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Harry Tillen

Alfred Sutton School War Memorial, Jutland, Navy, Park Congregational Church War Memorial

Harry Tillen
Able Seaman Royal Navy H.M.S. “Invincible”

TILLEN H

 Harry Tillen was the son of Kate Allen (formerly Tillen) of 46, Crescent Road. (CWGC register gives spelling as Tillin)  The 1901 census indicates that Kate had married George Stephen Allen, a gasman’s labourer and they lived at 57 Foxhill Road, Reading. Harry was the youngest of Kate’s three children who are recorded as George’s step children. The 1911 census indicates that the family hadmoved to Crescent Road and Harry was working as a grocers errand boy. 

Harry Tillen was lost at sea and his name is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. His name is commemorated on the Alfred Sutton School Memorial  and also commemorated on the Park Church and Institute Memorial.   Harry Tillen was aged 20 years when he died.

 The H.M.S. “Invincible” was among the Battle Cruisers of the Grand Fleet which was reviewed by the King in July 1914.  The Britain Empire ruled the seas and was superior to any other Empire in the number of vessels at its disposal.  Harry Tillen would have been proud to serve as an able seaman in this navy.

 In 1916 with a stalemate on land it became the turn of the navies to try and break the deadlock at sea.  The British Grand Fleet was based in the Firth of Forth, Moray Firth and Scapa Flow;  the German High Seas Fleet at Wilhelmshaven.  On the morning of 31st May 1916 Mary Clarke, a young nursing sister on board the Grand Fleet Hospital Ship Plassy,  watched the cruisers steaming up and with the other nurses “wondered if there is really anything doing this time, there have been so many false alarms.”  She recorded in her diary that “this evening after dinner two or three officers arrived in board with note books etc to find out what accommodation we had got for the wounded, how many cots, how many stretchers etc & later on we got a signal to get full steam going, so as to sail at a moments notice.”  The battle cruisers she had watched in the morning had been setting out for Jutland, a Danish territory, by evening two of them had already been sunk by the German navy. The “anything doing” turned out to be Battle of Jutland, the only major sea battle of the Great War.

George E. Thatcher

Army, Commemorated name/s, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme

George E. Thatcher
Private 18098
1st Royal Berkshire Regiment

 Division 40

Thatcher GE photo  CIMG2200

George Edward Thatcher, known to his friends and family as Jack,  was the husband of
Mrs Sarah Thatcher (nee Clarke), of 6, River Road, Reading.  He is commemorated on a small scroll stone, on the grave of one of his children, number 10263.  Only the initials G.E.T. and Jack are written on the headstone but a CWGC search revealed his full name and details.  The 1911 census indicates that he was a tin solderer at the tin works and he had three children – Lily, Cyril and Evelyn. Sharing their five room family home were his sister in law and three brothers in law.

 George enlisted on 25 March 1915, serving first in the 3rd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment before moving to the 1st Battalion. He arrived in France in December 1915.  He was killed in action on the 14 November 1916, when the battalion were involved in the later stages of the Somme battle.  He was killed taking a trench.  Jack Thatcher is buried in Munich Trench British Cemetery, Beaumon Hamel, location C 31.  The cemetery contains many men who were killed in the same action and Jack lies near Fred Gray who is also commemorated in the Reading Cemetery and who died on the same day.

 George Thatcher was 37 when he was killed. The Chronicle of 8th December 1916 records that Jack was “killed instantly”, that he worked at Huntley, Bourne and Stevens before the war.  He left a wife and five children. The author has visited Munich Trench Cemetery which is rather out of the way on Redan Ridge and the visitors book which at the time went back to 1975  revealed that family members visited the grave in1992 and 1997.

 

Arthur Tegg

Army, Other Regiments, Registered War Grave

Arthur Tegg
Sapper 137947
237th Field Coy., Royal Engineers

 Division 58

Tegg A photo

Arthur Tegg is commemorated on CWGC war pattern  headstone and his is a registered war grave.  Grave number 11118.

 Arthur Tegg died on the 30 September 1916 aged 37.  He was the husband of Annie Carter (formerly Tegg) of 248 Basingstoke Road, Reading.  At the time of his death his address was given as 1. Rinefield Terrace, Reading. The 1911 census indicates that he was a bricklayer and he had two children Alexander 6 and Ruby 4 years.

 A report in the Reading Standard 12 August  1916  gave notice of the wounding of Arthur Tegg.  The Chronicle 13 October  stated that he was wounded on 27July 1916 whilst trying to help a wounded man, his hip being fractured. He was sent from France to the Kitchener Hospital, Brighton, where he had his leg amputated but he died from complications. (Remember there were no antibiotics to fight infections in those days.)

His body was brought home to Rinefield Terrace and the funeral took place with full Military Honours on 5 October  1916.  His chum Sapper Clarke, came 270 miles to attend the funeral.  The Rev. J.F. Warren and the chaplain from Kitchener’s Hospital officiated.

 Arthur Tegg had been in the army three months.   He was one of three brothers serving in the army and a report of  27  May 1916 noted the serious wounding of a Private W. Tegg.