Henlow and the War

Henlow War Memorial, 1930s [Z1130/58/10]

Sunday 14th March 1915: The parish of Henlow has already lost four men in the service of their country:

• Private Edwin John Bywaters, age 21, son of Harry and Emma Bywaters of High Street, Henlow, killed on 23rd August 1914 serving with the 1st Bedfords (our war correspondent posted an obituary for Private Bywaters at the time) [1] 
• Leading Stoker William Thomas Page, age 33, who died when the HMS Aboukir was sunk by a German submarine on 22nd September 1914
• Private William Flack Brandram of the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge’s Own), who was killed at Ypres on 30th October 1914
• Private Archer Sidney Fisher, aged 21, who was also killed at Ypres on 16th November 1914 serving with the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. His parents Clarence Sidney and Rosa Fisher now live at Hurstpierpoint in Sussex.

A further sixty-one Henlow men are currently serving in the armed forces.

There are now three families of Belgians resident in the village. The most recent arrivals are Monsieur and Madame Lanwers and their little boy Henri. M. Lanwers fought at Antwerp, was wounded and has now been discharged from Service as disabled. Monsieur Desir­è de Grande has left Henlow to join relatives at Leicester, having received the good news that his wife is alive and living with her parents in a village on the Yser.

Source: Henlow Parish Magazine [X381/3]

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[1] Harry and Emma Bywaters lost two more sons, Ernest and Horace, later in the war.