Memorial Playing Field

Inkpen's memorial to those from Inkpen killed in both the first and second world wars, is a living memorial.

The memorial playing field came into being in 1946 and was expanded in 1952. The Inkpen Parish Council is the corporate trustee and has in recent years sought to widen the appeal of the playing field to include all age groups. The facilities are constantly being updated with the refurbishment of the pavilion being the latest venture. We hope that those from Inkpen and Kintbury that died during WW1 and WW2 would find the playing field a fitting legacy.

The following WW1 and WW2 data has been compiled by the Inkpen and Kintbury Family History Group, led by Vin Foster and Linda Crawford of Inkpen:

World War 1

Herbert James Archer	Charles Bowers
Aubrey Chivers	Ernest Crocker
John Dowdell	Benjamin Edwards
Thomas Edwards	John Griffin
Arthur Hillier	Albert Hitchins
Percy Isaac	Joseph May
Christopher Painting	Thomas Pembroke
Stanley Stacey	William Stacey
Sidney Tubb	Frederick Vivash
William Waite	Frank Ward
John Watts	Leonard Watts
William Watts	Henry Wilson
Albert Wright	Herbert Allen
1911 Census Data	1, 2
WW1 - Inkpen Fallen	1
WW1 Secret - War Diaries	1

World War 2

Alan Carter	John Fass
Fred Palmer

Inkpen Home Guard WW2

On parade at the Village Hall (1) and at the Sawmills (1, 2)

During WW29th Battalion, Parachute Regiment Came to Inkpen.

During the lead up to D-Day, members of the 9th Battalion, Parachute Regiment due to land and capture the Merville Battery in Normandy were sent to Inkpen. An intensive training course was set up in a valley around Inkpen where a mock-up battery was constructed. Whilst on this training course they were put to the test to see if they could capture and destroy the battery, with live ammunition being used on some occasions.

The battery in Inkpen was built within seven days, and troops were immediately sent there to begin conducting their training. Constructed around the battery were pretend minefields and rows of barbed wire plotted around the area.

Security was strict around the area and the troops were kept in at the training zone until they could prove that they were not going to let out any secrets. The battalion’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Terrence Otway, made sure this was the case by arranging women from the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) to come to the site, where they would attempt to allure the men into telling them things about what they were doing. Any who failed would not be granted a 48 hour leave pass at the end of their training. 

Link - https://theddaystory.com/markers/mock-up-of-merville-battery-inkpen-berkshire/

Photos of the Merville Battery WWII commemorative plaque, which over looks Inkpen and West Berkshire from Walbury Hill in Berkshire are here (1, 2, 3).


The following has been kindly provided by Ruth Bowler

ALAN CARTER:
Corporal 916325 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. d. 26 Dec 1941 Buried South of chapel in Methodist Burial Ground, Inkpen. Inscription: “ Till we meet again”

JOHN ERNEST FASS:
49851. 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. d. 30 June 1944 aged 33yrs. Buried St Manvieu War Cemetery, Cheux, France. Grave 111.F.9 Re-buried here on 17 Sept 1945. Son of Sir Ernest Fass K C.M.G. CB.OBE and Lady Fass (nee Neame) of Inkpen. Husband of Elizabeth Mary Fass of Sonning, Berkshire.

(RONALD) FRED(ERICK) PALMER :
Leading Seaman P/JX 17899 Royal Navy. H.M.S Vortigern d. 15 Mar 1942 aged 22yrs. Remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Son of Charles Nation Palmer and Ruth Emily Palmer of Inkpen.

Vortigern was sunk off Cromer on 15 March 1942, whilst defending a coastal convoy against attack by E-boats. She was torpedoed by the E-boat S104, and sank with the loss of 110 lives. Only 14 survivors were rescued. Eleven bodies were recovered from the sea by the Cromer lifeboat H F Bailey III. The wreck site is designated as a Protected Place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. There are twelve war graves in Lowestoft cemetery from HMS Vortigern.

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