Ingatestone: Somme Commemoration

The events of the first day of the Battle of the Somme were remembered at 8am today with a simple service by the War Memorial to mark the centenary.  Gordon J W Francis, a Private in the Royal Fusiliers died on 1 July 1916 and is remembered on the Memorial. He was born in 1891 and lived at 21 High Street, now the butchers. He was a carpenter and married Lillian in 1907. He had two children.  He was a bell-ringer and is remembered also on the War Memorial in Chelmsford Cathedral and, specifically today, in the ringing on muffled bells at the church he attended.  An ordinary man - like the nearly 20000 who were killed 100 years ago to the day.