H. T. Mills
Private 123216 Labour Battalion R.E.
transferred to
(291808) 705th Company Labour Corps.
Division 58
H. T. Mills is buried in the cemetery and his registered War Grave bears a CWGC war pattern headstone. Grave number 12209.
He died on 15th September 1917 aged 35 years.
For every soldier who fought in the front line the author has read that it took twenty or more men to keep them there. For this reason the Labour Corps. had a very important function.
Francis Alfred Mills
Corporal 43319
3rd Battalion Manchester Regiment, formerly 9th Royal Berkshire Regiment
Division 46
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Francis Alfred Mills, was the son of Mrs Lucy Mills, of 26, Derby Street, Reading. The 1911 census indicates that he worked as a stage carpenter. At the time he was living with his widowed mother who was a nurse, his sister and two nephews. He married Katie Lovell on 19 June 1916 and they had a daughter Gladys Blanche Olive in November 1916. Originally assigned to the Royal Berkshire Regiment he was transferred to the Manchesters in September 1916. He was promoted twice during his service. His war records are quite extensive and indicate that due to his transfer to another unit his where abouts were not traceable for some time. Records also indicate that he died from a malignant tumour although this was not reported in the newspapers of the time.
His is a registered war grave and has a CWGC war pattern headstone, number 11429.
Corporal Mills died on 8th April 1918, he was aged 38. He was buried with full military honours
Corporal F. A. Mills had been in the army for two years. Eighteen months of service were spent in France. Papers reported that he had been wounded and that he was sent home with trench fever to which he succumbed in a hospital in Wales. He leaves a mother and widow and child of 16 months. Before joining up he was employed at the County Theatre where he was better known as Tom Viscent.
Private J.J. McKeever,
T4/1244223, 4th Division Supply Unit,
Army Service Corps.
Division 14
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J. J. McKeever was 50 years old and died on the 8th August 1915. He was the son of John and Jane McKeever. Born at Waterside, Londonderry.
McKeever died in a tragic boating accident whilst based near Reading. He and Driver J. Starkie were in a Canadian canoe on the Thames at Tilehurst when the canoe capsized and both soldiers were drowned. Neither man could swim. The Coroners verdict was that of “Accidental Drowning”.
During the war years there were many such accidents on the Thames, sometimes of army personelle and sometimes civilians and children. Many drownings were accidental, some were deliberate acts of suicide.
Mrs Starkie attended the funeral and also Thomas Logue, the brother in law of McKeeveer. A volley was fired and the “Last Post played”. The grave of Private McKeever is marked by a CWGC war pattern headstone. Driver Starkie is also buried in the cemetery in Division 49.