Eaton Rogers (1892 - 1916)

Eaton Rogers was born in Worfield in 1892. He was the son of William Rogers, a rabbit catcher, and his wife, Mary. The family lived at Bromley.

In 1911, Eaton was living in Stanlow, Pattingham, with his Uncle Joseph and Aunt Sarah Brown. He was working as a farm boy.

Eaton signed up early in the war. He served in "D" Company, 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry. He went to France on 28th September, 1915 and was killed in action on the 7th March in the following year. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. Living conditions were hard for the 7th KSLI at the time of Eaton's death. The Regimental History records:

On March 4th the battalion took over the left sector of the newly captured "Bluff" trenches from the 7th Border Regiment. The trenches were so battered as to be hardly recognized as trenches, and most of the dug-outs were "crumped in". In addition, the weather was very severe, the ground being several inches deep in snow, and there was no dressing station. The mud was so deep in places that men had to be pulled out with ropes; others were stuck up to their waists for eighteen hours. Many wounded were suffocated in the mud.
The battalion was kept busy burying the dead and consolidating the line until relieved by the 1st R. Scots Fusiliers on the night of March 7th/8th, when they returned to their old camp at Reninghelst. Casualties for the four days amounted to 3 killed, 11 wounded and 146 to the Field Ambulance." [Wood, pp 222-3]

Private Eaton Rogers, 13755, KSLI, was awarded the Victory and British Medals and the 1915 Star.