By Pat Tucker of Launton History Society.

BICESTER and the surrounding villages have a long history of links with the armed forces, and they remain to this day.

In the winter of 1917, the headmaster of the Launton village school, Mr F A Harrison, and his daughter Lily, produced a Roll of Honour (RoH) listing those from the village serving with the armed forces. A few names were added later.

A total of 109 men were named including 16 who made the ultimate sacrifice. The RoH was not updated later as in fact 19 men were killed in this conflict. All their names are inscribed on Launton’s War Memorial, erected in 1995.

The RoH was placed in the Launton village church, St Mary’s, in March 1917 and remains there to this day.

To mark the centenary of the Armistice of November 11, 1918, the Launton Historical Society (LHS) is commemorating the lives of those men of Launton who served and survived the conflict by looking at what happened to them in the years after their return from the war to end all wars.

It has been a privilege to undertake this project and discover something about the lives these men led after the Great War.

Sadly some only lived a short time. Many lived to see their own children drawn into the Second World War and other conflicts, and others lived well into their 80s.

Some were missing limbs, suffered wounds or the effects of gas. Some would have been left with lasting psychological trauma, then known as shell shock, today called PTSD.

Many of those who returned resumed their work on local farms. However, others went on to have diverse occupations – a chauffeur in Aynho, a headmaster in London and a career in the Royal Navy are just some examples.

We have had great success in tracing the history of many of men who returned.

We would like to thank the descendants of these men who have been able to provide personal information and, in some cases, photographs of their relatives.

For example, David Jeacock, who lives in Birmingham, provided a lot of information and a photo of his grandfather, Tom Jeacock, who was born in Launton in 1897.

The photo shows Tom on board a Royal Navy ship during the First World War. Tom Jeacock is the only name to appear on Launton’s Rolls of Honour for both the First World War and the Second World War. He died in Birmingham in 1964.

Mr David Jeacock said he was surprised to be contacted, but pleased to learn of the project Launton’s Historical Society was undertaking about the brave men who returned from the First World War.

He added: "I was delighted to be able to provide some information about my grandad Tom, together with a photo of him in his uniform. He was very proud to serve his country during his long career in the Royal Navy."

However, despite their best endeavours, little information has been found about some of the men who returned, so LHS would like to appeal to anyone who may have information about these men.

In the weeks running up to the 100th anniversary on November 11, 2018, the LHS has put some of the results of this project on display at Bicester Library where it is now open to the public during opening hours.

Over the Remembrance weekend there will be a fuller display in Launton’s St Mary’s church. This display will be open to the public on Saturday, November 10, between 10am and 12.30 and again between 2pm and 5pm. On Sunday, November 11, the display will be open between 11.20am and 12.30pm and again between 2.30pm and 5pm.

For details of the men who returned, as well as remembrance events see launton.org