Carleton Rode villagers unite to remember long lost war heroes on memorial

A village is continuing its efforts to remember the local men who perished in the First World War, and their stories.

Carleton Rode Parochial Church Council was awarded a grant through the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2019 to honour the 107 survivors and 23 casualties from the village’s roll of honour.

A website, Inspiring Souls, was created at the end of 2019 to tell their stories, with a series of new trails set to open next month to guide people around the village to the places connected to the fallen.

The project was sparked by the great-nephew of Robert Bush, who enquired about his ancestor’s name being omitted from Carleton Rode war memorial.

He had spent nearly a decade trying to find out about his great-uncle, who was born in the village and who lost his life in the First World War.

Having emailed the parish council to ask for help, subsequent efforts to trace his great-uncle helped to uncover more about his story, and that of another man who had also been omitted from the memorial, despite claiming to have been born in the village when he enlisted.

Robert joined the East Yorkshire Regiment shortly after war broke out and was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps in October 1915, serving in Belgium and France and fighting at the Battle of the Somme.

He was killed during the capture of Gueudecourt on September 26, 1916, although his body was never recovered.

After his death, his father was entitled to any back pay that had accrued and a war gratuity of at least £2. He received a total of £8 – the equivalent of two months’ pay.

Another man to lay down his life was Robert Bartram, who enlisted in rather unusual circumstances in November, 1916.

He was caught stealing a bicycle in Carleton Rode, and pleaded guilty in court, requesting that he be allowed to join the Army rather than be sent to prison.

His request was granted and he was enlisted in the Norfolk Regiment, having given his birth place as Carleton Rode, despite available records suggesting his real birth place may have been Banham.

He was transferred to the Royal West Kent Regiment, as part of the 122nd Brigade of the 41st Division, which participated in the battle of Passchendaele.

On the first day of the battle on July 31, 1917, the 122nd Brigade was part of an attack at Ypres-Comines Canal in which a section of trench was captured under heavy fire from buildings flanking their position.

The brigade suffered heavy losses and, while Robert’s body was never recovered, he is believed to have died in the battle.

The names of both men will be added to the memorial later this year.

Penny Shacklock, who helped to research the stories, said: “The website is being updated and expanded as more stories come to light.

“We have been contacted by family historians across Norfolk and Britain and the resulting pages are shared endeavours, illustrated with wonderful photos from treasured collections.

To view the website, go online to www.carletonrodearchive.com.