Walter May
Lance Corporal 12760
6^th Royal Berkshire Regiment

Walter May was the eldest son of Mr  Tom and Mrs Emma May of 3 Pitcroft Avenue, Reading.  The 1911census indicates that he was a Clerk Seedsman, probably at Suttons, his father and a younger brother also workedfor the same firm. Walter May had two sisters. He joined up on the 5^th September 1914 and went to France on 25^th July 1915.

The 6^th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, with which Walter served, was part of the 18^th Division and was amongst those few battalions which had some success on the first day of the battle of the Somme.  They were situated on the far right of the British line near the French and achieved their objective,  the taking of Montauban.  The battalion was also involved in a fateful attack on Delville Wood on the 19^th July when many men were lost in a badly planned operation.  The Somme battle continued wearily with great loss of men on both sides through the summer and autumn of 1916.  The 6^th battalion was involved in the actions which finally resulted in the eventual successful capture of most of the Thiepval ridge from the Germans.

Thiepval had been a first day objective of the Somme offensive.  The 18^th Division was given the task of taking Thiepval and also the strong point known as the Schwaben Redoubt.  “On the Somme” by Colin Fox et al., gives an account of the involvement of the 6^th Battalion.  The Division had three weeks  battle training prior to the attack which was set for 26^th September.  The 6^th Royal Berkshire Regiment was in the brigade reserve with the 8^th Suffolks leading the attack with the 10^th Essex Regiment.  There were three days of preliminary bombardment with zero hour at 12.35pm on the 26^th September.  The initial attack on Thiepval was very successful with the Germans, according to the Official History, eager to surrender without a fight.

However, progress towards the Schwaben redoubt was much more difficult and the advanced came to a standstill at about 6.20pm.  The 6^th Berks now provided carrying parties with the task of bringing food, water and ammunition to the front line troops.  The reserve was in trenches at Crucifix Corner and it was here at dusk that the Germans sent over a massive barrage.  On the 28^th September there was a renewed attack on the Schwaben Redoubt, the 6^th Berks. were again in the reserve, this time in Authuille Wood.  The attacking battalions sustained heavy casualties and the following morning the 6^th Berks. were sent in to relieve the Suffolks.  They were heavily shelled all day, and many of the men were suffering from a lack of sleep.  Walter May would have experienced the spasmodic bombing attacks carried out by both sides and the heavy shelling , which in deteriorating weather, reduced the ground into a sea of mud.  By the 5^th October the Redoubt was back in British hands.   On the 6^th October the 6^th Royal Berkshire were withdrawn from the line and moved into billets.

Walter May was one of the 14 men killed during this action, he died on the 5^th October 1916.   Walter’s body was never found and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial pier and face 11D. He was 22 years old.