Albert Walter Grant
Pioneer 231037 Carrier Pigeon Service
Royal Engineers

 Division 76
Extension

Albert Walter Grant was the son of Lewis William and Beatrice Grant and husband of Bertha Florence Grant.  His grave is a registered war grave but the headstone is a family memorial.  His story is one which is particularly tragic but in its day not uncommon.  The headstone reveals that both his daughter and wife lie  with him in the same grave.  He had served two years in France returning after demobilisation on the 17^th  February 1919.  He was immediately struck down with influenza which developed into pneumonia.  He passed the influenza on to his 2½ year old daughter, Phyllis Mary.  Neither father or daughter survived.  Albert died on the 28^th February 1919 and Phyllis  on the 5^th March 1919.  The Reading Standard of 8^th March 1919 carried an account of  the funeral.

 “The deceased who was only 31 years of age, joined up in Jan 1917 and went to France a month later in the RE Pigeon Service Section.  After serving just over two years he returned from France on February 17th last and took to his bed, from which he never again rose.  Unfortunately his little daughter was stricken with the dread disease, with fatal results, and both were buried together.  Before joining up Mr. Grant was a well known figure in Reading, having been connected with dairy business from his youth.  His one hobby was pigeon racing, and to this he devoted much of his spare time.  He was a member of local pigeon clubs and had won several prizes for the excellence and swiftness of flight of his birds.” 

 Bertha Grant survived her husband and child, living until her 80^th Year, she died  in 1961.

Albert Walter Grant, known as Bert was brought up at Battle Farm.  Tragedy struck the family again later in the year 1919 when his brothers wife died aged 33.  Both family graves lie near each other in Division 76.   The grave number of Albert’s grave is 16591.

The 1911 census shows that Albert’s mother was the head of the family and she and her four sons and one daughter were running their dairy farm at Battle Farm, Oxford Road, Reading. This had been the family farm in 1901 when Lewis Grant was also alive.

Jacob Gotz
Private G/93489
30^th Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Division 71 and 72
War Plot

Jacob Gotz was not local to Reading. He was the husband of Emma Gotz, of 9, Humbolt Mansions, Lillie Road, Fulham Cross, London.   Jacob was accidentally killed on 13^th February 1918, aged 30.  The Reading Standard gave both an account of the accident and also the inquest.

Standard. February 16th 1918: 

Fatal Bus Accident
Soldier killed whilst hanging on to van.

” A shocking accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon just outside Reading, when Jacob Gotz, 30, of the Middlesex Regt, was crushed between a motorvan and a bus, with fatal results.  The accident occurred on what is known as Shepherd’s Hill, the hill which runs up out of Reading from the London Rd train terminus.  The deceased was riding a bicycle behind a motor van on the near side going down hill.  He was hanging on with the right hand and changing over to the right side of the van, he tried to catch it with his left hand.  As he was passing over to the offside of the van for this purpose, he ran into a motor bus which was going up the hill, with the consequence that he became pinned between the two vehicles, his head was smashed and his neck broken.  Gotz, who was born in Germany, was a well known boxer and wrestler, and carried on the business of a bakery before the war.  Papers were found in his possession addressed to 9, Humbolt Mansions, Lillie Rd. Fulham”.  This was  the address of his wife.

Standard February 23rd 1918: 

Account of inquest on 
Jacob Gotz

Jacobh Gotz was aged 30 and a Private with 30th Isle  of Wight,  Middlesex Regiment and stationed at Reading.  Gotz was born in Germany, but he had no nationality as he had been denationalised.  His home was Fulham where he had seen his brother Philip Gotz and told him he was cycling back to Reading on February 13th.

The driver of the bus involved was on Shepherds Hill and saw a lorry coming towards him.  Just as the vehicles were level a soldier on a bike came out from behind the lorry and collided with the dashboard of the bus.  Gotz ended up under the bus with extensive injuries, tools had to be fetched to “extricate” the body.  Death was instantaneous. Verdict “Accidental death” both drivers are exonerated of all blame.

The paper tells us that there was an impressive military funeral starting from Sutton Seeds Trial ground with a large body of his regiment and band of the Pioneer School of Instruction.   Comrades were pall bearers and the regiment sent a beautiful wreath. Jacob Gotz name is commemorated on the screen wall in the war plot.