Category Archives: Registered War Grave

Henry Charles Pyke

Army, Other Regiments, Registered War Grave

Henry Charles Pyke
Private 7748 Army Pay Corps. (Canterbury)

 Division 43

PikeHC photoCIMG2219

 Henry Charles Pyke, was the son of  Charles John and Ellen Pyke, of 37, Letcombe Street,  Reading.  The 1901 census indicates that his father was a tin decorator for biscuit manufacturing. Henry then 13 was a grocers errand boy. He was ten years older than his nearest sibling  Charles and in 1911 his youngest brother was only two years old. His mother had three surviving children out of the five she had birthed. In 1911 Henry was still living in the family home and his occupation was that of an Insurance Agent.

Henry Charles Pyke died on the 31st December, 1915.  He was aged 28.  His death was announced in the Chronicle 7th January 1916 there was no other information to add to that in register. We understand from the CWGC register that he had served in France but have no details of this service. His is a registered war grave and has a CWGC war pattern headstone, number 13630. 

 

George Wilson Pike

Army, Registered War Grave, Royal Berkshire Regiment

George Wilson Pike
Private 35412, Depot
Royal Berkshire Regiment

 Division 10

CIMG2151

George Wilson Pike  was the  son of John Hawkins Pike and Mary Wilson Pike.  He was found drowned on 26th December 1917, aged 40.  George Pike  is buried in a registered war grave number 8055 and this is marked with a CWGC war pattern  headstone. 

The details of his death were published in  the Reading Standard on 5th January 1918. 

 A soldier for one day – Factory sorter drowned in the Kennet

George Wilson Pike aged 41, single, a sorter in the employ of Messrs Huntley and Palmers was found dead in the River Kennet..

According to the evidence of two witnesses, one his brother and the other a lady friend, the deceased seemed quite cheerful and to them he had made no suggestion of suicide and nothing seemed to worry him.  A letter found on he deceased addressed to Daisy Annie Short, in which was the following: “Goodbye, God always bless you”.  x x x.  Daisy Short in giving evidence said she had known the deceased for two years and had worked with him.  He did not seem worried about going into the army.  She knew him only as a work mate.    Fitted for a uniform and medically examined and attested at the Barracks he had not turned up for a tattoo the following evening, Friday and was reported absent.  Charles Wheatley a labourer spoke of finding the body in the River.  The jury returned a verdict of “Found drowned” there being no evidence as to how the deceased got into the water.

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