Nine soldiers remembered at World War One commemoration in Harlestone

A husband and wife have unveiled a Tommy silhouette in their community so their housing estate can remember nine fallen soldiers formerly of Harlestone village.
Children from the estatecreated a sheet to cover the Tommy statue,covered with painted poppies, which they all signed. 
Pictures: Kirsty Edmonds.Children from the estatecreated a sheet to cover the Tommy statue,covered with painted poppies, which they all signed. 
Pictures: Kirsty Edmonds.
Children from the estatecreated a sheet to cover the Tommy statue,covered with painted poppies, which they all signed. Pictures: Kirsty Edmonds.

Jackie and Paul Kimbrey have been busy this year gathering signatures from residents on the three-year-old Harlestone Manor estate to mark Armistice 100.

After handing in the signatures to the parish council earlier on this year roads on Harlestone Manor were named after nine fallen soldiers who lived in the village and died in the first world war.

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These soldiers were remembered at a ceremony in the estate yesterday (Sunday, November 11) before a Tommy Silhouette, which councillors paid £750 for, was unveiled by the community.

Of those fallen soldiers, brothers, Pte Charles and Pte Frederick Dunkley, both of Northamptonshire Regiment and their cousin Pte Arthur Dunkley of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - the Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army - were remembered among six others.

While the brothers records showed that Charles died of dysentery disease and Frederick was buried in Egypt, cousin Arthur's body was never found.

Jackie Kimbrey who organised the commemoration said: "When the estate was being built, Daventry District Council approached Harlestone Parish Council with the offer of naming the roads on the new estate.

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"The parish council decided to dedicate the roads to the names of soldiers who lived in the village and died in the first world war.

"The task was delegated to councillor Sue Flynn, whose family is represented among the fallen soldiers, as she was researching her family tree."

Jackie approached Harlestone Parish Council at a public meeting to see if they would purchase a Tommy silhouette.

The parish council paid £750 and the firm who made it, There But Not There, donated all profits from their sales to military charities.

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Residents and children from the estate took part in the unveiling ceremony yesterday, supported by two relatives of the war dead from Harlestone village, councillor Sue Flynn and her cousin, Nadine Slinn who layed poppies at the foot of the statue.

She added: "It was really important to many of the residents that children from the estate were involved so that we can pass the message of Armistice and remembrance down to the next generation."

Names of the fallen soldiers:

PTE CHARLES DUNKLEY

1st/4th Northamptonshire Regiment

Died age 28 from dysentery in England

PTE FREDERICK DUNKLEY

1st/4th Northamptonshire Regiment

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Died 1918 Age 23. Buried in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt

PTE ARTHUR HENRY DUNKLEY

2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Died Age 18. His body was never found.

HARRY GARNER

8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars

Died 1918

He drowned in a tragic accident in Picardy

PTE FREDERICK HARRISON

6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment

Born 1889

Killed 15th April 1916 aged 27 on his 2nd Wedding Anniversary

PTE HORACE EDWIN IRONS

6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment

Died 1916 Age 31.

He was buried in Carnoy Military Cemetary. France

PERCY JOHN LEE

2nd Indian Cavalry Reserve Park, Royal Army Service

Born 1897 Died of his wounds at home age 21.

LANCE CORPORAL REGINALD PRICE THORN

Cheshire Regiment 15th (Service) Battalion

Died in battle in Belgium Age 30

FARRIER SERGEANT JOHN WALTER YORK

Royal Field Artillery

Died Age 33.

Body returned home and buried in Harlestone Church Cemetery.