Category Archives: Royal Berkshire Regiment

Arthur George Head

Army, Registered War Grave, Royal Berkshire Regiment

Arthur George Head
Private 30163
15th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Division 33

CIMG2194

Arthur George Head, was the son of Alfred and Hannah Head, of 12 Derby Street, Reading. His death was reported in the Reading Standard 24th June 1916, he was 37.  

“After having joined the Colours a couple of days, Arthur Head of 12 Derby Street,  Reading, was found dead with his throat cut, in the scullery of his home on Saturday evening.  The deceased, employed by Huntley, Borne and Stevens, joined up under the Derby Scheme, he  was in Group 15, and was single.  He obtained exemption on an appeal made by his employers.  He had been fitted for his uniform on the Friday.  At the inquest two reasons were put forward for him taking his life.  One was the death of his brother in law to whom he was attached, and the other was the fact of his having to join up.

His parents found him lying on the scullery floor on their return from shopping, with his face covered in blood.  A neighbour and the doctor were sent for.  He had a big gash in his throat and a razor was by his side.  A note on the table said “I am sorry, but my head has played me up so.  I am not a coward”.  The verdict was suicide during temporary insanity”. 

Arthur Head is buried in a registered war grave number 10996 and this is marked with a CWGC war pattern headstone. 

Sidney Edwin Grimes and John Arthur Grimes

Army, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Royal Berkshire Regiment

Stanley Edwin Grimes
Private 18476
2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment

 Division 17

Stanley Edwin Grimes was the son of John and Emma Grimes, of 13, Western Elms Avenue, Reading, and the brother of John Arthur Grimes.  He was killed in action on the 12th August 1917, aged 27.

 Stanley Edwin Grimes was a Signaller with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.  He was killed instantaneously when hit by a shell whilst carrying out signalling duties.  Stanley Grimes had joined up in April 1916 and went immediately to Blandford to train as a signaller.  He passed his examinations with First Class Honours and went to France in July 1916.  Throughout the winter he served as a voluntary stretcher bearer and was invalided home in May 1917.  He returned to the front in June 1917.  He had been educated at the Collegiate School, Reading.

 Stanley Edwin Grimes has no known grave.  It is likely that after being struck by a shell that there was no body to bury or the grave may have been lost during the battle.  He is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Bay 3.

John Arthur Grimes M.C.
Second Lieutenant
1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

John Arthur Grimes was the son of John and Emma Grimes, of 13, Western Elms Avenue, Reading, and the husband of Ella Maud Grimes, of 1, Clarence Street, Brighton.

He died on the 7th March 1918, aged 34(37).  He is buried in Metz-en-Coutre Communal Cemetery British Extension, Pas de Calais.  The village was captured by the 10th and 11th King’s Royal Rifle Corps on the 4th and 5th April, 1917, and evacuated on the 23rd March, 1918, and retaken by the 1st Otago Regiment the following 6th September.  The village was noted for its extensive system of underground cellars.  The original burials were made in Plots I and II.  Further Plots were made after the Armistice.   The early months of 1918 were fairly quiet marked by a feeling of something about to happen.  Men were tired but in good spirits, they were daily involved in building new reorganised defensive systems.  Similar to the German, defence in depth, the new British system comprised a “Forward zone” , basically an out post line, the “Battle Zone” which was to be the main line of defence some 2,000 – 3,000 yards behind the Forward Zone and finally at a similar distance behind the Battle Zone the “Corps Line”.  The army itself was also under going reorganisation and merging of units.  Fatigues were hazardous when working parties  were in range of enemy artillery or sniper fire; getting to the work area across a cratered and muddy battlefield also took its toll.  Raids were frequent, some times ill-though-out and often so clumsy in their execution that the Germans  were well aware that the British were coming.  Meanwhile the Germans were carefully planning their impending Spring Offensive and Haig was eagerly awaiting an attack he knew must come. J.A. Grimes died of gaspoisoning whilst trying to rescue his orderly who had been buried in a trench which was damaged by a heavy bombardment of shelling which came after midnight on 6th March 1918.  Amidst the high explosive shells were ‘rum jars’ containing phosgene gas which disguised the presence of the gas and caused injury to a further two officers and 29 other ranks.  A photograph of john Grimes can be found in the book: The China Dragon’s Tales The 1st Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment in the Great War.

The 1901 census indicates that John Grimes senior was a cabinet salesman and that he was assisted in this job by his oldest son John. The family were living in western Elms Road. His younger brother Stanley and sister Annie were then twelve and fourteen years respectively, no occupation is given for either of them; it is possible that they were still in school. Like the other families living in Western Elmes Road the family employed a domestic servant.   In 1911 Stanley is a boarder at a publichouse in Warwickshire and his occupation is given as an Ironmongers assistant. He obviously enlisted in the county and joined the local battalion. The landlord and lady of the public house had a daughter about the same age as Stanley but whether they had an intimate relationship is unknown.  In 1911 John is a boarder in Oxfordshire, he still has the same occupation.

Cecil Gregory and George Gregory

Army, Other Regiments, Registered War Grave, Royal Berkshire Regiment

Cecil Gregory
Private 48229
Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry (formerly Royal Warwickshire Regiment)

 George Gregory
Private 20001136
Royal Berkshire Regiment

 Division 44

 

Gregory G photo  CIMG2221

 

Cecil and George Gregory, were the sons of  Albert and Alice Gregory, of 29 Orchard Street,  Reading.  Theirs is a registered war grave and has a CWGC war pattern headstone, number 3275. 

 Cecil Gregory died of sickness on 12th December, 1917.  Aged 18.  He had been training at Salisbury Plain when he died from pneumonia.

 The Chronicle August 4th 1916 reported that George Gregory had been wounded in his back and right arm and was being treated in Sheffield Hospital. He was 20 years of age.  He died at home on 30th October 1918. He worked at the biscuit factory before the war and was in the Territorials.  The report stated that he once had a very narrow escape after a mine explosion.

 It is not known when he received his injuries or his age at death.  Further research is needed to establish his service battalion.  It is likely that he received his injuries on the Somme.

The 1911 census tells us that Albert Gregory was a labourer at the Biscuit factory. Albert and Alice had been married fifteen years and they had five children. George was the eldest and was a Tin Worker (probably Huntley, Bourne and Stevens). The other children, including Cecil, were in school. In addtion to George and Cecil, Albert and Alice had another son, Alfred and two daughters, Nellie and Doris.