Newspaper article about Bombing around us in WWII August 16th 1940 RAF Brize Norton. Two German aircraft bombed the base. Nos 1 and 3 C-type hangars plus 4 aircraft were destroyed or written off. It was the most spectacular attack on any British airfield during WWII. One civilian, Frederick Harden was killed, he was 61 and came from Witney. On the same day six civilian Irish workmen were killed in the raid on RAF Stanton Harcourt which was under construction. Stanley Jenkins describes in his book,Witney Through Time, how one of the bombs landed on Church Green and second exploded behind the Eagle Brewery. The bombs caused blast damage to the grammar school and many houses. their reports speak of army vehicles parked round Church Green being destroyed, windows being shattered in he church, the council offices and the police station as well as several shops. In addition, falling glass from the glazed roof of the weaving sheds at Mount Mills, the home of blanket manufacturers James Marriott and Sons, damaged the looms and production of blankets was halted while they were repaired. Remarkably the only injuries appear to have been cuts and bruises and building repairs were quickly carried out.
This is Frank Hudson's parents who lived in Plantation Cottages and used the ration card to get their provisions from Local Shops in Bampton. The retailers mentioned on the card are Butcher - H Taylor and Sons, Butter and Margarine - GW Dutton Sugar, Bacon Tea and Jam - Mitchells Grocer
Frank received these pictures of the graffiti on the roof of Kings Lynn library in 2018 from someone at the library. Work was being done on the library and the men saw the writing/graffiti cut into the stonework and photographed it. A lady at the library did some research and found out William Hudson and Aubrey Cato came from Bampton and she found Frank. Frank had no idea at all his father (known to all in Bampton as Bill) had ever been to Norfolk or that he’d been there on fire and Zeppelin watch on the roof of Kings Lynn library. His friend Aubrey Cato was on the roof with him and his initials are all cut into the stone.Both went on to Flanders. Their immediate superior found them huddled in a fox hole together and ordered one to get out, as one only to a hole was allowed for safety reasons. Bill got out and as he walked away, a shell came over and right into the fox hole where Aubrey was and of course killed him instantly. It wasn’t until after Bill died Frank leant his father had been awarded the Military Medal. Frank was clearing his father’s home in Broad Street and found his father’s Military Medal. In the south chancel of the church in Bampton, there is a wonderful, framed list of every single man from Bampton who fought in WWI. Those with a gold cross by their name were killed, those with a red cross came home injured. Any medals awarded are listed by the names.
Frank Tanner, son of Thomas Tanner. When he was 17 years old, Frank left Bampton to seek work in Londonfound work at Harvey and Nichols department store for a while before deciding in 1912 to emigrate to Australia. In Australia he worked on a sheep farm, three days horse ride form Melbourne. When the first World War broke out and Frank heard that his brothers had joined up, he joined the Australian Army. Whilst fighting in France , Frank was very seriously injured. It was thought that he would not survive his injuries and was left in a ditch. Very Fortunately, he was found by the Red Cross and transported to a hospital. Happily for his family , Frank survived and was brought back to England. After the war, he discovered that his name had been added to a War Memorial in Australia as it was presumed he had died.
John Brooks - dead man's penny. The Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war. The plaques (which could be described as large plaquettes) about 120 mm (4.7 in) in diameter, were cast in bronze, and came to be known as the Dead Man's Penny or Widow's Penny because of the superficial similarity to the much smaller penny coin (which had a diameter of only 30.86 mm (1.215 in)). 1,355,000 plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tons of bronze, and continued to be issued into the 1930s to commemorate people who died as a consequence of the war.