, aged 29

Son of William and Bessie CHAFFEY, of Bradford Abbas

?Frederick GRAY

Sergeant, 5th Bn., Dorsetshire Regiment

Died Saturday 21st August 1915, aged 41

Son of Ambrose and Fanny GRAY, of Forest Deer, Gillingham

Husband of Annie GRAY, of Stoford

Served in South African War with 2nd Bn.

Arthur George BURROUGH

Service # 6289, 2nd Scots Guards

Died 16th May 1915

Hubert GLOVER

Pte, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 1st Bn., service # 27808

Died 2nd September 1916

 

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