The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Chronicle

[Chris B]

Evening all

The local library here in Devon has managed to get me a copy of the Ox and Bucks 1914-15 Chronicle from the Oxfordshire County Council Library. It's one volume of a multi volume series, this one being noted as vol.XXIV.

It details on a day by day basis what happened to the 5 Battalions formed up to 31 July 1915 taken from both Regimental Histories and private diaries/reminiscenses and includes numerous maps and illustrations.

It's a fascinating read and not at all 'dry' in tone with a very clear summary of how the battalions were raised, numbered, organised and trained.

The series has to be a 'must read' for anyone with an interest in the Ox and Bucks.

My interest was to see if I could find any info as to where Pte Matthew Strong my great uncle may have been serving as part of B Coy 1/4 Bn when killed 27 April 1915 .

On page 316 is recorded "April 27th - A man of B Company was killed". They were relieved the same day. He was only the second man to be killed after the battalion arrived in France on 29 March.

1/4 had relieved the 4th Berks in Prowse Point section of the trenches. B Coy took over Oxford Trench. As far as I can see this is somewhere to the South of Ypres but I haven't yet exactly placed it. Matthew is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial. I hope to be there on 27 June.

[Steven Broomfield]

Interestingly, Chris, many years ago (when I was young and foolish), my interest was in WW2, and I acquired the Chronicle for the WW2 years; it really was excellent, so i guess they carried-over the format.

Then I saw the light, and sold all my WW2 stuff and invested it wisely in the Great War.

Regrets? I've had a few.......

[pwenlock]

It's still probuced yearly, currently under the guise of the RGJ Chronicle & covers Regular, TA & affiliated Cadet units

Yours aye

OxfordYeoman

[Will O'Brien]

Here's a photo of the Ox & Bucks panel on the Ploegsteert Memorial. It was taken last year on the 2005 Pals tour to Ypres.

[gordon christie]

Chris,

well interested in this book. Could you get any digi pics or photocopies of pages relavent to the attack on poizieres in july '16. intrested in 1/1 battn and particuarly attack of 20/21st july Lt JPChapman KIA a platoon commander in said attack.

Many thanks,

Gordon

[Chris B]

Chris,

well interested in this book. Could you get any digi pics or photocopies of pages relavent to the attack on poizieres in july '16. intrested in 1/1 battn and particuarly attack of 20/21st july Lt JPChapman KIA a platoon commander in said attack.

Many thanks,

Gordon

Gordon

Alas the volume I have only runs from 1914 - 31 July 1915. Your best bet is to see if your local library can get a copy of the 1915/15 volume (it will be vol XXV) from Oxford via the inter-library loan scheme. I think it cost me about £1.80 and filing in a card to have the search made.

If the 15/16 volume follows the format of the 14/15 one you may get some quite detailed info from the 'Roll of Honour' secton. This gives a potted life history of the officers who were killed.

Regards

Chris

[Chris B]

Here's a photo of the Ox & Bucks panel on the Ploegsteert Memorial. It was taken last year on the 2005 Pals tour to Ypres.

Will

Many thanks for the picture. I'll confess it choked me up.

My wife and I are staying in Ypres for a week end of June beginning of July and a Plugstreet visit is the first priority.

One thing however puzzles me. Per the 'Chronicles' Matthew died 27 April 1915 on the day that B Coy left the line. The next few days and weeks were fairly quiet in that sector which was pretty stable until the German push in 1918. A cemetery had been established at Prowse Point since Nov 1914 - per Paul Reed's Walking the Salient - and that book mentions named burials in the area back to late 1914. Why then has Matthew no grave, just a mention on the Memorial?

It'll be interesting to visit all the area cemeteries and see if any of the other Ox and Bucks who were killed around that time have marked graves - 1 on 11 April (the first from the 1/4), 1 on 8 May, 1 on 9 May and 1 - Captain E G Dashwood - on 12 May (Dashwood having taken over B Coy the day before).

Thanks again

Chris

[Will O'Brien]

-->

QUOTE(Chris B @ Feb 14 2006, 11:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Will

Many thanks for the picture. I'll confess it choked me up.

My wife and I are staying in Ypres for a week end of June beginning of July and a Plugstreet visit is the first priority.

One thing however puzzles me. Per the 'Chronicles' Matthew died 27 April 1915 on the day that B Coy left the line. The next few days and weeks were fairly quiet in that sector which was pretty stable until the German push in 1918. A cemetery had been established at Prowse Point since Nov 1914 - per Paul Reed's Walking the Salient - and that book mentions named burials in the area back to late 1914. Why then has Matthew no grave, just a mention on the Memorial?

It'll be interesting to visit all the area cemeteries and see if any of the other Ox and Bucks who were killed around that time have marked graves - 1 on 11 April (the first from the 1/4), 1 on 8 May, 1 on 9 May and 1 - Captain E G Dashwood - on 12 May (Dashwood having taken over B Coy the day before).

Thanks again

Chris

My guess is that if Matthew had a grave, it must have been subsequently lost. If his unit were leaving the line on the day he died I would assume his burial would have been a fairly rushed affair & not in an established cemetery. It could have then either been destroyed during the later fighting or simply lost (i.e. it couldn't be found again). Judging from previous threads I think this happened fairly frequently

[BRIAN TALMER]

Leonard Powell of 1/1 Bucks Battalion was killed on 9/5/1915 and buried at Plugsteert Wood Cem ref 4Bl

John White of 1/4 killed 11/4/1915 buried Lancashire Cottage Cem ref l.F.15

Walter Boneham of 1/4 killed 9/5/1915 buried Riflehouse Cem ref lll.E.4.

Dashwood is also buried at Riflehouse Cem ref lll.F.2.

regards

Lesley

[Steven Broomfield]

Losing graves was not uncommon. In a parish church at Hursley (near Winchester) is the grave marker of 2nd Lt DGW Hewitt, VC, who was killed on 31stJuly 1917, winning his VC. That indicates he must have had a grave, but he is now on the Menin Gate.