Category Archives: Army

Frank Griffin

Army, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Passchendaele

Frank Griffin
Lance Corporal PLY/1800(S) (Plymouth Battalion?)
Royal Marine Light Infantry

Division 38

Griffin F photo

 

Frank Griffin was the son of Cornelius and Annie Griffin, of 53, Mount Pleasant, Reading; and husband of Ethel Annie Griffin, of 45 Highgrove Street, Reading.  Frank Griffin died leaving a small daughter called Doris.  He is commemorated on the kerbs of the family grave. Frank was killed in action on 26th October 1917, aged 32. 

 The 26th October 1917 was the first day of what came to be known as the Second Battle of Passchendaele.   On this day the British and their allies improved their positions from Passchendaele to Poelcapelle.   Matrix tells us that the attack began at 5.40am.  On either side of the Menin road the British 7th and 5th Divisions were frustrated by marshes.  The Australians and Canadians took their objectives moving off in a mist that became a heavy rain as the day progressed.  The Canadians had 70% casualties.  Poelcapelle means church in the bog and it was in a bog that the British fought.  Several days later New Zealand troops came upon the remains of the Northumberland Fusiliers and Durham Light infantry lying in rows where they had been mown down by German machine guns as they had made their advance on the first day of the battle.

 Frank Griffin is buried in Poelcapelle British Cemetery. Location XVI. F. 10 

This cemetery was made after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from other cemeteries and from the battlefields.  The great majority of the dead fell in the last five months of 1917, particularly the month of October.

The 1911 census shows us that Frank, now aged 26, was as yet unmarried. He was living wth his parents and other brothers at 3 Mount Pleasant, Silver Street. His father and olderbrother Henry worked at the biscuit factory, Frank and his younger brother Edward were house painters and his brother Ernest was a butcher. Another brother, Albert was not living at home.

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.

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.