Category Archives: Somme

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.

Edward William Hunt & Sidney Richard Hunt

Army, Canadian, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Somme, Y.M.C.A., Ypres

E.W.Hunt
Rifleman 2216
The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regt.) also Queen’s Westminster Rifles 

Hunt EW photo

Edward William Hunt lived at 74, South Street, Reading. His father was a grocer and he had an elder brother and three sisters. Edward died of wounds on 14th March 1915.  He is buried in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres.  Location IX. C. 41.   His grave is just a few yards away from that of Leslie Thomson who is also commemorated in the Reading Cemetery.

Rifleman Hunt was an old boy of Reading Collegiate School.  He was employed at Liberty’s, London as an apprentice draper but joined up at the outbreak of war and was sent to the front in November 1914.  The Standard 23rd March 1915, printed a letter from a friend which explained how Edward Hunt met his death.  He was employed in sniping operations on the morning of his death.  He had three more rounds to fire when he was shot.  He was buried the following day.

Sidney  Richard Hunt
Private 227059
54th Battalion Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regt.)

 Sidney Richard Hunt was the elder brother of Edward William Hunt. The 1911 census indicates that he was seven years older than Edward.  Sidney was a grocers assistant, presumably in his fathers shop. It is not known when he went to Canada.

He died on 16th October 1918 and is buried in Sauchy-Cauchy Communal Cemetery Extension, Location B. I.  The village of Sauchy-Cauchy was captured by the 56th (London) Division on the 27th September 1918.  The Communal Cemetery Extension was made by the division in September and October, 1918.  After the Armistice graves were brought in from the German Extension and battle fields.  Exact details about the death of Sidney Richard Hunt are not known.

Note: The names of these two men were noted when the Berkshire Family History Society chronicled the monument inscriptions in the Reading Cemetery in the 1990’s.  When the author tried to find the names only the family headstone could be found.  The body of the grave has sunk and kerbs have been removed. The grave number is 12484; BFHS classification is 66A9

Roland Basil Howell & Norman Asquith Howell

Army, Commemorated name/s, Loos, Other Regiments, Reading School War Memorial, Reading University College, Somme

Roland Basil Howell
2nd Lieut. 6th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.

Norman Asquith Howell
2nd Lieut. 4th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment

Division 78

The Howell brothers were the sons of William Roland Howell and Louisa Margaret Howell, of “Heronden”, Cintra Avenue, Reading.  W. Roland Howell was a well known architect at the time.   The boys are commemorated on their parents grave, number 15603.

Howell RB photo Howell NA photo

Roland Basil Howell  was educated at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate and volunteered for service in August 1914.  He was reported wounded and missing on 2nd October 1915, during the Battle of Loos.  He was aged 20.  His body was never found and his name is recorded on the Loos memorial, panel 103 to 105. Roland is commemorated on the University College memorial.

Norman Asquith Howell  was killed in action on the 23rd December 1916, aged 19.  He is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Flers, Somme.   The cemetery was started in November 1916 by Australians who were posted in nearby caves until February 1917.  The cemetery was greatly enlarged after the Armistice with graves from the battlefields.  It is likely, given the location, III. M. I. that Norman Howell was buried here sometime well after his death.

The Battle of the Somme was officially considered over in November  however, heavy fighting did continue for some time in the region of Flers.  A bitterly cold winter was also starting to set in and that Christmas was destined to be an uncomfortable one in the trenches with no hope of any truce or informal “live and let live” that had been the case at Christmas time at the beginning of the war.

Both Howell brothers are commemorated on the Reading School War Memorial.