The War Memorial at Cotterstock, Northamptonshire

Cotterstock village is a mile north of the A605 Peterborough road, around 2 miles from Oundle. The memorial can be found on the main road through the village on the triangular green that leads away to the church. It is sadly neglected and none of the original inscriptions are legible whatsoever.

I have been able to trace two of the local men who gave their lives in the Great War, although I suspect there are others waiting to be discovered. In the church graveyard, there is also the grave of Pilot Officer John Leslie Robinson who died just before WW2 aged 23, presumably in an accident.

Private 22590 Albert BERRIDGE

7th Battalion the Northamptonshire Regiment

Albert was born in Cotterstock about 1896 and in 1901 lived with his family at Mill House. His parents were Edwin Garner and Catherine Berridge and his widowed Grandmother lived with the family in 1901, along with 4 brothers and 2 sisters.

Albert enlisted into the army from Peterborough.

He was killed in action on the 17th August 1916, aged 20, during the Somme offensives of 1916.

Albert has no known grave but is remembered on the pier and face 11A and 11D of the Thiepval Memorial to the missing. He is also remembered in an inscription on his parent's grave in the church grounds.

Private G/17896 Fred STAPLETON

6th Battalion, the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment

Frederick was born in Keysoe, Bedfordshire around 1878 and was working as an Agricultural labourer in 1901 who worked the horse drawn ploughs. His parents were Isacc and Mary and Fred was the eldest of 5 sons and 2 daughters who lived together at the time of the 1901 census.

When war broke out, Fred enlisted into the army from Peterborough and became Private 2927 in the Royal Fusiliers.

At some stage in the war, Fred was moved into the 6th Queens where he was killed in action on the 3rd May 1917, aged around 29, at the 3rd Battle of the Scarpe during the Arras offensives.

Frederick has no known grave but is remembered on bay 7 of the Arras Memorial to the missing.

He is also remembered on the grave of the man who I presume to be his younger brother who died aged 22 in 1931, and is buried in the graveyard.