In common with others all over the country, many people in Sulgrave extinguished their lights and left only a single candle burning in a window between the hours of 10 and 11 pm on Monday 4th August, to mark the exact moment of the hundredth anniversary of the start of the First World War, often known simply as “The Great War”. A group of villagers also spent the hour in reflection in the darkened Church of St James. During this simple but very moving ceremony, poems were read, reminisces shared and prayers were offered. The picture above features an upstairs window in Dippers Cottage, Little Street, Sulgrave. On the left is my “great-aunt” Lilian Taylor, a member of the Women’s Royal Air Force who was serving in France and died of influenza a few days before the war ended on 11th November 1918. She is commemorated by a War Graves Commission headstone in the village churchyard. On the right is my Uncle Harold, who was killed right at the start of the war in the First Battle of Ypres, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate and in the chancel of the village church as well as on the war memorial. See here for more details of Lilian and Harold together with others from the village who lost their lives.
Colin Wootton
Dear Colin, some long time ago you assisted me by sending a copy of a very old photograph of Sulgrave football team – the photo had featured in the Chronicles and the name John Hawkes was given as one of the team. Unfortunately, we were unable to determine who was who on the photo (my interest was in John Hawkes) but you told me at the time that two others in the photo – Joseph & Harold Wootton are your kin. I kept a copy of the photo, together with your comments and until recently I’ve been a long time away from researching further family history. I thought you may be interested to know however that I’ve just discovered that H L J Wootton whose name appears on the 1914 – 18 war memorial in the church was the son of Rhoda Jane Wooton and that Rhoda Jane Wooton’s maiden name was Hawkes – daughter of Henry & Mary Hawkes whose headstone is one of those now located in the churchyard boundary wall at Sulgrave. So . . . we may not know exactly who John Hawkes the footballer was but we do now now that the Hawkes & the Woottons had a connection beyond football ! (Rhoda’s sister Ellen Hawkes married John Mobley of Sulgrave – I wonder if the Mobley name is still known . . . . . . .). kind regards, Mary