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World Wars

A special meeting of the Council was called on 3rd September 1914 upon the declaration of hostilities. It was particularly concerned with the "distress consequent on war" A circular had been received from a Mrs Knapp , Hon. Sec. to the North Bucks Divisional Relief Committee which asked the Council to form a Distress Committee for the parish to co-operate with the Divisional Committee. The Council resolved to do this and voted that Mr F.J.Field (the Chairman of the day) be also Chairman of this committee and that the Rev'd H A G Blomefield be Secretary and Treasurer "subject to his consenting to act". It was further resolved that the Chairman and Clerk "interview the Rev'd Blomefield this evening and obtain his decision and complete the formation of the Committee and notify Mrs Knapp of the result".

At the same meeting the Council received circulars from the Board of Agriculture, which they were asked to circulate. This dealt with:

It was agreed to order 100 copies of each and that Mr Hine would distribute these.

The village community suffered the deaths of 11 men in this conflict. The numbers of injured are not known. Those who died are recorded on the war memorial in the church and are listed as:


	1916
	Francis Bailey
	Arthur J Brooks
	F Herbert Line
	Henry S Norman

	1917
	Percy Bailey
	Adolphus A W Holton
	Charles B Jefferson
	E Stanley Moore
	William C Wright

	1918
	Alfred Jefferson
	J H Gordon Moore

If the population of the village was 500 souls and half were men, these deaths accounted for over 4% of the male population. It will be seen that the Bailey, Jefferson and Moore families both lost two men.

The war memorial is in the church and comprises a stone slab, with the names of the fallen in incised letters picked out in gold leaf. Underneath is a tray of English oak with a fretwork border. To its right is a glass fronted frame, matching the tray, containing an illuminated list of those in the village who served in the Great War. The illumination and script was done by Jack Ivester Lloyd, who was a war artist in this conflict.

At the outbreak of the Second World War the Council was urged by the Buckinghamshire War Agricultural Committee to establish a "Rat & Sparrow Club" with a view to the organised destruction of these pests. They were further urged to increase the amount of allotments being worked.

The elections of 1940 were postponed and councillors continued in office until April 1946.

Contingency planning against enemy attack took place and in August 1940 the Rural District Council was urged to repair the pump in Crofts End, next to the Police House now the home of Caroline Leslie, which "has been out of order for some weeks in case of damage to the mains by enemy action". A short while later Councillor Col. Byam-Grounds asked the Council to urge that two more air-raid wardens volunteer for work in the parish.

During the 'Cold-War' period the matter of Civil Defence was resurrected by the Government and, in 1951, Col. Byam-Grounds urged the Parish Council to consider the civil defence of the village. His request was noted but not actioned. Something must have been done however for in February 1965 a plea for additional Civil Defence workers was made.


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Latest Revision: 31 December 2006