Frank Lloyd

Alfred Sutton School War Memorial, Army, Other Regiments, Somme

Frank Lloyd
Private 28670
1st Battalion Kings Shropshire Light Infantry
(formerly 8/11985 Devon Regiment)

It was not until the closing stages of writing the book “The School, the Master, the Boys and the V.C.” that evidence was found to suggest the identity of this soldier. The CWGC web site revealed many F. Lloyds but all lacked family details that would link them to Reading. However, some research carried out on the War Memorial tablet of St. Peter’s Church, Earley, revealed the name Frank Lloyd. Using the Soldiers Died in the Great War a Frank Lloyd, born in Basingstoke and enlisted in Reading was revealed.

More recently, in 2014, with access to Ancestry UK, it has been possible to obtain more information. Frank Lloyd was born 19 December 1899, the son of Frank and Harriet Lloyd. In 1901 the family lived at 24 Sun Street, Reading. Frank senior was a labourer at the biscuit factory. Frank had two sisters Leila aged 2, and Florence Moth, his stepsister aged 8. By 1911 the family had moved to Swansea Road. Frank now had two younger brothers Edgar and George and Florence was no longer living at home. Frank senior was now a labourer in a timber yard. No occupation was given for any of the children so it is assumed that both Leila and Frank at 12 and 11 years were still in school.

Ancestry UK also has military records for Frank Lloyd but although they are with entries for Frank Lloyd junior they are in fact his fathers pension records. Frank senior, attested 28 July 1915 aged 34 as a member of the Royal Berkshire Regiment. The family were then living at 59. Brighton Road. He was discharged as no longer fit for war service on 9 November 1917, he held the rank of sergeant. His papers reveal that daughter Leila was a cripple.  Frank’s military conduct and character were described as very good.

It is  not known when the family moved to Brighton Road but this would certainly have enabled Frank junior to attend the Wokingham Road School and for the family to have worshiped at St. Peter’s Church, Earley.

Frank Lloyd junior was killed in action on 17th October 1918 on the day when the British and American forces began a massive attack along the River Selle north of Le Cateau.  A CWGC search indicated that he was buried in the small Vaux-Andingy British Cemetery, Aisne, which holds sixty graves. The village, which lies between St. Quentin and Le Cateau, was captured in the attack. Originally the cemetery had also held German graves but these were later removed and thirty-five graves from the communal cemetery re-interred there after the Armistice. Frank Lloyd’s grave is located in Row C. 8

Charles Love

Alfred Sutton School War Memorial, Army, Commemorated name/s, Loos, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Somme, St. Batholomew's Church

Charles Love
Sergeant 3435
2nd/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment

Division 59

Charles Love

Charles Love was the youngest son of Mr George  William and Ethel Ann Love of 223. London Rd.   In addition to being  commemorated on the Alfred Sutton Memorial he is also remembered on his parents grave in Division 59 of The Reading Cemetery. He came from a large family with his mother giving birth to twelve children, three  of whom had died. The family were involved in the  trades of decorating and plumbing and George Love ran his own business. Charles was stated in the 1911 census as a house furniture assistant.

The formation of the 2nd/4ths and their time in France until July 1916 can be found in the section relating to Leslie Beard.  Charles Love  joined the battalion in 1914 and would have been involved in the actions previously recorded. It is known that he was  an instructor and lecturer although there is no specific information about this role.  In the weeks leading up to his death Charles Love would have experienced the following events.

Immediately after the unsuccessful trench raid in which Leslie Beard was killed the battalion had to make ready for an attack which was due to take place on July 16th.  The attack was delayed for several days due to poor weather, several men were lost in the intervening period as they were shelled getting into and out of the trenches.  On the morning of the 19th July the British artillery began shelling the German lines to soften them up in readiness for the assault in the evening at 6p.m.  However, the Germans replied with shells of their own which did a great deal of damage in the crowded front line trenches and many men were lost.  Further difficulties were experienced when the men tried to leave the trenches at zero hour via two sally ports and found that the Germans already had machine guns trained on the openings and many men were wounded or killed.  Those who did get through eventually had to fall back because of lack of support and because the German wire was uncut and prevented any forward movement.  Other units which had been involved in the attack, including the Australians, were also unsuccessful.   After this action the battalion was relieved and was not in the front line again until the end of August.  Although all of September and the first half of October was spent in and out of the trenches the battalion history records that there was “little to note.”   On the night of the 14th – 15th October a successful raid was carried out on German trenches by five offices and sixty men.  The men had moved out under the protection of a barrage and two Bangalore torpedoes effectively cut the enemy wire.   They were able to collect a great deal of information and cause a number of casualties among the Germans with only four men injured and one missing.   The battalion then went into training for a month and on their return to the trenches found themselves in the Somme sector at Bouzincourt near Albert from the 19th November.  It was here on the 26th November that they experienced a particularly heavy day of shelling and Charles Love was killed.  Information as to his death comes from various sources including a report in the Reading Chronicle.  He was recorded as “killed in action whilst on patrol” and  “killed instantaneously by a shell”, in these circumstances it would be difficult to retrieve a body and would account for the fact that he has no known grave.  He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing on Pier and Face 11D.  He was aged 21 at the time of his death

William Walter Love & Leonard Noble Love

Army, Commemorated name/s, Dardanelles, Graves, Other Regiments, St. Batholomew's Church, Ypres

William Walter Love M.M.
Sergeant -Major Royal Marine Light Infantry
Royal Naval Division

Leonard Noble Love
Corporal 52805
“B” Battery Royal Horse Artillery

Division 52

Love WW photo Love LN photo

William Walter Love and Leonard Noble Love are commemorated on the grave of their parents, Mary and William Robert Love and also on the St. Bartholomew’s Church memorial.   At the time of their deaths the Love family were living at 49, St. Bartholomew’s Rd. Reading.   The 1901 census indicates that Mr William R. Love, aged 39, was already a widower. William Love’s  widowed mother and sister were living with the family which comprised five children, four boys and one girl at 12, Mancherst Road. WilliamR Love was a carpenter and joiner by trade.

William Walter Love  was described in the 1911 census as a bicycle engineer. He was killed in action on Oct. 26th 1917 aged 23.  He was the third son of Mr. W.R. Love. He had served with the Royal Naval Division throughout the Gallipoli campaign. His death was reported in the Standard November 17th 1917.

The 26th October 1917 marked the beginning of the Second Battle of Passchendaele.  The German front line was hit with shell fire along its length for four days preceding the start of the battle.  Due to the naturally high water table and broken dykes the battlefield was largely a sea of mud.  The Royal Naval Division attacked on the left hand side of the Canadians who were attacking Bellevue Ridge, they gained some ground but with heavy losses.  It is probable that William Walter Love was amongst them.  Serjeant Major Love has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial Panel 1 and 162A.

It has not been possible to find the citation for his Military Medal.

Leonard Noble Love was the second son of Mr. Love.  Leonard served 6 years (8 years in one report) in the regular army. The 1911 census indicates that Leonard Noble Love was born in 1891 and was then aged 20. He was in Z Battery RHA. He was serving in Egypt,Sierra Leone, South Africa and Sudan.

Leonard Noble Love was mentioned in dispatches in Sir Charles Monroe’s Gallipoli dispatch.  A report in the Chronicle 2nd July 1915 was an extract from a letter sent to his father on 11th May 1915.

“I am writing this in a trench with the rain pouring down, hoping that it will soon cease, as it is not very comfortable.  We have been in action since 27th April.  Our troops are making progress in the right direction.  We had rather a big night attack on the 1st May, but things ended up alright in the finish.  Since then we have advanced.  We get very good rations, and plenty of them, which is a great thing, as one always feels better after a good meal.  I am glad to say that the rain did not last long this morning; the weather is perfect.  Things are rather quiet this morning , and have been so for the last two or three days.  There is the usual spasmodic burst of shrapnel and rifle fire.

“I have seen one of the most thrilling sights of my life -that was the bombardment of the forts by the Navy.  For about three days it was like a tremendous thunderstorm.  Buildings were changed into heaps of dust, big guns were dislodged from their mountings, and, to sum up the whole thing, the Turks were ‘none too happy.’   It is a great thing to see the way our infantry behave, and to see them charge is a great sight.

“ I got in rather a tight corner on the night of the 1st May but managed to scrape through all right.  While I am writing there is a howitzer battery engaging a turkish battery, and what I can see they are smashing it up.”

Unfortunately he was killed in action on January  6th 1916,  the day before the last of the army was finally evacuated from Gallipoli. (Chronicle July 21st 1916)  He also has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial Panel 21 and 22.

Mr. Love’s youngest son Lance Corporal Fred Love enlisted  with the Royal Berkshire Regiment served in France from March 1915.