Category Archives: Royal Berkshire Regiment

Stanley H Challen

Alfred Sutton School War Memorial, Army, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Trinitiy Congregational Church War Memorial

 Stanley H Challen
Lance Sergeant – 18030
“A” Company 6th Royal Berkshire Regiment

 CWGC information lists Harold Stanley Challen. although the Initials on the Alfred Sutton Memorial show S.H. Challen. The 1911 census appears to have been completed by Stanley whose occupation was listed as Junior Clerk; he signs himself Stanley H Challen.  His father, Henry, was a Tailor’s Cutter and his sister a Drapers Assistant.   They were then living at 325, London Road. At the time of Stanley’s death his father was deceasedand by the time of the CWGC registration his mother, Annie, was living at 49,Bulmershe Road. Stanley died on  3rd May 1917 Aged 22.  He is buried in the Wancourt British Cemetery.  Grave location III. F. 12 

 The 6th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment had been part of the operations in the Ancre Valley during February 17/18 1917.  Official histories refer to the Actions of Miraumont, Battalion history to the Battle of Boom Ravine.  This action, whilst not achieving all its objectives,  was sufficiently hard on the Germans to precipitate their strategic withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line.  Fox et al in “Arras to Cambrai”  tell us that three companies, “B”, “C”, and “D” were involved in this action.  “A” company that of  Stanley Challen was probably held in reserve and he may not have participated in the action.   Following the action at Boom Ravine the battalion had a spell at Arras.  During this time they were in reserve for the final major attack in the Battle of Arras, launched on the 3rd May, but were called upon to relieve other units in the front line at Ch¾risy.  The offensive failed to reach  all but one of its objectives.  The 6th Battalion suffered repeatedly from heavy enemy shell fire during the action.  Between 3-18 May casualties for all ranks was 36 killed and 59 wounded.  Stanley Challen (in  “Arras to Cambrai” spelt Challin) was among those who lost their lives on the first day.

Stanley was remembered by the congregation at Park Church which was attended by his sister and Stanley may have attended Park Institute. His name is recorded on the Trinity Congregational War Memorial – Park Church was a daughter church.

F. G. Butler

Army, Registered War Grave, Royal Berkshire Regiment

F.G. Butler
Private 31180
“C” Company
2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regt.

CIMG2117

 

Division 35
Private Butler died of wounds on 4th May 1918, aged 21 years.  Private Butler is buried in the family grave although his grave is a registered war grave it did not originally have a war pattern headstone.  Number 8368. He was the son of Edward and Clara Butler, of, 11 Weldale Street, Reading.

No details of his service career are known or the circumstances of his injuries are known .

William Charles Bushell

Alfred Sutton School War Memorial, Army, Loos, Royal Berkshire Regiment

William Charles Bushell
Lance Corporal
8th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

Bushell WC photo

William Bushell had attended Newtown Council School before going to the Wokingham Road Senior School.  His parents lived at 37, Amity Road and he was employed at the Reading Biscuit Factory until he enlisted on 5th September 1914.  His father, W. B. Bushell,  was a Private in the 4th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment.

 A letter to his mother was published in the Chronicle 10th September 1915.

“Just to let you know that I have got through my first bit of fighting.  We only had a short spell, going in on Tuesday and out on Thursday evening.  It is rather a curious sensation when the bullets begin to whiz about over your head, and shells burst all round, but it never affected me or the rest of the company.  No one was hit.  We were troubled a great deal with snipers who had dug themselves in during the night.  They started to try and pick us off.  We ‘shut’ two of them up, but two others we were unable to touch.  Aeroplanes were busy over our heads during the evening, and one plane had a hundred shells fired at it, but without result.  It kept cruising about for a good while and the airman never moved any faster when being shelled than before, which says something for our airman’s nerve.  Just before we got to our trenches we passed through the town of __________, and it was a sight I shall never forget.  If only our slackers at home could have seen it, if they had any backbone in them it would have made them enlist.  What used to be a fine church and big houses are reduced to heaps of bricks.  There was not a sound building in the whole place.  There was a lot of small wooden crosses with the names of heroes who had laid down their lives for their country.  The place we were billeted at before we went into the trenches was bombed last night, and two were killed and a few wounded. We expect to go in the trenches again in about three or four days.”

William was with the 8th Battalion on the opening day of the battle of Loos, 25th September 1915. In “Responding to the Call” by John Chapman et al a detailed account of the battle which started September 25th 1915 is given. Training and rehearsals for the battle by the 8th Battalion had included bomb throwing “with live bombs” and preparations were made for the discharge of chlorine gas which the British Army used for the first time, some six months after the Germans first gas attack.

The order to “stand to” had been given at 3.30am and fix bayonets at 6am.  Immediately a bombardment of the enemy trenches began and a release of gas and smoke.  In the copses of La Haie and Bois Carre, in front of the attacking 8th Royal Berkshires and the 10th Gloucesters, the Germans had set up machine guns which caused many casualties in the attack across No Man’s Land.  Eventually the 8th Battalion captured La Haie and had advanced 400 yards from their starting point.  In a second charge the third line, at Gun Trench, was reached by 8.00am and the advance was now 1,200 yards.  The final objective was to be Hulluch village but there was strong German resistance and eventually the 8th Battalion pulled back to form a line in Gun Trench.  By noon of the 26th September the 8th Battalion had had no food since the morning of the 25th and with no water in their bottles they were suffering from thirst.  A ration party sent out on the 27th September lost its way and the battalion was only finally relieved on September 28th.

William Bushell was killed in the action on the first day of the battle, ten days after his letter had been published in the paper.  He has no known grave although in “Responding to the Call” a biography states that a charm found on his body was sent to his parent by his platoon officer.  His name is commemorated on the Loos Memorial to the Missing, Panel 93. He was 20 years old.