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Wilfred Pichette

Canadian, Other Regiments, Registered War Grave

 

Wilfred Pichette
Private 648987
224th Canadian Forestry Corps.

 War Plot
Division 71 & 72

Wilfred Pichette was the son of Napoleon Pichette and Melina Matte, of 29, Demers Street, Quebec.   He was found drowned on 10th October 1916, aged 23.

The Standard and the Mercury on October 14th 1916 carried an  account:

 Record of death of Alfred Pichette  

 It seems Alfred Pichette came to Reading for a weekend visit from his station at Bagshot – Lieut. G.H. Frith, acting adjutant of corps, said he had been a labourer in Quebec and enlisted in March.  Aged about 25 years. “He was a steady man , and had only twice been absent without leave”.

 Mysterious Death 

An open verdict “found drowned”. The body was taken from the River Kennet – there were one or two mysterious points surrounding the drowning which fully justified the jury arriving at the decision they did.  It was a mystery how Pichette came to be where he was.  The Canadian Forester, was stationed at Bagshot.  The adjutant stated that he believed the deceased to be a fairly steady man, he had two marks for “absence without leave”.  He had gone away at the end of September and had not reported back.  Witnesses could not account for how the body got into the water.  Mr John Ernest Palmer, house-surgeon found no signs of external violence.  The body was in a state of decomposition; it had been in the water about a week.  Death was by drowning.  A shunter for Huntley and Palmer who gave evidence as to assisting in taking the body from the water said “The clothing of deceased was not properly adjusted”.

Wilfred Pichette is remembered in the Canadian  First World War Book of Remembrance

George Albert Moxey Pratt

Navy, Registered War Grave

George A. M. Pratt
Petty Officer J/12015 H.M.S. “Victory”

Division 70
Extension

 George Pratt was born on 7 August 1894 in Oxford  and he died on the 30th April 1920 aged 25.  He was the son of Mr William and Mrs Sarah Pratt 112 Salisbury Rd. Reading. He was the husband of Ada F Pratt of 19, William Street, Reading.  The 1901 census indicates that the family lived at ‘The Victoria Arms’ 21 London Road, Reading. He had two brothers William and Reginald. By 1911 the family had grown and he had another brother Francis and two sisters Elizabeth and Lily. It is believed that he worked for the Great Western Railway following his father and brother William.

Cause of death was acute neuritis according to the notification of death report in the Reading Standard May 8th 1920.

 The grave of George Pratt grave is one of the registered CWGC graves in the cemetery.  Grave number 16534.  The small memorial on the family grave refers to

 “Our dearly beloved son Berty”.

Herbert Pendlebury also served on the HMS Victory and his details are given on this web site.

Percy George Franklin & Harry Franklin

Abbey Baptist Church, Alfred Sutton School War Memorial, Commemorated name/s, Graves, Navy

Percy George Franklin
Gunner RMA/12600
H. M. S. “Vanguard”

Division 3

Franklin PG photo Franklin H photo

Percy Franklin was the son of John and Florence May Franklin. The 1901 census records John as a worker in a lumber yard. By 1911 he is the foreman. Both census records give the name as ‘Sir’, it isnot thought that this is a title as the picture above refers to Mr S J Franklin. During 1901 and 1911 the family lived at 20. St. Bartholomews Rd. By the 1911 census John has been married for two years to Milly Kate Franklin and they have one son aged 1 year. It is therefore assumed that Florence had died, possibly in child birth. There are four other children between the ages of 14 and 3 years in addition to Percy and Harry. Percy’s occupation is given as engineers clerk and Harry as a bank clerk. The family had moved to 70. Hamilton Road by the time that Harry was notified as wounded.  The local papers record that Percy was a keen footballer, he played for the King’s Road Chapel team and whilst serving on the liner Queen Elizabeth he played football for the ship’s team. 

 In 1914 he was on board the “Aboukir” when it was torpedoed.  During the week prior to the sinking he wrote to his parents. “Last week we swept the North Sea across, together, with about five other ships and eighteen destroyer, right from Sheerness to Heligoland.  But, nothing happened, and we are still waiting our chance.  When the time comes I think we shall show up well and keep the English name.  But, till then keep watching and waiting”. 

 Percy survived the sinking only to be killed when there was an internal explosion in the “Vanguard” when the vessel was at Scapa Flow on 9 July 1917, of those on board at the time only three survived.  He was aged 23 and left a wife Caroline Mary Franklin, of 48, Widley Rd. North End, Portsmouth.  His name is commemorated upon the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire. 

Harry Franklin, Percy’s older brother,  was wounded in the spine during the war and was in Hospital at No.1 War Hospital Reading when the death of Percy was confirmed.  Although Harry survived the war he died in 1930 at the age of 38.  Both Percy and Harry are commemorated on the headstone of their parent’s grave in Division 3, Reading Cemetery. Number 14859.

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