John William Bentley was born in 1886 to Moses and Harriet Bentley of Schoolhouse Lane. At the age of 14, John was working on Mr Hill’s farm as a cowman. In 1906 he joined the North Staffs Regt and in 1911 we find him in India. By 1914 John was out of the army and married a local girl called Constance Talbot. As John was an army reservist he re enlisted with the North Staffs and set sail for France on the 10th September 1914. The North Staffordshire Regiment experienced the famous Christmas Truce. On the 31st October 1915 in the war diaries, it is recorded as having been “A quiet day with only sporadic shelling” however the shelling caused many trench casualties and on this day John’s luck ran out. His headstone reads ‘HE DIED FOR HIS COUNTRY…MAY HE REST IN PEACE’ Voormezeele Enclosures No1 & 2 Belgium.RIP John William Bentley.
Scott Leason was the son of Joseph and Alice of Snelston, Derbyshire. He enlisted in August 1915 with the Sherwood Foresters and was sent to France in 1916. He returned home in January 1918 and married Alice Bentley (sister of John) on the 12th of February 1918 at St Nicholas Church. His occupation was a Soldier. Scott returned back to France and sadly just one month later on the 25th of March he lost his life. Scott has no known grave but is remembered on the Arras Memorial. His widow Alice received £18 15s 6d for her loss. RIP Scott Leason