Bertie Cyril Blackwell
Lance Corporal 742582
London Cyclist Battalion
Division 44
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Bertie Cyril Blackwell, was the son of the late Mr Robert and Mrs Emma Blackwell, of 81, York Road, Reading. His is a registered war grave and has a CWGC war pattern headstone, number 2978. Private Blackwell died on 4th February 1919. He was aged 24.
The Standard 7th Nov. 1914 – published a picture of a Lance Corporal Bert Blackwell, of 81 Edgehill Street. At the time he was serving in the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. The report states that he lay for 3 hours in a ditch wounded. There are no other details of his service career.
A report giving details of his death was published in the Reading Standard Feb. 15th 1919. at No.5 Southern General Hospital, Southsea, suddenly, of double pneumonia. By this time he was a Sergeant and attached to H.Q. A.C.C.
“A noble son and loving brother”.
Robert Blackwell, Bertie’s father was already dead by the time of the 1911 census . The second picture refers to a Private R. Blackwell, who is pictured with a number of soldiers of different nations. This man appears to be living at the same address at Bertie Blackwell. He served in the Army Service Corps, Mechanical Transport. Bertie was one of seven children so it is possible that the man in the picture was an older brother. Most of the family worked in the printing industry although Bertie was an apprentice carpenter in 1911.
* 20th February 2000