Albert Walter Grant

Other Regiments, Registered War Grave

Albert Walter Grant
Pioneer 231037 Carrier Pigeon Service
Royal Engineers

 Division 76
Extension

 

Albert Walter Grant was the son of Lewis William and Beatrice Grant and husband of Bertha Florence Grant.  His grave is a registered war grave but the headstone is a family memorial.  His story is one which is particularly tragic but in its day not uncommon.  The headstone reveals that both his daughter and wife lie  with him in the same grave.  He had served two years in France returning after demobilisation on the 17th  February 1919.  He was immediately struck down with influenza which developed into pneumonia.  He passed the influenza on to his 2½ year old daughter, Phyllis Mary.  Neither father or daughter survived.  Albert died on the 28th February 1919 and Phyllis  on the 5th March 1919.  The Reading Standard of 8th March 1919 carried an account of  the funeral.

 “The deceased who was only 31 years of age, joined up in Jan 1917 and went to France a month later in the RE Pigeon Service Section.  After serving just over two years he returned from France on February 17th last and took to his bed, from which he never again rose.  Unfortunately his little daughter was stricken with the dread disease, with fatal results, and both were buried together.  Before joining up Mr. Grant was a well known figure in Reading, having been connected with dairy business from his youth.  His one hobby was pigeon racing, and to this he devoted much of his spare time.  He was a member of local pigeon clubs and had won several prizes for the excellence and swiftness of flight of his birds.” 

 Bertha Grant survived her husband and child, living until her 80th Year, she died  in 1961.

Albert Walter Grant, known as Bert was brought up at Battle Farm.  Tragedy struck the family again later in the year 1919 when his brothers wife died aged 33.  Both family graves lie near each other in Division 76.   The grave number of Albert’s grave is 16591.

The 1911 census shows that Albert’s mother was the head of the family and she and her four sons and one daughter were running their dairy farm at Battle Farm, Oxford Road, Reading. This had been the family farm in 1901 when Lewis Grant was also alive.

 

William Frederick Grant

Army, Commemorated name/s, Other Regiments, Passchendaele

William Frederick Grant
Private 48278
8th Battalion  Devonshire Regt.

 Division 69
Extension

Grant WF Rcem famgrave Grant WF mem name

 

William Frederick Grant was the son of  William and Lucy Mary Grant.  He is remembered on of his parents grave.  The inscription states “Fell in Action.”  He was 26.  William Grant has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial Panel 38-40.  He died on 4th October 1917, in action which was officially part of the 2nd phase of the 3rd Battle of Ypres which had started on the 15th September.  For the men involved in the offensive which began along an eight mile front on the morning of 4th October it became known as “Passchendaele“.

 The preparations for the battle had taken place in fine weather but on the 2nd October it started to rain and the rain continued until the end of the month.  The land of Flanders, with its high water table and dykes, became a quagmire and it was virtually impossible to move the guns forward to support the troops.  On the 3rd October the Germans were preparing to attack from their front line above Zonnebeke facing Polygon Wood.  They sent over a severe early morning bombardment.  The British and Australians secretly massing opposite  them were also preparing to go.  The German barrage killed many men but those unharmed kept their nerve.  Just as the Germans sprang their attack a British barrage began and the Australians charged the German line.  The Germans were taken by surprise and those who could fled, there was fierce hand to hand fighting and many prisoners were taken.  The next day William Grant was in the attack north-east of Polygon Wood.  The 8th Devonshire regiment which was fighting along side the Australians reached their objectives but William Grant was killed in action.  The battle was to rage on until the 15th November 1917, through mud and rain and worse, against pill boxes and machine guns until the ridge was finally captured.  The total losses (killed, wounded, missing or made prisoner) amounted to 244.897 British; 8,525 French and approximately 230,000 German. (Martin Marix Evans – Passchendaele 1997)

The 1901 census indicates that William wasthe eldest of six children, he had one brother and four sisters. The children were all of school age. William’s father after whom William was named is described as a Journeyman Butcher, this means that he had completed an apprenticeship and was qualified in his trade; he had been born in Ireland.  Lucy was born in Thatcham and all the children in Reading. The family were living in the Katesgrove district of Reading at 83 Mount Street. By 1911 the family had grownto eight children with five girls and three boys. The three eldest including William were all working at the biscuit factory. William’s father occupation was given as a bacon butcher.

William Frederick Grant was probably commemorated on a Huntley and Palmers War Memorial. However, these seem to have been departmental affairs and the author has not seen a plaque bearing William’s name.

 

Albert Henry Graham

Commemorated name/s, Graves, Other Regiments

Albert Henry Graham
Serjeant Major
Royal Engineers

Division 2 

Albert Henry Graham died on the 11th December 1923.  Although he served during the war and is commemorated on the kerb stones of his grave with the words  “Through War Service”, he died after the “official” cut off date and his name does not appear in the CWGC Register for the Cemetery.  

His death was announced in the paper:-

Graham – On December 11th at the Royal Berks. Hospital – Albert Henry, the devoted husband of Emily Graham, of 30 Amity Rd, Reading age 45.

Rest after pain.

The 1911 census indicates that Henry Graham was a Serjeant in the Royal Engineers and that he and Emily were living at the Gibralta Barracks, Stanhope Lines, Aldershot. Henry and Emily were both 33 years old and they had been married for two years, they had no children at that time. Emily was a native of Reading, Henry had been born in Kent.  No further details are known.