Remembrance Day - Remembering a local war grave

canberra wrote:

Im fairly certain that as he died of wounds and as wwii was still on that he is in fact entitled to a War Graves Commission headstone.

Many families did not want a CWGC headstone.

The grave is described as "PPM" by the CWGC - not sure what that means
Also says maintained by relatives


PS

To save a new thread or post, the programme about Hedd Wyn that was just on BBC Four is worth watching on iPlayer. It was shown a couple of times on BBC Two Wales earlier in the year but now getting seen on network.

This is the newspaper report, it goes on to give details of the service and mourners.

From British Newspaper Archive

Bucks Herald - Friday 13 July 1945
Image © Johnston Press plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

DEATH AND FUNERAL OF SGT. PARATROOPER J. W HUMPHREYS

A gloom was cast over this village on Friday .June 30th, when (as reported last week's "Bucks Herald”) the news became known that Sergt. Paratrooper John Humphreys, second son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Humphreys, of the "Bull & Butcher," Aston Abbotts, had passed away that morning in the Emergency Hospital (Tindal House, Aylesbury), at the early age of 25 years.

He was born and brought up in the village, attended the C,_of E. School, and Church Sunday School and was a choir boy.

On leaving school he became an apprentice at Hunt Barnard’s Printing Works, Aylesbury, where he made good progress and showed great promise.

He took an active part in all village sport, and was a very popular member of the community.

In 1939 he joined the Territorial Army and prior to the outbreak of war in 1939 was called to the Colours in the Ist Bucks Battalion. Soon he was fighting in France, and was one the last boys to reach home from the beaches of Dunkirk.

Later he. volunteered for service as a paratrooper, made a parachute landing at Caen on D-Day, reached his objective and was wounded in the right hand. This wound responded to treatment and soon John was actively engaged in the Ardennes. On March 9th last, he achieved his great ambition — he came down in Germany, but in doing so injured his spine and later contracted meningitis which proved fatal,

At evening service on Sunday. July Ist, the Vicar (the Rev. C. Morris) spoke with feeling of the departed boy, and said that in his life he had set a good example, as is the duty of all Christians.

Having known those who fought in WW1 and WW2 it is odd to think that there are no living WW1 veterans that I know of. My daughters have spoken and listened to many uncles and aunts who fought and went through WW2 but they too are all but gone in our family. My grandfathers never talked about WW1 and it was only after they died I realised why. One of my uncles would also tell you how much he detested General Mark Clark after landing at Anzio.

In a way its a shame those that survived have no memorial to their deeds in conflict. Perhaps we should lay a poppy on those who fought and survived but are now dead?