Pte William Cherry, 34425, 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment, was killed in action on April 9th, 1917. Sadly, no reports about him were carried in local newspapers at the time.

He is commemorated on the Luton Roll of Honour, with an address at 22 Elizabeth Street, Luton. His military records show he was born in Wilstead, Beds, in around 1887, and left a widow, Edith.

The Green's Brewery Roll of Honour carries the name of a W. Cherry, an employee who died in the war, and a W. Cherry was also named on the Christ Church Roll of Honour.

Sgt George Edward Thomas Barrett, 200464, 1/5th Bedfordshire Regiment, died in Egypt from malaria on November 19th, 1918. He was aged 23, the eldest son of George and Amelia Barrett, of 32 South Road, Luton.

George Barrett had joined the Beds Territorials in 1914 and fought at Gallipoli. From there he was sent to Egypt and came through much fighting there with minor wounds from shrapnel splinters.

Pte George Simpson, 29812, 7th Battalion Royal West Surrey Regiment, died in France on November 18th, 1918, from wounds sustained in action nine days previously.

George had previously served with the Royal Engineers (1346) from 1914 but was discharged as medically unfit in March 1916. He was recalled to the colours and had served with the West Surreys for seven months before his death.

A chaplain wrote to widow Lilian at her family home at 12 Bolton Road, Luton, that her husband had been buried with full military honours at Rouen in France.

Gunner Samuel de Vere Kingham, 285092, 122nd Anti-Aircraft Section Royal Garrison Artillery, died from dysentery in hospital at Alexandria in Egypt on November 18th, 1918. He had been in hospital for eight weeks and had been passed by the medical board to return home after 14 months service in Egypt.

Born in Aylesbury in 1887, Samuel (plus two brothers and four sisters) was living with his widowed mother Mary at 124 Maple Road, Luton, at the time of the 1911 Census. Samuel was then described as a bill poster.

Pte Frederick William Kirby, 18560, 54th Divisional Army Cyclist Corps, died from malaria in the 17th General Hospital at Alexandria, Egypt, on November 16th, 1918. He had been admitted dangerously ill on October 15th, appeared to be out of danger by November 3rd, but relapsed on November 9th, leading to his death a week later.

Gunner George Stanley Percy Kingham, 173474, 117th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, died in the 15th Casualty Clearing Station in France on the evening of November 13th, 1918 – two days after the armistice. He had been gassed by a German shell while in action at Ypres on November 9th.

Born in Luton in 1885, he was a son of master builder George and Cicely Jane Kingham, of Aldenham House, 2 Reginald Street, Luton. He had joined the R.F.A. voluntarily and was trained at Biscot Camp.

Volenteering, at the age of 15, in November 1914, he served on important duties at various stations until 1916, when he was drafted to the Western Front. Whilst in this theatre of war he fought on the Somme and was gassed, and after his recovery served at Passchendaele, St Quentin and Villers-Bretonneux, and in subsequent engaguements until the cessation of hostilities. He was demobilised in February 1919 after his return to England.

Pte Stanley Wright, M/314452, Army Service Corps (M.T.), died suffering from smallpox in an isolation hospital at Amara in Mesopotamia (Iraq) on November 7th, 1918. He left a widow and two children living in Luton.

A telegram on November 5th first alerted Beatrice Wright to the gact that her husband was dangerously ill with smallpox. It was hoped that he would recover and that more hopeful news would be forthcoming. But on November 16th she received the new that he had passed away.

L-Cpl George Thomas Winch, CH/14986, Royal Marine Light Infantry, died from double pneumonia in the Royal Naval Hospital, Edinburgh, on November 5th, 1918. He was aged 36.

Luton-born George had originally enlisted at Plymouth in 1901 for 12 years, and was in the Royal Fleet Reserve when mobilised at the outbreak of war. He saw service on various fronts, including Gallipoli and France, and during his last 12 months had been on patrol duty at sea.

Pte Henry (Harry) William Wilkinson, 60108, 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers, was killed in action in France on November 5th, 1918, while serving in a machine gun section. Born in Luton, he was aged 23 and single.

In a letter to widowed mother Ruth Wilkinson at 29 Butlin Road, Luton, an officer said: “I am writing to tell you how sorry I am that your son was killed in action on the 5th. He was buried by the padre just outside a little village with several others of the regiment.”

Pte William Edwin Burgess, A/437681, Expeditionary Force Canteen, Army Service Corps, died in the 53rd Stationary Hospital in Russia on November 5th, 1918. A telegram to his widow said he had died of dysentery, but his military files show he died of a fractured spine following a fall from a gangway, and an inquiry said no-one else was to blame in the accident. William had gone to Russia seven weeks before his death.

Private Thomas Frederick Piggott 17458 was my grandfather’s elder brother. He was born in 1895, the eldest of 4 brothers, and worked as a shop assistant before volunteering October 1914 into the 8th battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. He was sent to France in August 1915, and died of wounds  after being injured in the battle of the Somme, on Saturday 21 October 1916, aged 21, almost exactly 2 years after he joined up. He is buried at Abbeville Communal Cemetry Extension in France.

Pte Oliver Howard, 39454, 5th Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, was killed in action in France on November 3rd, 1918 – eight days before the armistice and only three days after he had been drafted to France. Aged 18, he was the youngest of five serving brothers.

Born in Leytonstone, Essex, in 1899, he and his family had lived in Chaul End Lane, Caddington, for nearly nine years, before he moved with widower father Daniel and brother Erastus to 35 Salisbury Road, Luton.

Daniel Howard was a local preacher connected with Wellington Street Baptist Church.

Sgt Arthur Foster, 16999, 2nd Battalion Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), died of influenza on November 2nd, 1918, in the No 6 General Hospital, Rouen, France.

He had joined the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1913 and was in action from the start of the war. He was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps in 1917 and was promoted to sergeant about six months before his death. His father, Alfred, was a lance-corporal in the Army Service Corps serving in France.

Pte George William Smith, F/3441, 4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, was killed in action at Solesmes, east of Cambrai in France, on October 12th, 1918. He was aged 34 and a married man with three children.

He had been in the Forces for about two and a half years and had been slightly wounded in the face in May 1917.

Born in Ampthill, he married Daisy Annie Inns at St Matthew's Church, Luton, on August 1st, 1908. They had three children – Hilda May (born 1909), George Ernest (1912) and William Charles (1914).