Walter Charles Freeman
Private 7405
2^nd Battalion Essex Regiment

 Division 14

Walter Charles Freeman was the eldest son of Walter and Ann Freeman of 1, The Mount Caversham. His father was a local tailor who ran his business from 105, Oxford Road. His death was extensively reported in the Chronicle April 9^th 1915.  

He died at hospital in Whitechapel from wound received on the 16^th February 1915 .   He was 30 years old.  

Walter had served nearly 12 years in the army before emigrating to Vancouver where he had his own business.  He was in the Army Reserve when the war broke out and was immediately called up he went to the front in September 1914.  Walter had fought in several engagements and had a number of narrow escapes before being wounded.

 He was injured at night by a bullet which passed through his neck and jaw breaking his teeth and coming out just below his eye bone.  After being I hospital in France for a couple of weeks he was transferred to London.  Everything possible was done for him but from the first his injuries were of such a serious nature and he eventually died of septic poisoning. 

Walter had been educated at the British School, Southampton Street. He was well liked and very popular with his comrades in the Regiment.  In the trenches he was described as jovial and brave.   

He was buried with full military honours.  One hundred soldiers of the 8^th Berkshire Regiment were in attendance and they provided a firing party that followed the cortege in procession.  Three volleys were sounded over the grave and the “Last Post” was played. 

 The brother of Walter Freeman,  H.G. Freeman of the King’s Liverpool Regt. was notified as wounded, no other information has been obtained.

Ernest Leyton Francis
Private 513175
London Scottish

Division 27

Ernest Leyton Francis was the second son of Mr and Mrs Earnest Francis of Fir Croft, Southcote Rd. Reading.  He was a chartered accountant and had enlisted under Lord Derby’s scheme in November 1915 joining up in February 1916. 

E.L. Francis served abroad from June 1916 –  five months in France, seven months in Macedonia and six months in Palestine until  May 1918.  Whilst in Palestine he was in the fighting at Beersheba, and was with the first troops to enter Jerusalem.   Wounded at
Es Salt, on the furthest side of the River Jordon, on May 1st 1918, he was taken to Egypt, where he remained in hospital for a time.  He was evacuated to England returning on October 18th 1918 and admitted to the  Napsbury War Hospital.  Greatly enfeebled by the hardships he had previously  undergone, he fell an easy victim to the prevailing influenza epidemic and later died of pneumonia. 

Arrangements were made for his remains to be brought home for interment in Reading Cemetery in the family grave.  Brief details are to be found in the CWGC register but this investigation has found that the details as to the location of the grave are incorrect.  He is buried in his family grave umber 11315 in Division 27 not grave number 16515 Division 80. Newspaper reports of the time comment that he was “deeply mourned by all his friends, by whom he was highly respected and esteemed for his high principles and Christian character”.  E. L. Francis was interred 14th Nov. 1918, he was 24.