Category Archives: Battlefield Areas

Alfred Leadbetter

Army, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Somme

Alfred Leadbetter
Sergeant 7023
1st Hampshire Regt.

Division 82
Extension

Leadbetter A photo Leadbetter A Rcem com

Alfred Leadbetter  was the son of John and Sarah Leadbetter, of Stratfield Turgis, Basingstoke.  He was the husband of Annie Maria Chambers (formerly Leadbetter) of 37, Amity Road, Reading.   He is commemorated on his son’s grave, number not yet known *.

Alfred Leadbetter was killed in action on the 1st July 1916.  This was the first day of the Somme Battle. Martin Middlebrook in “The First Day on the Somme” states ‘Every battalion was supposed to enter a daily account of its activities in its War Diary, this becoming the official record.  The 1st Hampshires suffered so severely that no one could be found at the end of the day to describe, reliably, what had happened.  Its War Diary entry for 1 July reads:

Our casualties in officers amounted to 100% and was also heavy in other ranks. (Public Record Office WO95/1495)’

That was all that could be found to describe the battle in which the Hampshires lost twenty-six officers and 559 men.  The destruction of the battalion was so complete nothing was known of what really happened to it.  Among the total was Alfred Leadbetter who has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing Pier and Face 7B and 7C.

Frederick John Knott

Army, Arras, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments

Frederick John Thomas Knott
Private 31609
63rd Company Machine Gun Corps.

Division 9

KNOTT F MGC  CIMG2155CIMG2156

 

Frederick Knott is commemorated on a his family’s grave number 9931.  He was the son of Frederick and Harriet Knott who lived at 4, Fulham Road, Reading.  The 1911 census indicates that he was the eldest of seven children, he had a younger brother and five sisters. Frederick Knott was killed on 23rd April 1917, aged 19.  

 Frederick Knott has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial Panel 10.  The Arras Memorial bears the names of 35,000 casualties who died between Spring 1916 and 7th August 1918 and who have no known graves.

 The exact circumstances of his death are unknown but the Battle of Arras began on 9th April 1917 and the 23rd April 1917 was the start of the second phase, with the British attacking north and south of the River Scarpe.  The early stages involved the capture of Vimy Ridge and the village vantage point of Monchy-le-Preux.   The second stage continued the steady pressure towards the east and Cambrai with heavy fighting around Gavrelle and Oppy Wood.

John (Jack) Bright

Army, Commemorated name/s, Dardanelles, Other Regiments

John Bright
Private PO/658 (S)
Portsmouth Battalion Royal Marine Light Infantry

Division 11

Bright John photo  CIMG2087

 

John Bright is commemorated on a small “Book” memorial, together with his father and mother.  The grave number is 9389 and the Berkshire Family History Society classification 11____.  He was the second son and his parents Samuel and Emily Bright lived at 60, Elgar Road.  He had two younger sisters. Private Bright enlisted in October 1914; prior to the war he had been employed by S. & E. Collier as a Burner, his father was a foreman at the brickworks.  He was educated at Katesgrove and Central Schools.  Known as Jack, he was well known in the local swimming world and won, two years in succession, the Palmer Challenge Cup, open to those who attending local elementary schools.  He was married at Christmas 1914.

Jack had been in the Dardanelles since February 1915 and had been shot in the arm on the 3rd May, but recovered quickly and went back into line. Various ages are given in the sources researched.  He was about 26 and due to have a birthday in November.   It was several weeks before he was officially confirmed as killed in action.  He was originally posted as missing on July 13th 1915.  Inquiries were made by his parents and wife which eventually yielded the information that he had been killed in action.  The exact circumstances of his death follow.

The Standard of 19th November 1915 published a letter from Lady Agnes Peel, Honorary Secretary of the Royal Naval Inquiry Bureau, Alexandria.  Writing to his wife Mrs. Bright nee Hart, of 42, Surrey Road, Reading the letter was as follows:

“I deeply regret to inform you that the following account was given to one of our visitors in hospital of the action of July 13th, in which your husband, John Bright, P.O./S. 658, Portsmouth Battalion, was reported missing: By Private Wain, of the same battalion.  Wain said that on 13th July he and Bright were lying down in the open preparatory to an advance.  Bright was the fourth man on Wain’s left.  Bright received a shrapnel wound in the back which killed him instantly.  The Portsmouth Battalion retired temporarily from the spot, but re-occupied it in a few hours.  Bright was buried by the pioneers.  As you will understand, this is not official information, and it may be some time before it is officially reported.  But there is, I am afraid, no reason to doubt the truth of Private Wain’s statement.  I thought it better to tell you of it.  Please accept sincere sympathy in your great trouble.”

The torturous Dardanelles campaign was a war of attrition that took place in phenomenal heat and was accompanied by plagues of flies.  The aim being to break the will of the defenders or throw the invaders off the peninsula.  Eventually, after the loss of over 100,000 men including those from Australian and New Zealand, the Gallipoli peninsular was successfully evacuated during December and the early days of January 1916.  The withdrawal was as silent as it was secretive, only a handful of men manned the trenches to maintain the appearance that all was as it had been. Success was measured by the fact that only two men were injured during the withdrawal.

Having no known grave, Private Bright is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey. Panel 2-7.