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Introduction

Bourne End is a village in Hertfordshire. It is situated between Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead. There was a rail disaster on the at Bourne End on 30 September 1945 when an overnight sleeper train from Scotland to London Euston was derailed causing 43 deaths and 64 injuries.

Bourne End's name comes from the Bourne Gutter which flows into the River Bulbourne in Bourne End.

Bourne End War Memorial

Bourne End War Memorial (Stephen Stratford 2009).

The War Memorial Dedication (Stephen Stratford 2009).

Side view of the Memorial's Base (Stephen Stratford 2009).

War Memorial Names

The following table shows the names commemorated by the war memorial, together with the date of death, unit served in and the location of the applicable memorial or cemetery.

The Crockett Brothers

Thomas and William Crockett were the sons of William and Charlotte Crockett, Bourne End, Hertfordshire. Thomas was the oldest by three years.

Thomas Crockett was 29 years old when he died of his wounds on 9 October 1916. Thomas was a soldier in the 1st/8th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. His remains are now buried in Plot I, Row H, Grave 9, Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension. The town of Abbeville is on the main road from Paris to Boulogne, about 80 kilometres south of Boulogne.

William Crockett was 26 years old when he was killed in action on 11 March 1915. Williams was a soldier in the 1st Battalion, The Worcester Regiment. Due to having no known grave, William Crockett is commemorated on the Panels 17 and 18 of Le Touret Memorial.

Le Touret Memorial was constructed to commemorate those British soldiers who died in the area enclosed on the North by the river Lys and a line drawn from Estaires to Fournes, and on the South by the old Southern boundary of the First Army about Grenay; and it covers the period from the arrival of the II Corps in Flanders in 1914 to the 24 September 1915 (eve of the Battle of Loos).

Bourne End (St. John the Evangelist) Church

Bourne End (St. John the Evangelist) Church (Stephen Stratford 2009).

Located a short walk from the war memorial, towards Berkhamsted, is the Bourne End (St. John the Evangelist) Church. In the church's graveyard are four war grave headstones - all First World War - but only one of the soldiers is commemorated on the village war memorial.

Private T. Geary (Stephen Stratford 2009).

Thomas Geary (regimental number PS/2608) was a Private in "A" Company, 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment. The son of John and Mrs. J. Geary, he was aged 18 when he died on 16 September 1916, whilst at home recovering from wounds he had received in France. Private Geary's name is not listed on the local war memorial

Sergeant W.H. Gilbert (Stephen Stratford 2009).

William Harvey Gilbert (regimental number 206454) was a Sergeant in 24th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade. The husband of Jessie Maud Gilbert, he was aged 41 when he died on 21 October 1919. Sergeant Gilbert's name is not listed on the local war memorial.

Private J. Putman (Stephen Stratford 2009).

Joseph Putman (regimental number T4/141097) was a Private in H.T, Army Service Corps. He was aged 52 when he died on 3 March 1917. Private Putman's name is the only one of the four war graves in the churchyard to be listed on the local war memorial.

Lance-Corporal G.H. Warren (Stephen Stratford 2009).

George Henry Warren (regimental number 26665) was a Lance-Corporal in the 6th Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment. His age is not known, when he died on 10 December 1917, whilst at home recovering from wounds he had received in France. Lance-Corporal Warren's name is not listed on the local war memorial.