Harry Ayres

Location:
St Mary’s Church
Church St,
Bloxham,
Banbury
OX15 4PY

Details on Cross

Mostly unreadable. Painted in black on a white painted background.

His name is just discernable as is his number and date of his death.

Cross is outside and deteriorating.

This is a natively constructed cross. He does not appear to have a CWGC headstone possibly because he is buried in a plot with his parents and shares their headstone too.

Private, Harry Ayres, HQ Company, 5th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 42 Brigade, 14th Division. Army no. 10517
He died of his wounds on 7 July 1915. He was 18. He was the son of Solomon and Emma Ayres, The Square, Bloxham. He is apparently buried in the churchyard. He Enlisted August 1914.

Harry was severely wounded in an action in early July, not long after the 5th Ox and Bucks left for the Western Front, His mother Emma visited him in France and was appalled by how terrible the conditions were, he was brought back to England, he died on his birthday.

Records indicated he died of wounds in Thorpe Hospital (aka Norfolk War Hospital) on the outskirts of Norwich in Norfolk. (Register of soldier’s effects)

More information here.

Also a recent act of remembrance for him here

It would appear Harry was a servant at Bloxham School as was his father.

Thansk to Matt Dixon and Simon Batten.