SPRATTON LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

Tom Buckby was born in Spratton in 1877, the son of shoemaker Richard Buckby and his wife Mary. Richard Buckby came from a long-established family in Spratton. The family lived in Middle Turn, Spratton, (now Brixworth Road) and Tom attended the village primary school. Tom became a shoemaker like his father and in December 1897 he married Eleanor Collins from Kettering. By 1901 Tom's mother had died and his father and brothers moved to Northampton to live with Tom and his growing family.

Tom joined the Royal Engineers and served overseas, winning the Military Medal in 1917 for bravery in battle. In September 1917 he returned with some of his schoolfriends to Spratton to show his medal to the schoolmaster at the primary school, Mr Harry Smith. In addition to the Military Medal, Tom was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He served in the Home Guard in the Second World War.