Introduction
Many men across Britain enlisted to fight in the First World War (1914-1918) and, tragically, many of them never returned. The Baldons were no exception, and over fifteen men lost their lives in that terrible war. This article provides some information about these, mostly young, men.
Both St Peter’s Church in Marsh Baldon and St Lawrence’s Church in Toot Baldon have memorial plaques identifying those men who died in WW1. The wooden board inside the porch of St Lawrence church lists 36 men who served in that war, of whom seven died (identified by a small cross before their name) and these men are further commemorated on the marble plaque inside the church. Similarly, there are wooden and marble plaques at St Peter’s Church in Marsh Baldon, the latter commemorates eleven men who died.
Where possible, biographical information and photographs have been summarised below, for each of the men listed on the marble plaques, i.e. those men who died. For a few listed on these plaques no further information has yet been found. The names of Harry N. T. Bond, George Field and Jesse Holmes appear on the plaques in both churches. In addition, details have been found about men from the Baldons who died or were severely wounded in the services in WW1 whose names do not appear on the marble plaques.
Biographical information in this article has been collated from records held on websites such as Ancestry.co.uk and Findmypast.co.uk, and from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. Where there is a photograph, these have been taken, with one exception, from the Oxford Journal Illustrated “Heroes of the War” series.
Church Plaques
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Wooden and marble plaques inside St Lawrence’s Church, Toot Baldon
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