Category Archives: Army

David James Davies

Abbey Baptist Church, Army, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Reading School War Memorial, Ypres

David James Davies
Second Lieutenant
Machine Gun Corps attached to “C” Battalion Tank Corps.

Division 13

Davies DJ photo

David James Davies was the son of Mr Walter and Mrs Florence Esther Davies of 32. Market Place, Reading.  It was from that address that Walter Davies ran his shop selling china and glass. In 1911 David was 13 and still at school. HIs older sister Ester Madeline is described as working part time in the shop and part time as a student. David’s oldest sister Florence was not living with the family in 1911.  He was commemorated on a his family’s grave. 

 The Third Battle of Ypres began on 31st July 1917.  A bombardment had begun fifteen days earlier and over four million shells had been fired.  (One million had been fired prior to the Battle of the Somme).  At 3.50a.m. the assaulting troops of the Second and Fifth Armies, with a portion of the French First Army lending support on the left, moved forward, accompanied by 136 tanks.  The Tank Corps was only four days old.  Previously it had been known as the Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps, a name adopted for purposes of secrecy at their formation.  Preparations for the battle had taken place in dry weather but on the first day the weather broke and three-quarters of an inch (21.7mm) of rain soaked the battlefield.  Men and tanks moved forward behind the creeping barrage over ground churned and cratered by years of shelling.  The surface was softened by the rain but, for all that only two tanks bogged down at the commencement of battle although many ditched later.  A map was prepared by Major Fuller, Staff Intelligence Officer of the Tanks, of the ground over which the tanks were expected to attack.   Where he expected the ground to be marshy, he coloured the area blue.  What he saw appalled him, it was three-quarters of the battlefield.  He sent the maps to Haig’s GHQ so that the Commander in Chief could judge conditions for himself.  However, the map was intercepted by Charteris who refused to show it to the Commander in Chief on the grounds that it would depress him.  Only 48% of the tanks reached their first objective.  Although there was some progress in the early part of the day by late morning the familiar breakdown in communications between infantry and guns occurred.  At two in the afternoon the Germans began to counter attack with a heavy shelling and this together with the heavy rain turned the battle field into soupy mud.  A halt to the offensive was called until the 4th August.  However, Haig insisted that the attack had been “highly satisfactory and the losses slight”.  By comparison with the Somme, when 20,000 men had died on the opening day, only about 8,800 men were reported dead or missing.  The total wounded, including those of the French Army, numbered 35,000, the Germans suffered a similar number.  However, the Germans remained in command of the vital ground and committed none of their counter attack divisions.  Prince Rupprecht , in his diary recorded that he was “very satisfied with the results”.

 It is not known exactly when and where David James Davies was killed in command of his tank but it was struck by a shell on the opening day of the battle.  David Davies had no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Panel 56.  He was aged 20.

Charles Frederick Denman Cook

Army, New Zealand, Registered War Grave

Charles Frederick Denman Cook D.S.O.
Lieutenant Colonel 1st Battalion Wellington Regiment.
New Zealand Expeditionary Force

 Division 67
Extension

CFD Cook DSO CFDCook grave

Charles Frederick Denman Cook was the son of  Professor C.H.H. Cook MA of Christchurch New Zealand (one time Fellow of St. Johns College Cambridge) and nephew of T.J. Peacock, “Calderwood”, Caversham.  Born in 1883, Charles  was an Master of Art with First Class in Classics with Honours, and LL.B.   His mother was Mrs E.D. Cook of Marton, Marton was Charles last address. 

Initially a member of the New Zealand Territorial force he joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in August 1914 with the rank of Captain. As part of the ‘Main Body’, that is the first contingent of men who were to serve with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, he reached Egypt on 3rd December 1914.   He saw active service in Egypt, Gallipoli and France. 

 Whilst still a Major, Charles Cook  was mentioned in dispatches in February 1916 (research from Phil Lascelles states London Gazette 28th January page1207) the citation states ‘in connection with operations described in General L. Hamiltion’s despatch dated 11th December 1915’; and again in March 1917 London Gazette 1st June 1917 p5429, Record 683 ‘For continuous devotion to duty and gallantry in the Field.  He has been on active service since the outbreak of war, filling many positions of importance including temporary Command of a Battalion,  he has constantly discharged his duties in a most conscientious and efficient manner.  He has taken part in practically all the operations in which the Division has been engaged, in Gallipoli and in France, and in action has always displayed keen judgement and the utmost coolness and bravery, especially during the period 21st September  1916 to 26th February 1917.’   Subsequently he was invested by the King with the DSO – Distinguished Service Order.  The citation was for ‘distinguished service in the field’. London Gazette 4th June 1917.  Cook became a Lieutenant Colonel  on 15th March 1915

 On 21st November 1917 Charles F. D. Cook married Miss Agneta Mary Haynes of 11. Victoria Square, Reading.  

CFDCook marriage

Miss Haynes had been on the staff of St. Luke’s V.A.D. hospital for some time, and “ the liveliest interest was aroused in the wedding by the staff and patients, the latter forming a guard of honour at the church, whilst members of staff were presented at the ceremony.  Wounded Soldiers formed an arch of crutches at a wedding.  There was a very large number of the general public, and the approaches to the church were thronged…….The patients at St Luke’s Hospital presented Miss Haynes with a New Zealand badge made into a sofa cushion cover, and the staff’s gift consisted of silver tea knives.  In the evening the patients had a whist drive with refreshments and wedding cake in honour of the event”. (Reading Standard 24th November 1917)

CFDCook funeral

 Lieut.-Col C.F.D. Cook died on May 2nd 1918 of cerebro-spinal meningitis, contracted on active service, at Neatley Hospital, Portsmouth.  He was buried on May 4th and was given  an impressive military  funeral.  His is a registered war grave, number16436.  The Memorial was erected by men of his unit.  His wife Agneta is buried with him as is his brother whom Agneta later married.

 

The grave also states “ IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR BROTHER LIEUTENANT IN THE 8TH BATTALION ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT”. This refers to the brother of Agneta, WILLIAM GRAY HAYNES who died on Saturday, 25th September 1915. Age 24.  He is buried at
BOIS-CARRE MILITARY CEMETERY, HAISNES, Pas de Calais, France.  Location A. 19.

Arthur Frederick Cude and Albert Stanley Cude

Army, Commemorated name/s, Dardanelles, Other Regiments, Reading Blue Coat School, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme

Arthur Frederick Cude
Private 2929
1st/4th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

Division 21

Cude AC photo  CIMG2001

 

Arthur Frederick Cude  was the son of Mrs. Ellen Cude, of 142, Wilson Road,  Reading.  He was killed in action on the 16th May1916, aged 19. It is believed that Arthur Cude lost his life in the attack set out below:

“In May, the 1st/4th’s took over “G” sector, an area of unfamiliar and difficult ground near Tourvent farm on the outskirts of Serre.  The ground was badly cut up with old trenches and shell holes and littered with bones from the fighting in June 1915.  The communications trench was 1½ miles long and in a very poor state.  Rations had to be brought up from Hébuterne.  The front line was itself a salient which projected towards the strong German defence system around Serre.  The line was defended with some difficulty using an arrangement of disconnected outposts.  At 12.30 a.m. on the morning of 16th May a raid took place.  The Germans had opened a violent bombardment on another sector around midnight on the left of the 48th Division.  The guns of the 48th division responded to a false SOS and the Germans, after registering on the division guns, then directed heavy fire at the batteries.  Across a frontage of 600 yards two platoons of the 1st/4th’s manned seven detached posts.  The bombardment lasted half an hour and was directed at the front and supervision lines.  At 1 a.m. the bombardment shifted to the support and reserve trenches with shells falling at a rate of a hundred per minute.  “B” company in their outposts were over powered and half a supporting platoon of “A” company were destroyed in the bombardment.  When the Germans finally made their attack the outposts were in such disarray that they managed to get in behind and attack the Berkshires from the rear.  The attack, continued by German infantry until 1.40a.m. along different parts of the salient, and the bombardment went on all night until it stopped at dawn.  Losses numbered 98, 18 killed and 29 missing, later most were reported as prisoners of war.  ‘B’ company lost half its fighting strength. This was the first serious test for the 1st/4th’s and their endurance, discipline and fighting spirit were praised by the Divisional and Corps Commanders”. 

(From Petre Official HistoryVolume III)

Arthur Cude is buried  Hebuterne Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.  Grave location Plot I Row C 4.

 

Albert Stanley Cude
Corporal 9883
10th  Battalion Hampshire Regiment

 

Cude AS photo dbImage[1]

Albert Stanley Cude was the son of Mrs. Ellen Cude, of 142, Wilson Road,  Reading.  He died of wounds on 12th August 1915, aged 20.  Albert Cude is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.  Panels 125-134 or 223-226, 228-229 7 328.

 The Helles Memorial stand on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula.  It takes the form of an obelisk over 30 meters high that can be seen by shipping passing through the Dardanelles.  It carries over 20,000 names of those who died during the Gallipoli campaign whose graves are unknown or who were lost or buried at sea in Gallipoli waters. 

 The British had successfully landed at Sulva Bay on the 6th August 1915, ready to attack with the Anzac force.  In the very hot weather an attack took place the following day and further attacks took place over the following five days with very heavy losses.   It is not known how Albert Cude was wounded or whether he died of wounds and his body was lost, or  he was buried and his grave lost, or if he died whilst being evacuated and was buried at sea.

The brothers are commemorated on the grave of their parents in the Old Reading Cemetery.  Stanley is remembered on the Blue Coat School Memorial.