WAR DEAD
Twenty Holt and Little Witley parishioners died as servicemen in the First World War. During that war a total of 7 million people were killed and further 21 million wounded. Of this these Britain suffered 700,000 dead and 2 million wounded. Over half of all British servicemen who survived the war were wounded at some time. It is therefore probable that the twenty war dead of the two parishes were accompanied by perhaps fifty comrades who were wounded but returned.
Two parishioners died in the Second World War. They were among the 452,000 British Empire and Commonwealth servicemen who died, out of 8,720,000 who served.
Little Witley’s victims of the Great War, as the First World War was originally called, are remembered on a stone plaque on the school wall. Holt’s victims are listed on a marble plaque in the church. This latter plaque bears the inscription ‘To the glory of God and in memory of those who lost their lives in the Great War 1914-1919’. Memorials such as these were erected as a result of local initiatives funded by subscription. There was no guidance or assistance from central government. Little or no effort was made to co-ordinate the collection or inclusion of names on different memorials, hence the two instances of duplication of names (William Ernest Hinton and Arthur James Neems) on the modest memorials in the closely associated parishes such as Holt and Little Witley.
An effort has been made to identify the named individuals on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Internet site, where all the British servicemen who died in the First World War and later conflicts are listed. Those who have been identified are indicated in bold type.
Holt
1914-1918
Walter Gurney
William Chas. Gurney M.M.
James Ernest Lewis
Charles Lewis
William Ernest Hinton
James Jones
Albert Henry Williams
William Henry Hadland
Arthur James Neems
Jesse Charles Williams
Hubert Geoffrey Hooper
George Henry Jenkins
Eric Douglas Smart
Andrew Bishton
1939-1945
Reginald Roots
Norman Searle
Little Witley
1914-1918
Alfred Grubb
Arthur Hankins
William Hinton
Henry Hodges
Frederick Jones
Jack (J. Oliver) Jones
Arthur Neems
William Ernest Powick
Andrew Bishton – Holt
Private, R/1231, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, transferred to (586715) 627th Agricultural Coy., Labour Corps, who died on Thursday, 1st May 1919. Buried in Holt (St. Martin) Churchyard. Named on Pershore Cemetery Memorial, Worcestershire.
Walter Gurney - Holt - son of Walter (1901 -Gardener of Elm Cottage, Holt) and Emily Gurney, brother to William Charles Gurney.
Corporal, 97201, 8th Depot Coy., Royal Engineers who died on 04 October 1916. Buried at Luton Church Burial Ground.
William Chas. Gurney M.M. - Holt - son of Walter (1901 -Gardener of Elm Cottage, Holt) and Emily Gurney, brother to Walter Gurney.
Alfred Grubb - Little Witley
? (Private, 10074, 1st Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment, who died on Sunday, 18th October 1914. No known grave. Named on Ploegsteert Memorial, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium)
William Henry Hadland – Holt
Private, 72921, 2nd Bn., Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derby Regt.), who died on Wednesday, 10th April 1918. Buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Arthur (William) Hankins - Little Witley - son of William (1901 - Assisitant Estate Engineer of Castle Hill, Ockeridge) and Harriet Elizabeth Hankins.
? (Sergeant, 8596, North Staffordshire Regiment, who died on Saturday, 9th August 1919. Buried in Dinapore No. 3 Cemetery. Named on Madras 1914-1918 War Memorial, Chennai, India)
William Ernest Hinton – Holt and Little Witley -son of James and Nora Hinton, of Little Witley, Worcester; husband of Annie Hinton, of 27, Chapel St., Hoyland Common, Barnsley.
Private, 13993, 9th Bn., Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regt.), who died on Saturday, 8th July 1916. Age 29. Buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L'abbe, Somme, France
George Henry Jenkins – Holt - son of G. Jenkins, of King St., Worcester; husband of M. A. Jenkins, of Holt Fleet, Holt Heath, Worcester.
Private, 87260, Royal Army Medical Corps, who died on Tuesday, 30th October 1917. Age 37. Buried at Astwood Cemetery, Worcester
Frederick Jones - Little Witley - son of Thomas and Rosa Jones, of Winnall Cottage, Little Witley, Worcester.
Corporal, 241031, 1st/8th Bn., Worcestershire Regiment, who died on Monday, 27th August 1917. Age 21. No known grave. Named on Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Jack (J. Oliver) Jones - Little Witley
Private, 15601, 10th Bn., Worcestershire Regiment, who died on Monday, 4th September 1916. Buried at Dranoutre Military Cemetery, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
James Jones - Holt - son of T. W. and E. Jones, of Holt Heath, Worcester; husband of Annie B. Jones, of 47, High St., Brockmore, Brierley Hill, Staffs.
Lance Corporal, 39749, 14th Bn., Worcestershire Regiment, who died on Saturday, 2nd November 1918. Age 28. Buried at St. Pol British Cemetery, St. Pol-Sur-Ternoise, Pas De Calais, France.
Charles Lewis - Holt - son of William (1901- Game Keeper of Hurst Cottages, Holt) and Sarah Lewis, brother to James Ernest Lewis.
James Ernest Lewis - Holt - son of William (1901- Game Keeper of Hurst Cottages, Holt) and Sarah Lewis, brother to Charles Lewis.
Lance Corporal, 325132, Q.O. Worcestershire Hussars (Worcester Yeomanry), who died on Sunday, 23rd April 1916. No known grave. Named on Jerusalem Memorial, Israel
Arthur Neems - Holt and Little Witley - son of Daniel Arthur Neems, of Spetchley, Worcester, and the late Rose Mary Neems.
Private, 37941, 1st Bn., Somerset Light Infantry, who died on Friday, 29th March 1918. Age 21. No known grave. Named on the Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.
William Ernest Powick - Little Witley
Private, 203410, 10th Bn., Worcestershire Regiment, who died on Friday, 22nd March 1918. No known grave. Named on the Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.
Norman Frederick Searle – Holt - son of Henry William and Cecilia Maud Searle, of Holt Heath.
Leading Airman, FX77460, H.M.S. Condor, Royal Navy, who died on Monday, 11th August 1941. Age 20. Buried in Holt (St. Martin) Churchyard). Named on Pershore Cemetery Memorial, Worcestershire.
Eric Douglas Smart – Holt - son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Smart, of The Grange, Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire.
Second Lieutenant, 10th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment, who died on Saturday, 18th November 1916. Age 24. No known grave. Named on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.
Albert Henry Williams - Holt - son of Leonard and Amy Williams, of Witley Rd., Holt Heath, Worcester, brother to Jesse Charles Williams.
Driver, T4/035813, 210th Coy., Army Service Corps, who died age 29 on 18 December 1916. Buried at Salonika (Lembet Road) Military Cemetery, Greece.
Jesse Charles Williams - Holt - son of Leonard and Amy Williams, of Witley Rd., Holt Heath, Worcester, brother to Albert Henry Williams.