The men below are listed on the Second World War memorial in St Matthew's church, and this is what we've found out about them so far. If you know more, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Kenneth Sidney AYRES

AYRES Ken and Gordon Steve Ayres Jan 2025 Ken only

Image courtesy of Steve Ayres.

Lived at The Farrier's Arms, Cold Harbour.

 

Private with the 1st Battalion, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, service no. 5385925.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 3 August 1944, aged 29, in Normandy, France.

 

Buried at Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados, Normandy, France.

Ken Ayres grew up at the Farrier's Arms pub at the far southern end of the Abingdon Road. He and his younger brother Gordon both served in the Second World War.

 

Fuller biography →

H BANNISTER

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H Bannister...

 

Biography coming soon →

Edward George BOSWELL

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Lived at [ ] .

 

Gunner with the 44th Battery, 35th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, service no. 1523727.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 5 March 1943, aged 29, in Singapore.

 

Commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore.

Edward Boswell...

 

Biography coming soon →

Eric Charles BOWLES

BOWLES Eric New Hinksey Boys School 1928 Changing Faces South Ox Bk 1 p.80

Eric Bowles in 1934, aged 14. Image from The Changing Faces of South Oxford and South Hinksey, Book 1, by Carole Newbigging.

Lived at 32 Pitt Road (now Chatham Road), Cold Harbour.

 

Lance Corporal with the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, seconded to No. 12 Commando, service no. 5384691.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died of wounds on 14 February 1941, aged 20, in Hampshire.

 

Buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, Oxford.

Eric Bowles was born in Minster Lovell but brought up in South Oxford. He attended school in New Hinksey and was a keen footballer. Early in the War he volunteered to join No. 12 Commando, one of the specialist units trained to carry out small raids and sabotage operations in enemy occupied territory.

 

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Leslie WA BOYLES

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His family lived at 194 Botley Road.

 

Driver with the Royal Army Service Corps, service no. T/98466.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 21 August 1940, aged 21, in Swindon, Wiltshire.

 

Buried at Botley Cemetery, Oxford.

Leslie Boyles' s family lived at 194 Botley Road.

 

Biography coming soon →

(Albert) Roland BREAKSPEAR

BREAKSPEAR Roland memorial at St Magnus churchyard Yell

Memorial to Roland Breakspear and his six crew mates at St Magnus's Churchyard, Hamnavoe, Shetland. Image from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Lived at 3 Hurst Rise, Cumnor Hill, North Hinksey.

 

Sergeant (Wireless Operator / Air Gunner) with 240 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service no. 1176410.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 19 January 1942, aged 19, at Arisdale Head, Yell Island, Shetland.

 

Buried at St Magnus's Churchyard, Hamnavoe, Yell, Shetland.

Albert Roland Breakspear (known as Roland and hence recorded as 'R Breakspear' on the St Matthew's memorial) was a member of the 1st Oxford Boys’ Brigade Company which was based at St Matthew's Church in Grandpont. As a young man he worked as an electrician, and during the War he served on flying boats in Coastal Command, based in Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland.

Fuller biography →

Edward Percival BUTTRUM-GARDINER

Buttrum Gardiner CWG headstone at

Edward Buttrum-Gardiner's gravestone at Leopoldsburg (British) War Cemetery, Limburg, Belgium.

Lived at 38 Weirs Lane, Cold Harbour.

 

Sergeant (Air Gunner) with 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service no. 1851287.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 1 January 1945, aged 23, in the air above Emines, Belgium.

 

Buried at Leopoldsburg (British) War Cemetery, Limburg, Belgium.

In civilian life Edward Buttrum-Gardiner (recorded as 'R Buttram-Gardener' on the St Matthew's memorial) was a welder fitter, probably at Morris Motors in Cowley. He had six younger sisters. During the War he joined the RAF Reserve and was stationed at Chedburgh in Suffolk. He and five of his six crew mates were killed when their Lancaster Bomber was hit by American anti-aircraft fire.

 

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Kenneth Albert COLE

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 Lived at [ ] .

 

Private with the 4th Battalion, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, service no. 5384698.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 6 February 1941, aged 24, in Lamsdorf Prisoner of War camp (Stalag VIII B; later Stalag 344) in Upper Silesia, now in Poland.

 

Buried at Krakow Rakowicki Cemetery, Poland.

Kenneth Cole, together with Maurice Goddard (below), worked for the Post Office; both are named on the Oxford Post Office memorial which is in the sorting office on Oxpens.

 

Biography coming soon →

Reginald George COLLINS

Collins RG from hmsjervisbay

Image from HMS Jervis Bay.

Lived at 14 Canning Crescent, Cold Harbour.

 

Able Seaman with the Royal Navy / Royal Fleet Reserve, HMS Jervis Bay, service no. C/J 93254.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 5 November 1940, aged 38, in the North Atlantic.

 

Commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent.

As a young man Reginald Collins was in the Royal Navy, and in civilian life he was an assistant porter at Rhodes House in Oxford. During the War he served with the Royal Fleet Reserve. He was one of the 190 men (out of 255) who died when HMS Jervis Bay was sunk on 5 November 1940, following an epic battle in the North Atlantic.

 

Fuller biography →

B COMLEY

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B Comley...

 

Biography coming soon →

 

C DAFT

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C Daft...

 

Biography coming soon →

Deryk DREW

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Also commemorated on the WWII memorial in Exeter College, Oxford.

 

Biography coming soon →

JC ENGLISH

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JC English...

 

Biography coming soon →

E FINCH

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E Finch...

 

Biography coming soon →

Maurice F GODDARD

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Maurice Goddard, together with Kenneth Cole (above), worked for the Post Office; both are named on the Oxford Post Office memorial which is in the sorting office on Oxpens.

 

Biography coming soon →

Herbert Horace HACKSLEY

Hacksley Herbert Lincoln College war memorial

Image from the WWII memorial of Lincoln College, Oxford.

Lived at [ ] .

 

Leading Aircraftman with the RAF Volunteer Reserve; service no. 1320081.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 31 August 1942, aged 23, in Oklahoma, USA.

 

Commemorated at Miami (Grand Army of the Republic) Cemetery, Oklahoma, USA.

Herbert Hacksley was an Oxford City policeman, the son of Violet Hacksley of Luton, Bedfordshire, and the husband of Gladys May Hacksley of Grandpont, Oxford. He was killed when his aircraft, a Vultee BT-13 Valiant, collided with another training aircraft of the same type. He is named on the Oxford City Police memorial in the church of St Michael at the Northgate, on the Thames Valley Police memorial in Kidlington, on the memorial in St Aldate's Police Station in Oxford, and on the memorial in Lincoln College, Oxford.

 

Fuller biography coming soon →

William Patrick HEDGES

Hedges William Dec 1943 from ParaData

Image from a group photograph of D Company, Ox & Bucks 52nd Light Infantry, December 1943. Image from ParaData.org.uk; to see the whole photograph, click here.

Lived at [ ] .

 

Private with the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry; service number 5381332.

 

Remembrance day poppy 007 Died on 7 June 1944, aged 30 (or 32?), in Normandy, France.

 

Buried in the churchyard of Periers-en-Auge, near Caen, Normandy, France, the only Commonwealth War Grave in this cemetery.

William Hedges was the son of Henry James and Alice Maud Hedges, and the husband of Phyllis Mabel Hedges of Osney, Oxford. He took part in the Normandy landings and died as the battalion were attempting to liberate Escoville, just to the east of Caen in northern France. 

 

Fuller biography coming soon →

A MARTIN

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A Martin....

 

Biography coming soon →

F MOLYNEUX

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F Molyneux...

 

Biography coming soon →

GE MORRISON

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GE Morrison...

 

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HJ SAWYER

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HJ Sawyer...

 

Biography coming soon →

L SHEPPERD

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L Shepperd...

 

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F THOMPSON

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Frederick Thompson was an Oxford City policeman, and is named on the Oxford City Police memorial in the church of St Michael at the Northgate, on the Thames Valley Police memorial in Kidlington, on the memorial in St Aldate's Police Station in Oxford, and on the memorial in Lincoln College, Oxford....

 

Biography coming soon →

R WILLIAMS

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R Williams...

 

Biography coming soon →