Harry Douglas Hopcraft (1892-1975)
Rob Forsyth
Harry Douglas Hopcraft - always known as Douglas - was born in 1892, the son of Alfred and Edith Hopcraft. The family had been in Deddington since at least 1790 when the first of 55 Hopcraft names were carved on a gravestone in the churchyard.
He married Gladys Emily French (1899–1997) in 1921. Their family owned The Orchards on Hopcraft Lane and had a similarly long pedigree in Deddington dating from the 1700s.
Their son Donald died in 1938 aged 14 of polio.
Douglas died on 10 September 1975 aged 83
Military Service
First World War: Douglas served in the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant, then Captain, with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, earning an MBE - published in the 1919 Birthday Honours for 'valuable services in Italy' - which was invested by Prince Henry of Gloucester on 22 January 1920 in Birmingham. This was Prince Henry's first Royal Engagement aged 20.
On 1 August 1918 a Banbury newspaper (l) reported:
"A Captain from the Ranks.—Second Lieutenant Douglas Hopcraft, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hopcraft, of Deddington, who mobilised with the Oxford and Bucks Territorials on the 4th August, 1914, and served with them on the Western front and obtained a commission in the latter part of last year, and was afterwards drafted to his old regiment and went with them to Italy as a second lieutenant, has recently been raised to the rank of Captain 'for services rendered during the offensive by the Austrians in the middle of June last.' When in a tight corner, his company officers becoming casualties, he took command and succeeded in extricating his company at a critical moment. The promotion bestowed upon Captain Hopcraft is heartily congratulated by his fellow townspeople, who are very proud of the way in which so many of the boys from the old town have shown their mettle in their country's cause."
Second World War: He was the Chief Observer in charge of the Deddington Post of The Royal Observer Corps
In this photograph he is 4th from the right. On his right is the Observer Officer for Oxfordshire
More about the names of members of the Post and where their lookout-post was located can be found in this chapter of 'A Parish at War
A Hopcraft & Son - Builders & Contractors
Walnut Tree workshops and their delivery lorry
The family business workshops and yard were on St Thomas Street on the site occupied today (2026) by Hook Norton Vets, and Cox's garage.The business also served as a local undertaker, employing specialised tradesmen like joiner Alf Stanley to craft coffins.
Some of the buildings that the firm can be associated with are:
The Spinney, Duns Tew: He built this house for his grandfather, Arthur Goundrey.
The Nurseries, Duns Tew: He built this property for his uncle, Edward Goundrey.
Castle View on Goose Green: Douglas owned, let and updated this Grade II listed property and its surrounding cottages before selling it in 1950.
Hopcraft Lane: Because the Hopcraft family were the village’s primary multi-generational stone masons and builders, Hopcraft Lane in Deddington was named in their honour. Many of the brick and stone residential homes lining Hopcraft Lane today were either built by his yard or stand on what was family-held land
In July1940 the firm's accounts show there were 16 employees. By January 1942 this had halved due to men joining up and a reduction in work.
In January 1948 Douglas retired and sold the business as a going concern. The buyer, GL Walker Ltd of Oxford, undertook to keep the business going but went into liquidation and it was sold in October. The buyer, Guy Wilsden, carried on trading under the old name as this advertisement shows. It is not known when the company stopped trading
A Pillar of the Parish
He served as a Magistrate at the local Magistrates' Court which later became the Deddington Library
He was one of the Trustees who acquired the former Axle Tree factory in 1920 for what became the YMCA/Red Triangle Club and then the British Legion Building
1955 An extract from an article in The Oxford Mail [Author S.P.B.Mais] shows how much the Hopcrafts were a long standing presence in the parish: "... I found that a hundred years ago there was a Hopcraft stonemason, another Hopcraft a brick maker, a third an ironmonger and of course a Hopcraft, a builder. There is a stability about Deddington that in this world of constant flux gives me great delight.‘I’d like you to meet my mother,’ said Mr Hopcraft, ‘but she’s upstairs at the moment. She’s 95’. I was by this time getting acclimatised to Deddington. At any moment, I thought I should see Mrs Hopcraft senior come sliding down the bannisters. Mrs Hopcraft junior is one of the leading lights of the very flourishing Lawn Tennis Club.
Mr Hopcraft showed the author the former inn called “The Hole in the Wall,” *pointing out the blocked-up hatch where beer was once passed to customers. The building later served as a residence for several doctors, including Dr Hodges. Dr Hodges' wife wrote the acclaimed first novel Hostages to Fortune under the pen name Elizabeth Cambridge.
* This is the house called The Mount on Goose Green in which Douglas and Gladys lived until she died in 1975
Hopcrafts in the local newspapers
The local newspapers have regularly recorded the Hopcraft family's activities. A selection of them over the years can be found HERE
Gallery
The images in this article and others can be found in the Hopcraft business album and The French and Hopcraft album