Edwin Gerald Ritchie
Rifleman 653555
3rd Battalion First Surrey Rifles
London Regiment
Division 24
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Edwin Ritchie was the husband of Minnie Elizabeth Clements Ritchie of 3, Watlington Street, Reading. He died on the 31 December 1918 aged 36 years. It has not benn possible to find further information about this man.
Sidney Herbert Baverstock
Driver T4/084595
Royal Army Service Corps
Division 40
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Sidney Herbert Baverstock died of wounds (gas) on the 25 April 1919. He was the husband of Annie M Baverstock of 116, Rupert Street, Reading. Sidney was born in Andover in 1878. Both the 1901 and the 1911 census have him living in Reading. In 1911 he was living in the same house as given at the time of the grave registration. He was father to three children, Dorothy 9, Herbert 8 and Mary 4 years. His occupation was given as biscuit mixer at Huntley and Palmers.
The grave number is 6582 and has a CWGC headstone.
Driver J. Starkie
T/16298 292 Company
Army Service Corps.
Division 49
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J. Starkie was 34 years old and died on the 8th August 1915. He was the son of Samuel and Mary Starkie of Blackburn, Lancashire and the husband of Sophia Starkie, of 40, Sunny Bank, Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire.
Starkie died in a tragic boating accident whilst based near Reading. He and Private J. J. McKeever, an Irish man born at Waterside, 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 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 Driver Starkie is marked by a CWGC war pattern headstone. Private McKeever is also buried in the cemetery in Division 14