Wartime stories

Twyford suffered casualties from the village in both World Wars.

During the First World War, many residents from Twyford, Charndon and Poundon, took up Kitchener’s call to arms, with 19 of them making the ultimate sacrifice.  Twyford 9, Poundon 6 and Charndon 4.  One family from Charndon lost two of their sons.  They are all remembered on plaques in St Mary’s Church and two are buried in the churchyard. The village has recently purchased a commemorative statue of the First World War Soldier and a bench.

Again, residents took up the call to arms during the Second World War with three making the ultimate sacrifice.  In conflicts post World War 2, one resident from Charndon died in Afghanistan.  Currently there is no memorial for those who died in World War 2 and conflicts since, in St Mary’s Church.

During the war, a communication station was set up in Poundon by the SoE, the forerunner of MI6. This was subsequently taken over by GCHQ after the war and closed permanently in 1998 when it was taken into private ownership.

A bombing range was set up during the second World War in the fields behind Briar Hill Farm in Steeple Claydon. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the bombing range, but we do have the letter from the Ministry of War cancelling the use of the land, and also a bill for the damage done to the farm probably due to a stray bomb (see below).