Rifleman John Straffen

Rifleman John Straffen, 19th ( Service ) Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps. He was killed in action in France on 15th September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval, Somme, France. The autumn rains turned the chalky soil of the battleground into a glutinous quagmire making movement very difficult as can be seen from the photographs and the colour image shows a peaceful Somme landscape today.

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