John Leslie

Captain, Royal Army Medical Corps attached 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regt.) who was killed in action on Saturday, 1st July 1916. Age 26. Born at Buckden, Hunts. Son of John George and Florence May Green, of St. Mark's Lodge, Cambridge. Educated at Felsted School and Downing College, Cambridge, and Bartholomew's Hospital. Buried in Foncquevillers Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Grave III. D. 15.

An extract from the London Gazette, No. 29695, dated 4th Aug., 1916, records the following:- "For most conspicuous devotion to duty. Although himself wounded, he went to the assistance of an officer who had been wounded and was hung up on the enemy's wire entanglements, and succeeded in dragging him to a shell hole, where he dressed his wounds, notwithstanding that bombs and rifle grenades were thrown at him the whole time. Captain Green then endeavoured to bring the wounded officer into safe cover, and had nearly succeeded in doing so when he himself was killed."

See the Chapter One, Victoria Cross Reference site maintained by Mike Chapman. Also see Foncquevillers Military Cemetery and Hellfire Corner - The Nine VCs of the First Day on the Somme

From Huntingdonshire Heroes of the First World War by John Bell ISBN 0 946965 21 8. Letter to Mrs. Green Leslie's wife from the Commanding Officer.

139th Brigade. August 1916. Dear Mrs.Green, I have seen the letter you wrote to the officer Commanding 5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, asking for news of your husband. I am deeply grieved to tell you that I am afraid there is no doubt your husband was killed on the 1st of July, and I would like you to know how much I feel for you in your sorrow, but at the same time I must express my intense admiration for the manner in which he met his death. He was advancing in the rear of his battalion in their assault on the German trenches. On reaching the German wire he found an officer lying seriously wounded. He moved him under fire, into a shell hole, and dressed the wound under continuous fire and bombing from the German trenches. He then carried him back towards our lines, still under fire, though wounded himself. Just before reaching our advanced trench his brother officer was hit again. His brother officer was brought into our trench, and then told a relation of his story. I regret to say that this officer since died of his wounds in hospital. I am sure this account of your gallant husband's death will bring comfort to you in your deep sorrow, and make you feel proud of having been the wife of such a man. Yours sincerely, General Commanding.

Second Lieutenant, 5th Bn. attached to 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment who died of wounds on Sunday 10th February 1918. Age 19. Son of Mrs. A. L. Honey, of Houghton, Huntingdon, Hunts, and the late Rev. Albert Alexis Honey. Native of Huntingdon. Buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Grave XXVIII. E. 9.

From Andy Pay's research into the Marquis de Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, Volume 2, Part 4, Page 86, the following:

HONEY, Alec Cowper - 2nd Lieut, 4th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment. Only son of the late Rev. Albert Alexis Honey, by his wife, Amy Logan (Houghton, co. Huntingdon), dau. of the late T.A. Marsh; born Huntingdon, 18th July, 1898; educated St. Wilfreds, Little Common, Bexhill, and Malvern College; joined the Public Schools O.T.C. in April 1917; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the Worcestershire Regiment 28th Aug. following; served with The Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from Oct 1917, and died at No 20, General Hospital, at Camiers, France, 10th Feb, 1918, from wounds received in action at Cambrai 30th Nov, 1917. Buried in the Cemetery, Etaples. 2nd Lieut Honey at school attained a high standard in work and in games; head of his house and of the school; in the first elevens for cricket and football, and senior cadet officer in the school corps, and gave promise of a successful career at Oxford, where his name was entered for Brasenose College. Unm.

RECTOR'S SON KILLED. — Much sympathy is felt for the Rev, and Mrs. C. V. Burder, of Wyton Rectory (formerly of Huntingdon) who have received official intimation that their son, Lt. G. C. Burder, has been killed in action on the Western Front. Only last January we told of the gallant exploit which gained him the M.C.—which his father also gained in the last war.

John Stewart

The youngest cadet ever to pass out of the R.A.F.'s northern officers' training college as a Pilot-Officer was John Stewart Cameron.

He spent two years at the college, and was commissioned last November at the age of 19 years and seven months. He was immediately posted to a bomber squadron and has been taking part in R.A.F. operations over the continent.

His mother, Mrs. J. S. Cameron, of Mill-street, Houghton, has now received official news that her only son has been posted missing. That is the only official information that has been forthcoming so far, but Mrs. Cameron told a "Post" reporter on Friday that several of Pilot-Officer Cameron's colleagues had communicated with her.

One of them told her that he saw “Jock” and his crew of four in a Wellington bomber during the Allied defence of Belgium. He saw the machine attacked by the enemy, and the undercarriage shot away—but “Jock” Cameron safely brought the 'plane to earth without any undercarriage!

This eye-witness, who was actually flying his own 'plane overhead, saw the five men step safely from the machine in German-occupied territory at Ostend. He believes that "Jock" may be a prisoner of war.

Pilot-Officer Cameron is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Cameron, and his father is an engineer at Havana (Cuba). "Jock" was born at Havana and he came to live at Houghton with his mother and sister about eight years ago. He spent the next five years at Berkhamsted public school, where he won his colours for Rugby football.

ATHLETE AND LINGUIST.

He is a fine young athlete, being a keen swimmer and runner, and while at the officers' training college he won his colours for fencing. He speaks French and German.

Pilot-Officer Cameron is a keen member of the Boy Scouts, and he holds many proficiency badges. He is an honorary patrol-leader of the Houghton Scout troop, of which the Rector (Rev. John D. Ward) is scoutmaster.

In the July issue of his parish magazine, the Rector writes: "Jock Cameron has been one of the finest types of manly Christianity I have met."

His sister, Miss Sylvia Cameron, is an old pupil of Huntingdon Grammar School, and is at present employed in the office of the county War Agricultural Committee.

P.O.W.'s DEATH. — The sympathy of the village has gone out to Mrs. W. Carrier, senior, and her family on receipt of official information that her third son. Pte. Percy G. Carrier. Suffolk Regt., died while a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp in Thailand, on August 8th, 1943. Despite the long lapse of time since his death, the sad news was received only on Thursday by his mother. Before joining the Army, Pte. Carrier, a baker by trade, worked for Mr. J. W. Burton, of Houghton, for many years. His last communication was received by his mother about two years ago. Mrs. Carrier's eldest son was killed on Armistice Day, 1918.

For the second week in succession we have to record the death in a Japanese prison camp of a young Houghton soldier. Last week we told of the death on Aug. 8th, 1943, of Pte. Percy G. Carrier, Suffolk Regt., third son of Mrs. Carrier, snr.; now news has been received that another local man serving in the same regiment L / Cpl. William Charles (Bill) Tattman, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Tattman, of “The Cedars Cottage” - died in the same camp in Thailand in December, 1943.

Even greater pathos is lent to the news by the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Tattman had not long ago been informed that their son, who had been posted missing since the fall of Singapore, was a prisoner. Before joining the Services in July, 1940, L/Cpl. Tattman worked for 14 years in the grocery department of the Co-operative Society at Stamford and Huntingdon, He was a member of Huntingdon Literary Institute of Toc H and of the Men's V.A.D. Detachment at Huntingdon. He formerly sang in both All Saints' Huntingdon, and Houghton choirs. His brother, Bob, is serving in the Middle East.