William E. Bolton
Private 8341
1^st Batt. The Cameronians Scottish Rifles

 War Plot
Division 71 and 72

William Ernest Bolton’s family  lived at The Commercial Hall, Coley, Reading at the time that William’s death was registered with the CWGC. Family information has been obtained from Ancestry UK. The 1911 census indicates that his father was Henry James Bolton and his mother Louisa Bolton, his sister called May, who was four years younger. In 1911  the family home at 82 Coley Place, Reading.  Father Henry was listed as a wood yard labourer and May was a packer at the biscuit factory. In 1911 William, then 25, was recorded as an unemployed army reservist. In 1901, then aged 15, William was working as a labourer at the tin factory which would have been Huntley Bourne and Stevens. It is assumed that William was recalled to the colours as soon as war was declared but no military record exists to confirm this. William and May had two other siblings but no information has been found about them.

William died on February 9^th 1917, of wounds received in action.  He had been in hospital at Northampton War Hospital.  He was 30. William Bolton has no headstone in the war plot but his name is commemorated on the screen wall.

Notice of death was published in the Standard 24^th February 1917.

B.C.Blake
Gunner  245585
281^st Battery., 109^th Brigade., Royal Filed Artillery

Division 34

 B.C.Blake was married and lived at 14, Princess St. His widow later remarried to become Mrs. E.L. Tayler of 19, St. John’s Road Reading.

 Gunner Blake was gassed and later died on the 27th October 1918 of pneumonia a typical complication of this war injury.  He was aged 30.  It is not easy to find out about the movements of RFA units and the author has no other details about the service history of B.C. Blake.

 His grave is marked with a CWGC war pattern headstone, the grave number is 4782.

 *4^th July 1999 His first name may have been Bertram 1911 Census

Bertie Cyril Blackwell
Lance Corporal 742582
London Cyclist Battalion

 Division 44

Bertie Cyril Blackwell, was the son of the late Mr Robert and Mrs Emma Blackwell, of 81, York Road, Reading.  His is a registered war grave and has a CWGC war pattern headstone, number 2978.  Private Blackwell died on 4^th February 1919.  He was aged 24.     

The Standard 7^th Nov. 1914 – published a picture of a Lance Corporal Bert Blackwell, of 81 Edgehill Street.  At the time he was serving in the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry.  The report states that he lay for 3 hours in a ditch wounded. There are no other details of his service career.

 A report giving details of his death was published in the Reading Standard Feb. 15th 1919. at No.5 Southern General Hospital, Southsea, suddenly, of double pneumonia.  By this time he was a  Sergeant and attached to H.Q. A.C.C.

 “A noble son and loving brother”.

Robert Blackwell, Bertie’s father was already dead by the time of the 1911 census .  The second picture refers to a Private R. Blackwell,  who is pictured with a number of soldiers of different nations. This man appears to be living at the same address at Bertie Blackwell. He served in the Army Service Corps, Mechanical Transport.  Bertie was one of seven children so it is possible that the man in the picture was an older brother. Most of the family worked in the printing industry although Bertie was an apprentice carpenter in 1911.

 * 20^th February 2000