Douglas Arthur Buxton
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Douglas Arthur was the son of Roger and Anne Buxton nee Webb. Roger Buxton was the son of Samuel and Sarah Buxton. He was born in Bunny, Nottinghamshire, in 1857 (O/N/D Basford) and baptised in Bunny on 27 December 1857. Ann Webb was the daughter of William Webb and born in Burntwood, Staffordshire in about 1861. They were married on 17 February 1887 in Burntwood. Roger and Ann had three children who were all born in Nottingham: Alice Mary b. 1888 (O/N/D Nottingham), Douglas Arthur b. 2 June 1891 and Leslie Frank b. 1897 (A/M/J Nottingham). In 1891 Roger (33), a wholesale confectioner and Ann (30) were living on Tennyson Street, Sherwood, with their daughter Alice (2). Also in the household were Roger's sister, Ellen Buxton (35) and Ann's sister, Mary Webb (12). By 1901 Roger (43), now a manufacturing confectioner (employer), and Ann (40) and their three children Alice (12), Douglas (9) and Leslie (3) were living at 3 St James' Terrace, Nottingham. Ellen Buxton (45) was still living with the family. Roger employed two female domestic servants. The family was living at 21 Hope Drive, Nottingham, in 1911. Roger (53) was a confectioner traveller as was his son Douglas (19) while Leslie was still at school. Also in the household was a boarder, George Rannacher (21), a lace merchant. Roger employed one general servant. The eldest child, Alice, was at the Macclesfield Arms Hotel, Macclesfield, Cheshire, where she was a book-keeper and assistant to the hotel proprietor, her maternal aunt, Kate Mary Webb (52). The family home was at 6 Dunlop Avenue, Lenton, when Douglas enlisted in September 1914 but his parents had moved to 12 Wellington Square, Nottingham, by the time of Douglas' death in 1916. Ann Buxton completed a form for the army in December 1919 listing Douglas' surviving blood relatives. She named herself and her husband, and their two surviving children, Alice Mary (30) and Leslie Frank (22), who were all still living at 12 Wellington Square. She also included the names of an aunt, Mary Katie Crew [prev. Webb] of Macclesfield, and an uncle, Arthur Buxton of Lowdham, Nottinghamshire. Roger and Ann were still at 12 Wellington Square when their surviving son Leslie died in Santiago, Chile, on 6 November 1924; his permanent address was 12 Wellington Square. Leslie had served in the war as a lieutenant in the Sherwood Foresters and had been severely wounded in France in April 1918. Ann Buxton died on 13 May 1934 aged 73. She was then living at 8 Arundel Street, Nottingham. Her husband Roger died the following year (1934, Dec Nottingham) aged 77. Their daughter Alice Mary remained single and died on 16 February 1965; her home was then at 68 Main Street, Broughton Astley, Leicestershire.
Douglas attested on 2 September 1914 in the Leicester Regiment and served at home until 29 July 1915 when he embarked at Folkestone to join the Expeditionary Force in France. He died of wounds in the Battle of Morval on the Somme on 25 September 1916. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. He qualified for the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. The 8th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment was raised at Leicester in September 1914 as part of Kitchener's Third New Army and joined 23rd Division as Divisional Troops. In April 1915 they transferred to 110th Brigade, 38th Division and proceeded to France on 29th of July 1915 the Division concentrating near Tilques. On the 8th of July 1916 they transferred with 110th Brigade to 21st Division. They were in action in the Battles of The Somme, including the Battle of Morval in which the Division captured Geudecourt.
Mundella Magazine, Christmas 1916, 'Our Fallen': Pte Douglas A Buxton (8th Leicesters), one of our Scholars, of 12 Wellington Square, was killed in action on September 26th [1916] aged 26 years. His Sergt-Major writes: ‘It was during the great attack on Combles that Douglas was killed and in which he proved himself a brave man, upholding the fine name the Nottingham boys have made in the war. Douglas was one of the first over, setting a splendid example. He was then wounded badly, but we managed to get him into the trench where he chatted with us and expressed a hope to get back to ‘Blighty’. But during the intense bombardment that followed, Douglas passed away quietly and calmly, the strain being too much for him. Douglas was extremely popular with the company, was one of its mainstays, and will be much missed.’ Article published on 17th October 1916 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “NOTTINGHAM BOYS' FINE NAME. “A SPLENDID EXAMPLE. “In a letter informing Mr. and Mrs. R. Buxton, of Wellington-square, Nottingham, that their elder son, Private Douglas Buxton, aged 25, has been killed in action, a sergeant-major of the Leicesters pays a fine tribute to the qualities displayed by men from the city. “He was killed in our last charge,” he writes, “and proved himself a brave man, upholding the fine name the Nottingham boys have made in the war. We had a long way to advance under barrages of fire and machine guns, and it was a terrible strain to face, but no man hesitated, and 'Doug' was one of the first over. His sergeant, a Nottingham man, told me how splendid an example he set. His grave is marked, his rifle standing as a cross until the graves commission reach the scene.” “Private Buxton was educated at Mundella and Nottingham High School, and enlisted soon after the outbreak of war, and had been in France about 18 months.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918 Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Roll of Honour. Another Batch of Local Officers’, 2 April 1918: 'Lieut. LF Buxton. Sec. Lieut. Leslie F Buxton, Sherwood Foresters, only surviving son of Mr and Mrs Roger Buxton, of 12, Wellington-square, Nottingham, has been severely wounded in the chest during the recent fighting. Writing from a hospital in France, the young officer says, ‘Old Fritz worked the ‘Kamarad’ trick on me, and then fired at about (-) yards range.’ Enlisting in the early days of the war, Lieut. Buxton saw service in Ireland, and afterwards was granted a commission. His elder brother was killed in action.' (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Probate: Buxton Leslie Frank of 12 Wellington-square Nottingham died 6 November 1924 at Santiago Chili (sic) Probate Nottingham 20 March to Ann Buxton (wife of Roger Buxton). Effects £2206. Probate: Buxton Ann of 8 Arundel-street Nottingham (wife of Roger Buxton) died 13 May 1934 Probate Nottingham 5 July to the said Roger Buxton retired commercial traveller Alice Mary Buxton spinster and Claude Grenville Hallam builder. Effect £761 10s. 7d Probate: Buxton Alice Mary of 68 Main Street Broughton Astley Leicestershire died 16 February 1965 at Hallaton Manor Leicestershire Probate Leicester 23 March to Geoffrey Herbert Tew solicitor. £4076
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