William Smith
Private R4/110946
Army Service Corps.
William Smith Lies in a registered war grave with a CWGC headstone. Grave number 10239. He died on 2nd April 1916. There are no other details and it has not been possible to obtain further information due to the limited information supplied in the CWGC register.
Richard Slyfield
298502 Air Mechanic II.
2nd F.T.S. (Duxford)
Division 65 Extension
Richard Slyfield lived at 32 Whitley Street, Reading. He was the son of Mrs. Althea Slyfield and the late John Slyfield. The 1911 census indicates that Althea is the head of the family and that she has five sons. The oldest is George 22, John aged 18, Robert 15, James 13 and Richard the youngest aged 10. The three older brothers are working at the biscuit factory, as a butcher’s assistant and as a milkman respectively. The younger boys are still in school.
Richard died on the 21st January 1921. A picture and account of his funeral was published on February 5th 1921 in the Standard. Pg. 8 He is buried in the cemetery and has a CWGC headstone, grave number 13742. He was aged 19. The author has found no other details relating to his death.
However, a R. Slyfied (assumed to be brother Robert) , a Signaller of the same address is recorded in “Berkshire and the War” as being awarded a Military Medal for bravery. He was at the time with another Signaller, William Ayres, also from Reading who was later commemorated on the War Memorial plaque of the Alfred Sutton School.
The medal was awarded for “mending a telephone line at great risk”, when in action near Contalmaison 11th -14th July 1916. The London Gazette 1/9/1916 records the citation “for good work and bravery”. The work of a signaller was dangerous and vital. Communications when in the front line were often broken and the signaller had the job of effecting repairs under the most trying of circumstances.
Private 27003 James Slyfield 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regt., the brother of Richard Slyfield, died on the 31st July 1917, the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres, on a battlefield that had turned to a sea of mud a result of the combined effects of heavy rain and bombardment by shells. James Slyfield has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres Memorial to the Missing, Menin Gate, Panel 53. Like Richard he was 19 years old when he died.
Charles Francis Simonds
Major 13th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps
Division 45
 |
Charles Francis Simonds was the eldest son of James and Cecilia Simonds, of Redlands House, Reading. James Simonds was already dead when news came that Charles had been killed in action. The Simonds family were a well-known banking family in Reading. Although the bank, Messers. J & C Simonds & Co. had already incorporated with Barclay’s & Co. Ltd. However, the original brass nameplates could still be seen on the door of the Barclay’s bank which is sited opposite the ‘Jacksons’ corner until Barclays vacated the building.
Charles Simonds was educated at Wellington College and Trinity College, Oxford. He served in the South African war as a member of the Berkshire Mounted Infantry and received the Queen’s Medal with four clasps. Charles rejoined the Army in September 1914 leaving his work as a businessman and partner in the Simonds bank. He was gazetted as captain to the Service Battalion of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. and received his majority February 1st 1915, he went to the front in July 1915.
He married Evelyn Hickman, granddaughter of the late Sir Alfred Hickman, in 1907. They had two sons and had their family home at The Crofts, Spencer’s Wood. By the time of CWGC registration Evelyn remarried and taking the name of Fuller and moving to Strattonend, Cirencester.
Charles Simonds was well known in Reading as a sports man, he rode to hounds with the South Berkshire Hunt and was a member of their committee. Charles had rowed at Oxford and in his twenties was a member of the Reading Rowing club, serving a period as Captain when the club was particularly successful.
Charles Simonds had been home on leave only three weeks before his death. On his return to the front Simonds was charged with the planning of a trench raid. This was carried out successfully due to his outstanding organisation. However, during the accompanying bombardment shells fell on the command dugout, which should have been safe from danger, and Charles Simonds and other key officers were killed instantly. A mining party was sent in immediately to dig the place out and eventually after much heavy digging found the bodies which were removed to the unit church hut.
Charles Simonds was killed on 29th June 1916 aged 38. He was buried in Berles-au-Bois Churchyard Extension, Pas de Calais. The unit had been in the village some two months at the time of Simonds death. The grave location is G.5. He is commemorated on the Simonds family grave number 2297, in the Reading Cemetery. Berkshire Family History Society classification 45B1.