Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Oliver Henry and Fanny Pratt. The War Diary entry for the 31st December 1915 records. TRENCHES LEFT SECTOR. Enemy sent over 6 high explosive which burst in -?- near -?- ROAD at 6.30pm. no damage. Our artillery badly damaged enemy’s front line near QUARRY. Situation otherwise quiet. Wind south westerly. The was no War Diary entry for the 1st January 1916.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday January 14th, 1916

HUGGLESCOTE SOLDIER DIES OF WOUNDS

HIS LAST LETTER HOME

“FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT”

The War Office authorities on Monday notified Mr and Mrs Oliver Pratt, of 5, Wilkin’s Lane, Hugglescote, that their son, Pte. Oliver Pratt, of the 8th Leicesters, died on New Year’s Day from wounds received in action on December 27th.

The first intimation of the sad event was contained in a letter written on December 28th by one of the chaplains, R. M. Shelton, as follows:

“I write to tell you that Pte. Pratt, of the 8th Leicestershire Regiment, has been rather badly wounded. I trust he will soon get better. He was hit by a shell. He will, I expect, be soon in England. May God bless him and restore him to health and strength.”

Another letter dated December 29th, from L. Hamilton, Church of England chaplain stated, “I am sorry to tell you that your son is in hospital, No. 4 Casualty Clearing Station, very seriously wounded. He is well looked after and everything that is possible will be done for him. I am afraid his case is a very, very serious one, as it is a spinal wound. I will let you know his condition again. He is not suffering much pain.”

On January 3rd, the same chaplain wrote, “I hope my letter prepared you for the sad news that I have to send you now. Your son passed away on Saturday afternoon. All possible was done to spare him pain, but his wound (spinal) was hopeless from the first. He has been laid to rest in the soldiers’ cemetery and his grave marked with a cross, his name and regiment. I am grieved to have this sad duty to carry out and another mother’s heart to bring sorrow to, yet pride that your boy was brave in life and, I believe, happy and at peace with Christ.”

Under date January 3rd, Lieut. E. S. Allen wrote, “It is with the deepest regret that I am writing to tell you your son has died from a wound received in the trenches a week ago today. As his platoon officer I have known your son now for over a year and I feel it all the more as he is the first of my men who has lost his life. There is so little one can say in a case like this. I believe he suffered very little pain. A piece of shell hit him in the back and must have touched his spine. He was very cheerful when he left the trenches. This, I am aware, will do very little to soften the blow, but I wanted just to assure you of my sympathy and grief at your loss.”

Capt. H. L. Beardsley, of the 8th Leicesters, also wrote, “On behalf of myself and the other officers of B. Co. please accept our deepest sympathy in the loss of your boy, who died of wounds received during our tour in the trenches. A piece of shrapnel hit him in the shoulder blade, and, I fear, reached his spine. A thoroughly good and conscientious lad we shall miss him greatly. What few words of comfort I can write I know are small to the loss you have sustained, but in the knowledge that he died fighting for his King and country, you have the only consolation I can offer you in your great loss. Yours in sincerity and with kindest sympathy.”

The official notice received on Monday morning was accompanied by a letter from Lord Kitchener, which stated, “The King commands me to assure you of the true sympathy of His Majesty, and the Queen in your sorrow.” In his last letter to his parents, which was written on Boxing Day, the deceased soldier stated that he was in excellent health. Referring to how they spent Christmas, he said, “We had some pork and veal, some very nice plum pudding and mince pies. They have done their best to make us quite happy. I hope you all at home had a very nice Christmas and will have a happy new year. . . . We shall be in the trenches by the time you get this letter, but God is good and we must “Fight the good fight with all our might.” My thoughts were with you on Christmas day all day long. . . . But we must make the best of it. I hope the war will soon be over and that we shall soon be home again. It would be grand if it ended like that very soon.”

He received his fatal wound the next day. The deceased soldier was single and would have been 22 years of age last Tuesday. Like his father, he formerly worked at the South Leicestershire Colliery. The deceased’s father has been at home for several weeks with blood poisoning in his hand through a wound received while at work.

Pte. Pratt enlisted on September 5th, 1914, and he had been at the front in France about six months. He was a popular member of the Hugglescote Church Lad’s Brigade for over four years, a regular communicant at the Parish Church and former scholar of the Sunday School.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

A memorial service was held at the Hugglescote Parish Church on Sunday morning when an appropriate address was given by the new curate, the Rev. H. V. Williams. The members of the Church Lad’s Brigade attended and with muffled drums accompanied the singing of the hymn “Fight the good fight,” while from the altar steps one of the buglers sounded the “Last Post.”

Coalville Times article - Friday December 29th, 1916

IN MEMORIAM

In loving memory of our dear son, Pte. Oliver H. Pratt, 13238, 8th Leicesters. Died of wounds received in action in France, January 1st, 1916. Son of Mr and Mrs Pratt, 5, Wilkin’s Lane, Hugglescote.

“He sleeps now in a foreign land,
The lad we love so well;
He knew his duty like a man,
And like a soldier fell.
Not from memory, nor from love,
But to our Father’s Home above.”

From his loving Mother and Father, Brothers, Sisters, and Brothers-in-law.

Coalville Times article – Friday April 2nd, 1920

WAR MEMORIAL AT HUGGLESCOTE CHURCH

UNVEILED BY COL. R. E. MARTIN

A tablet which has been placed in Hugglescote Parish Church, to the memory of men from the parish who fell in the war, was unveiled by Lt.-Colonel R. E. Martin, C.M.G., on Saturday afternoon in the presence of a large congregation.

The tablet is of excellent design, in keeping with the handsome edifice, and is of a permanent character, the names of 101 men being inscribed on Swithland slate, set in a frame of Ketton stone, surmounted by a cross and crown encircled in a carved laurel wreath, with similar carvings on either side. The inscription runs as follows:

“Their name liveth for evermore.”

“To the Glory of God, and in imperishable memory of the men of the parish who fell in the great war, 1914 – 1918.”

The names of the men inscribed on the tablet are as follows:-

H. A. Attwood, C. T. Beadman, J. Brooks, W. Baker, J. E. Briggs, H. G. Blackham, J. T. Bishop, J. Barrs, G. Barrs, R. Beadman, E. Bonser, G. Beale, J. G. Bennett, E. S. Boot, W. Berrisford, F. J. Betteridge, F. P. Benistone, J. W. Cawley, F. Chamberlain, J. A. Crookes, R. A. Cross, L. Cross, J. Cox, P. Cliff, J. W. F. Collier, C. Drewett, H. B. Drewett, S. Dodds, A. Elkin, H. C. Elkin, J. Farn, H. Fletcher, H. Finch, L. Finch, G. Firban, G. Gadsby, A. Gamble, S. F. Gamble, W. Gray, W. O. Hoden, O. Hallam, B. Hatter, J. Haywood, W. Hill, F. Hill, J. E. Hibbert, G. Hart, G. H. Highfield, E. Harper, J. W. Harper, H. Hall, J. E. Holmes, J. Jones, W. Jones, F. J. Kirby, I. V. Kelham, H. Lewis, W. Lewis, W. Massey, H. O. Moseley, T. Marriott, G. Martin, J. A. Moult, J. Maunders, J. Moon, I. Mycroft, W. Newbold, O. H. Pratt, J. A. Pegg, F. Pink, E. H. Palmer, W. Riley, A. T. Richardson, W. Rogers, C. Simmons, E. A. Stinchcombe, J. Summers, S. Summers, C. Shilton, G. Slatter, J. Smith, J. C. Shaw, S. Smith, G. Spencer, S. C. Smith, J. W. Setchell, W. Statham, A. G. Tovell, S. T. Timson, J. Tebbatt, F. Whitmore, E. Willett, B. Walker, H. Watson, C. H. Walker, J. Woods, T. Willett, A. Wright, A. Wood, J. Young and W. Young.

As the congregation passed into the church, members of the Hugglescote Church Lads’ Brigade, with the ex-Sergt.-Major W. Hill in charge, lined up on either side of the entrance and two of the Brigade with bowed heads and leaning on reversed rifles, stood by the memorial, covered with the Union Jack.

The service, which was very impressive, was conducted by the Rev. Canon Broughton (vicar) and opened with the hymn, “Stand up for Jesus.” Then followed prayers and collects. Psalm 130, and a lesson read by the Rev. J. C. Wallace, after which the clergy and choir proceeded to the memorial, led by the churchwardens, Messrs. W. E. Canner and J. W. Fletcher.

In unveiling the tablet, Colonel Martin said “To the glory of God and in imperishable memory of the men of this parish who fell in the great war 1914 – 1918, I unveil this tablet, which has been erected by their fellow parishioners in grateful recognition of their self-sacrifice.”

The “Last Post” having been sounded by buglers of the Church Lads’ Brigade, the choir and clergy returned to their places and Colonel Martin gave an address from the chancel steps.

He spoke of the memorable days in August 1914, when the principles on which our national life is based were being assailed, and it was the part of every true man to stand in defence of them. They had tangible proof that the spirit which was then evoked in the nation was the same spirit as that shown by their forefathers who went out to fight country’s enemies. He would never forget the day about the end of August, 1914, when the North Midland Territorial Division, which had been mobilised about three weeks, was told to fill up its ranks for service abroad. It fell to him, among others, to come back into Leicestershire to try and explain to the people what they were up against, and he remembered what a splendid response they gave. In the North Midland Division, between 80 and 90 per cent of the men said they were prepared to go anywhere, though many of them were married men who had never experienced Army service before. Many things have happened since – much self-seeking, a desire to get rich quickly, many apparent inequalities of justice and self-sacrifice – but he was sure they could all take comfort from the fact that there was tangible proof given in those days that the nation was sound at heart and could be trusted to do the right thing when the crisis really arose. And what happened when the armies got overseas and began their real work? He ventured to say that no one had the privilege of serving in a better battalion. The men from that district – Coalville men they always called them – were a splendid lot of men filled with genuine enthusiasm for fitting themselves for the part which they had to play, and who on getting across the water, proved themselves as good as the best. He went on to speak of evidences of practical Christianity displayed by the men, and of deeds of heroism which came to his notice. One instance he recalled was when they were between Hill 60 and Ypres. When the Brigadier realised that he had in the ranks men accustomed to mining, he formed a number of Coalville men into a mining section, whose duty it was to construct projecting galleries in front of the trenches, to find out if the Germans were under-mining. One day a member of the party came across a German mine filled with German explosives in large quantities, and it would have been a very natural thing for him to want to get away from it as soon as possible, but instead of that, he crawled over the top and disconnected the mine and came back and reported it to his commanding officer. This man, whose name was Starbuck, had no thought for his own safety, but first took steps to safeguard his comrades.

Proceeding, Col. Martin said his services came to an end in October, 1915, but he had always felt ever since then that the war had been worth while, if for nothing else than for the fine spirit it brought out, and if the same spirit could be shown in regard to present day problems, it would go a long way towards reaching a solution. He was not one of those who said this country ought to have stood aside and have taken advantage of the trade while other countries were fighting. The people, who said that, he thought, were wrong. He thought that what the people of this country did when they found what they were up against should be an example and pattern to them now. If the war had done nothing else, with all the misery, self-sacrifice and sorrow, he believed they were worth while because they afforded the opportunity which was taken by so many of showing a truly Christian spirit. He believed that experience had not been lost, but would help them to get through present day difficulties with credit to themselves.

The closing hymn was 11, “For all the saints,” and a collection was taken for St. Dunstan’s Hostel for Blind Soldiers and Sailors. As the congregation were leaving the church, Mr F. Baxter (organist) played, “O, rest in the Lord.” Before and after the service, peals were rung with the bells half-muffled.

Research undertaken and submitted (including photograph from the Coalville Times) by Andy Murby 11/10/2017