George Abery

32nd or 35th Div. Signal Co. RE, Alfred Sutton School War Memorial, Army, Passchendaele

George Abery
Driver 69183
35th Signal Company Royal Engineers

ABERY G

George had seen twenty three months of active service when he died of wounds on November 29th 1917, he was nineteen years old.  His unit was the 35th Signal Company of the Royal Engineers.  This unit was raised in Reading and was held in high esteem by the town.  George was the son of Mr and Mrs W. Abery of 54, De Beauvoir Road, Reading.  He is buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Westvleteren, Poperinge West-Vlaanderen Belgium.  Grave XV. E. 12. 

Poperinge was used by troops for rest and relaxation from the Ypres battle front.  Casualties from the front would pass through the area on the way to trains and home to “Blighty”.  Dozinghem was one of a trio of cemeteries, the other two being Bandagem and Mendingham, named by British troops to  sound like local Flemish names, which served the casualty clearing stations and field hospitals around Proven which was the British Army rail centre.  We do not know exactly the extent of the wounds George received but about the time he was injured one of the worst battles of the whole war was taking place at Passchendaele.  For over three years, the Germans held the ridge, until, on November 6th 1917, the rubble which had once been the village was captured by the Canadian Corps.   Many of his colleagues from the school were less lucky and had no known graves, instead they are commemorated on the walls of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing on Passchendaele ridge which is on the site of the largest Commonwealth Military cemetery any where in the world, Tyne Cot British Military Cemetery.

Serjeant R. John Brill

Army, Other Regiments, Reading Blue Coat School, Registered War Grave, Royal Berkshire Regiment

Sergeant. R. John Brill
3461 2nd/4th Royal Berkshire Regt.
transferred to (224543) 251st Div.,
Employment Coy., Labour Corps. 

Division 17 

 BRILL RJ  CIMG2189

 

 John Brill, was the son of Frederick William and Ruth Brill, 76, Sherman Road, Reading.   He died 9th June 1918 of wounds received on March 21st 1918, aged 25 years.   His parents may have referred to him as “Reg”.  A relation, Jan Brown,  who has contacted the site states that his name was actually Reginald Jessie Brill.

Sergeant Brill was wounded in action loosing his right leg, the other was also hit.   A native of Reading R J  Brill joined up when war started, prior to this he worked for Messers. Bradley and Bliss.  He saw over two years service in France.  Educated at St. Giles school and the Bluecoat School.  An active member of the A.O.F., being associated with  the Court of Sherwood Forest and was a member of the Spring Garden (Prize) Band.  He was buried with full military honours.

 The grave number is 17. 3555 and is marked with a CWGC war pattern headstone and kerb stone surrounds. 

Sergeant Brill had two brothers.  They are not commemorated on his grave but information about them was obtained from the newspapers of the time.

BRILL AV

 L.Corpl., 15256, Albert Victor Brill had been employed by Phoenix insurance prior to the war.  He eventually reached the rank of Company Quarter Master Sergeant.  He  survived the war to later marry and have two sons.  He was wounded at least three times, once during the Battle of Loos. He died in 1949.

BRILL WALTER

 Pte. 12854, Walter Ernest Brill, the 3rd son, was a stretcher bearer in 6th Royal Berkshire Regt.  He was killed in Action  19th July 1916  Aged 23 years.  A  letter from an officer was published in the Reading Standard September 2nd 1916

 “I cannot tell you exactly where your son met his death.  He was engaged in carrying a wounded man to the rear when a shell struck the stretcher and your son was killed instantly.  I can vouch for this, as he was seen by a runner who was afterwards wounded, and I received the news from several men in the company that it occurred on July 19th in _____Wood.  No one in the magnificent battalion did better than he as a stretcher-bearer.  You have my sincerest regrets for the loss of your boy”.

The death of Frederick William Brill (father of the Brill boys) after a short illness – aged 54 years, was notified in the Reading Standard September 27th 1919. William Brill had worked in the Huntley and Palmers Biscuit Factory. In the 1911 census return, he described his occupation as “Biscuit factory shooting off biscuits”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Aldridge

Army, Other Regiments, Registered War Grave

Robert Aldridge
Private 87384
35th Company Millbank
Royal Army Medical Corps

Division 46

Aldridge pic  CIMG2204

Robert Aldridge is buried in a registered war grave with a CWGC war pattern headstone., number 5681. His tragic death, at the age of 38, at the hands of a patient was reported widely in the papers.

Mercury December 14 1918

“Private Aldridge was shot by Lieutenant Sidney Hume of the RAF and a patient at Latchmere House Military Hospital. Lieutenant Hume was repatriated in August and had been a patient since then. Hume was suffering from delusions. He alleged that he had been hypnotised by German doctors and that they had experimented upon him. He also said that hypnotism was going on at Latchmere. He had improved and his people were anxious for him to home. This was done several times with family taking and bringing him back. Three weeks ago the delusions became strongly marked  and he was placed under constant observation. The hospital was not aware that a revolver was in the institution. A verdict of ‘Wilful murder’ was returned. Private Aldridge was an orderly at Latchmere and formerly a porter at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.”

Aldridge article