Category Archives: Royal Berkshire Regiment

Tom Gray and Fred Gray

Army, Registered War Grave, RFC / RAF, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme
Gray bros photo
Tom Gray
Air Mechanic II  33053
Royal Flying Corps		 Fred Gray
Lance Corporal 19990
1st Royal Berkshire Regt.

Tom  and Fred Gray were the sons of T. and Elizabeth Gray of 31 Zinzan Street, Reading.

Tom Gray is buried in a registered war grave and commemorated on a CWGC war pattern headstone.  Grave number 3686A.  He died of meningitis, at the time referred to as spotted fever on the 15th March 1917.  Tom Gray was the husband of L. Gray and was aged 33.

TGray grave

Fred Gray is commemorated on his brother grave on a scroll stone.  The inscription states “Killed on Somme”.  Tom is also commemorated on the scroll stone which finished with the words “FOR KING AND COUNTRY”.

Fred was killed by a machine gun whilst taking trenches on November 14th 1916.  The Battle of Ancre, the 4th phase of the Somme battle, had begun the day before and Beaumont-Hamel was captured during the offensive.  The Somme Battle finally came to and end on 18 November 1916.

Fred Gray is buried on the Somme in Munich Trench British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, location B.II.

 FGray grave

 

 The small cemetery, which holds about 100 graves, was started in January 1917.  Munich Trench was captured on the 11 January 1917 by  V Corps and the cemetery was originally known as V Corps Cemetery No.8.  The burials of those who took part in the last phase of the Somme battle were carried out in the spring.  Although Fred Gray’s body laid out on the battlefield throughout the winter months the ground was not fought over and this enabled the remains to be identified.  Many casualties of the Somme battles were posted as missing and their bodies never found.   Another Reading man, George E. Thatcher is also buried in Munich Trench British Cemetery and a small stone bearing his initials has been found in the Reading Cemetery.

Wilfred Douglas Goddard

Army, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme, St Mary's Church Castle Street Memorial

Wilfred Douglas Goddard
Private 37980
“B” Company 8th Battalion Gloucestershire Regt.

Division 42

Goddard WD photo  CIMG2111

Wilfred Douglas Goddard was the youngest of six children; five boys and one girl. Two of his brothers assisted their father in the family butchery business, one brother was a mechanic according to the 1911 census.  Wilfred is commemorated on the family grave number 8918 of the Reading Cemetery.  His parents were James and Susannah Ellen Goddard of 10, Castle Street, Reading.  

At one stage Wilfred was reported as missing, see caption on picture, but he died of wounds on 2nd May 1918,  in Wevllghem Belgium and was buried at Harlebeke New British Cemetery XI. E.1 Wilfred Goddard was 20 years old.  The exact circumstances of how he received his injuries are not  known however, the Germans had begun their spring offensive and fighting was severe all along the front line. ‘Soldiers Died’ indicates that Wilfred had served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment as Private 33658.

George William Goddard and Edwin Harry Goddard

Army, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme, St. Batholomew's Church

George William Goddard
Corporal 200475
2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment

Edwin Harry Goddard
Private 42709
9th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Division 74
Extension

Goddard Bros GW & EH photo

George William Goddard and Edwin Harry Goddard were the sons of Mr George and Mrs Emma Ann Goddard, of 32, Coventry Road, Reading.  They were the eldest sons of seven children. According to the 1911 census  George William was a gardener like his father and Edwin a bakers assistant. The brothers are remembered on the St. Bartholomew’s Church war memorial and on their sister’s grave.

Goddard Rcem grave

 

War records are not available for the brothers. George served with the 8th Division and Edwin with the 36th (Ulster) Division.  These divisions fought in the following battles: Battle of St. Quentin. 21-23 Mar 1918. Actions of the Somme crossings. 24-25 Mar 1918. Battle of Rosieres. 26-27 Mar 1918.  Both men were killed within seven days of each other at the start of the German Spring Offensive in 1918.  On the 21st March the Germans broke through on a fifty-mile front between the Sensée and Oise rivers.  Various British battle positions were penetrated, especially near St. Quentin.

 George William Goddard was reported wounded and missing on 22nd March, he was 25.  On this day British defences west of St. Quentin were broken through and a hasty retreat was ordered.  The Germans took 16,000 prisoners and 200 guns.  The body of George Goddard was eventually identified and he was buried in Pargny British Cemetery, Somme.  Location II.E.13.  Pargny Cemetery was made after the Armistice, by concentrating graves from the surrounding battlefields.  More than three-quarters of the burials in this cemetery of over 600 graves are unidentified.

The German advance continued with a vengeance.  There was much fierce fighting as the British resisted at the Somme crossings.  By the 24th March the Germans were boasting the taking of 30.000 prisoners and 600 guns.  So fast was the advance of the Germans that by the 26th March the British had lost the town of  Albert, the Germans were only 12 kilometres from Amiens by the following day.  Further fighting continued with the French launching counter attacks.  However, by the 29th March the Germans were claiming to have captured 70,000 prisoners and 1100 guns since the start of the offensive.

On the 29th March Edwin Harry Goddard was reported missing.  Edwin’s body was never identified and he is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial, Panel 38 to 40.

Goddard EH mem name

The British were shaken and on 11th April Haig issued a ‘Special Order’ to all ranks which included the now famous words,

“There is no course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement.  With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause we must fight to the end”.