The Ampthill Camp Memorial names 707 men who trained at the Ampthill Camp and were killed in WWI. Examining the Roll of Honour for Langford I found an Ampthill recruit who isn’t named on the bronze plaques of the Ampthill Camp Memorial – Private Ernest Rogers of 12, Station Rd in Langford. Ernest’s Service Record is one of those that survived WWII German bombing in 1940 and confirms the link.
(all images © Crown Copyright)
Ernest Rogers was a 19 year old farm labourer from Langford. On November 17, 1915 Ernest Rogers went to the Bedfordshire Training Depot and attested before Major Nelson (Adjutant). Dr Garner did the medical examination. Private 23344 Rogers trained at the Ampthill Camp until he was transferred on April 12, 1916 to the Machine Gun Corps, 8th Battalion and his Military Service Number changed to 31524.
On September 25 Ernest was posted to France where he joined the Machine Gun Corps, 89 Company.
On March 20, 1917 Private Rogers was wounded in action – a gunshot wound to the neck/shoulder. Ernest was brought back to the UK and spent some time being rehabilitated at the Alnwick Command Depot. In October 1917 he returned to the Front as a Machine Gunner where he served with the 5th Battalion. On April 23, 1918 Ernest was injured again – a shrapnel wound to the knee and a and leg fracture. Private Ernest Rogers died one week later at the 39th Stationary Hospital. He is buried in the Aire Communal Cemetery and remembered on the Memorial Clock Tower in Langford
Research has found five more Ampthill Park recruits who fell during the Great War and are not named on the Ampthill Camp Memorial. There may well be more. This no great surprise because men were transferred from the Bedfords’ to reinforce other regiments. News of those casualties may not have filtered back to the Ampthill Camp.
Source:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
RBL Roll of Honour
Ancestry.co.uk
The National Archives
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Text and images copyright S.Hartley (2015-)
Care is taken to ensure accuracy – please accept my apologies if the content contains any errors.
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