William Herbert Ames (Colonel) 1868 - 1949

Whereas we don't have much information on William Ames with regard to his personal life, we know that he came to Bourton just before April 1911. He appeared on the census that year with his wife Katherine and two daughters, Elsie and Pheobe. He was an officer of the rank of Colonel with the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and at the beginning of the First World War was tasked with raising a Territorial Force that could defend the country. He lived in Church Farm House which was in Silver Street but demolished to make way for modern housing. 

He became a willing and able member of the Bourton community and served on the Parish Council. His organisational skills were evident with the very succesful Bourton Fete of 1922 (See N1065), which was planned and executed with military precision. His eldest daughter Elsie was married in St James' Church in February 1925 and was attended by a large amount of guests. He died in 1949.