Category Archives: Army

Hereward Pattision Sadler

Army, Commemorated name/s, Reading School War Memorial, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme

Hereward Pattison Sadler
Second Lieutenant
6th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

Divison 64
Extension

Sadler HP photo

Hereward Pattison Sadler,  was the only son of William and Jane Sadler, of ‘Oakdene’ 4, Hillside Gardens, Wallington, Surrey, late ‘Plassey’, Holmes Road, Reading. 

The 1911 census indicates that the family had also lived at 42, Hamilton Road. William Sadler was then the head teacher of an elementary school, sister Ethel is recorded as a teacher for the County council her father for the Borough council.  Hereward was still at school.  An elder sister not living at home in 1911 is recorded as a teacher in 1901 census.

Hereward  died of wounds on 19th July 1916, aged 20. This is the day that the battalion was making an attack on on the village of Longueval and Delville Wood, part of the Somme offensive. Many men in the battalion were killed in the bloody battle by artillery and machine gun fire. It is possible that Hereward Sadler was injured and removed to a place of safety rather than being killed immediately during the action. The wood became known as ‘Devil’s wood’ by the men who fought there.  Another Reading man, Samuel Robert Collier who is also remembered in the Old Reading Cemetery was in the same battalion and lost his life in the fighting.


Hereward Sadler  is buried in the Carnoy Military Cemetery.  Location K. 32

William Frederick Rogers

Army, Canadian, Other Regiments, RFC / RAF

William Frederick Rogers
Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps

Division 67
Extension

Rogers WF photo  CIMG2146

William Frederick Rogers was the son of Mr and Mrs Rogers of 65, Swainstone Road, Reading.  Both his parents were dead, his father for many years, before the death of William. His mother, Hannah Rogers died 28th February 1912, aged 52.  Lieutenant Rogers is buried with his mother in the Reading Cemetery the grave number is 15645. He is remembered as a dear brother. The lettering is very indistinct and currently the grave is not listed among the registered war graves for the cemetery.

William Rogers was born at Henley-on-Thames his family moved to Reading when he was about fourteen.  William lived in Reading for five years before emigrating to Canada where he became an engineer, later he moved to the USA where he took up motor-cycle riding. Rogers returned to England in November 1914 and joined a Canadian Regiment in London.  Later he was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, in which he obtained his commission, initially as a Sub-Lieutenant although he very quickly rose to a full Lieutenant when his abilities were realised.  He held his pilot’s certificate three to four weeks before he died and was regarded as one of the best pilots in his squad.

Details of the death of Lieutenant Rogers were given in an article published in the Reading Chronicle on 7th January 1916.  William was aged 24 when he was killed in a flying accident whilst flying at Fort Grange, Gosport, on 28th December 1915.  The article gives details of the accident in which William Rogers lost his life:

“Lieutenant Rogers was making a flight with a new Curtiss machine when he was killed.  The machine, which was at a low altitude, being no more than 150 feet up, was seen making a nose dive to earth, and it fell heavily, burying its fore-part in the ground.  Help was quickly at hand and Lieut. Rogers was found in his machine unconscious.  He was taken out of it, but death had taken place before the doctor’s arrival.  Immediately the deceased commenced the flight it was observed that he was not comfortable in the machine, and it is said that he turned it when too near the ground.  At the inquest which was held a verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.”

The body of William Rogers was brought by train from Gosport accompanied by many of his fellow officers.   At the railway station the funeral cortège was met by relations and friends.   The coffin was covered with a Union Jack and the mourners then walked in procession to the Reading Cemetery.  The funeral service was held in the cemetery chapel and as William Rogers was interred the 3/4th  Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment provided a firing party.

The paper lists the mourners as:

“ Mrs Mable Rogers (sister) Mr and Mrs Charles Rogers (brother and sister-in-law), Mr Gilbert Rogers, Mr Harold Rogers and Mr Frank Rogers (brothers), Mrs Beaumont of Bromley (aunt), Mr Harvey (cousin)……Brigadier-General J.S.A, Higgins, D.S.O. (commanding officer of the 2nd Brigade Royal Flying Corps, Gosport, Lieut.-Colonel J.H.W. Beck (Commanding 7th Wing, RFC, Gosport), officers of 7th Wing and NCO’s and mechanics of the 23rd Squad RFC.”

 Initial searches of the CWGC website provided no information about W F Rogers however, brief details were found on 5th April 2002.   The information gives only his name, rank and date of death and an indication that Lieutenant Rogers is commemorated on the UK Memorial.  The author has communicated with the CWGC to have his burial place registered officially. It is known that in due course a war pattern headstone is to be erected.

Samuel Robert Collier

Abbey Baptist Church, Army, Commemorated name/s, Marlborough House School, Reading University College, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme

Samuel Robert Collier (Bob)
Second Lieutenant
6th Royal Berkshire Regiment

 Division 14

 Collier SR photo  CIMG2160 CIMG2161

Samuel Robert Collier known as Bob and commemorated as such on his parents headstone was 23 years old when he was first reported in the Chronicle of 4 August 1916, missing believed killed.  He was the only son of Mr and Mrs S. George Collier, of 198, Tilehurst Road, Reading. 

He was educated at Marlborough House, Reading, and Bath College.  On leaving college he entered Messrs. S. and E. Collier’s Brick and Pottery Works, of which his father was a director.  While at Bath college he was in the Cadet Corps for three years and on leaving became Scout Master of the King’s Road Boy Scouts for four years. 

At the outbreak of war he entered the Berkshire Yeomanry, but later received a commission in the 9th Berkshire Regiment, quartered at Wool.  For four months he acted as transport officer for the regiment, and gave it up to take his examinations at Salisbury Plain, and on June 16 1916 he left for France to join a service battalion of the Berkshires, acting as transport officer till July 15, when he took the post of platoon commander, when the usual transport officer returned from hospital.  He  went into action on July 17 in Delville Wood on the Somme and  was not seen after that date.

 His Captain N. B. Hudson wrote to his parents. “At about 3.30pm I saw your boy lead off his platoon against the enemy in the wood, some of his platoon came back, but I can get no information from them, save that one man told me ( I am afraid this all seems very cruel; but I think you would like me to say all I can) that he had seen an officer’s body lying in the wood, wearing riding breeches and stocking putties, and these I know were the clothes your boy was wearing.  There is only one piece of hope that I think it is right to offer you, and that is no one saw him killed, but in a wood one sees very little.  We have come back 30 miles from the scene of the action now.  From dawn on the 17 until 3.30 p.m. your boy was with me, and showed great coolness under very trying conditions.  At 3.30 p.m. he led his platoon through the wood on the right of the company, while I took the left.  I did not see him anymore.  All I can hope is that you have heard something I have not.  This I can say, that although your boy had only been in my company for two days, I saw in him during the action a fearless and courageous man, whom I felt I could trust.”

 Delville Wood was referred to by the troops as Devils Wood.  Bob Collier’s body was never found and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing Pier and Face 11D