Ralph Eaton was born in Thame in the summer of 1893. He was one of nine surviving children of Charles Eaton and Elizabeth (née Ward) living at 41 Park Street. In late 1913 he enlisted with the 4th (Territorial) Battalion of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry.

The Battalion, now re-designated the 1/4th, was part of the 145th Brigade in the 48th (South Midland) Division that landed at Boulogne on 30th March 1915.  Battalion was mainly in and out of trenches from then until the commencement of the Somme offensive, although, according to a letter from Private William Noel Smith, also of Thame,

Ralph had a very near miss in June 1915. “… Pte R Eaton (Paddy) had a piece of cloth taken from his tunic’s sleeve by a shrapnel bullet”.

On the Somme, the Battalion was mainly in support trenches until they took part in the Battle of Pozieres from 23rd July until the end of August, where they sustained heavy casualties. The Battalion war diary indicates that their remaining time on the Somme was interspersed between time in trenches and billets.

On 17th November 1916 Ralph was serving as a Battalion HQ orderly in support trenches near the village of Martinpuich. At about 15:00hrs shells fell approximately 15 yards outside and immediately opposite the entrance to the Battalion HQ killing Ralph, age 23, who was just outside. According to the letter sent to his parents from his former Platoon Commander he was buried in the nearest cemetery on the same day.

1893 Private Ralph Eaton, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, is buried in Martinpuich British Cemetery, Somme. He is remembered in Thame on the War Memorial.