200560 Pte Frank W Earley, 1/4th Bn Royal Berks Regt

200560 Private Frank Washbourne Earley, 1/4th Bn Royal Berkshire Regiment, died in Italy on the 13th June 1918. He is buried in the Montecchio Precalcino Communal Cemetery Extension which is situated in the Italian Province of Vicenza.

Frank Earley joined the Royal Berks Regiment in late August or early September 1914. His original number was 2670, and he arrived overseas in France on the 30th March 1915. His service record does not survive but he almost certainly died as a result of sickness or disease.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

220394 Pte William Gladdis, 1st Bn, Royal Berkshire Regiment

Four hundred and eighty-nine British Army officers and men died on the 6th April 1918. 220394 Private William Gladdis of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, died in France on this day. He was a Hampshire man, born on the Isle of Wight and attesting there in December 1915. He was 19 years old and a licensed hawker by trade. He gave his address as 4 Castle Road, Cowes.

It wasn't until 16th March 1917 that William was called up. He initially joined a battalion of the Hampshire Regiment - number 243195 - transferred to the 1/5th Lincolnshire Regiment, and then transferred again to the Royal Berks in July 1917. He is buried in the Le Cateau Military Cemetery.

William's service record records that he was killed in action on the 23rd March 1918. This is at odds however, with the information on Soldiers Died in The Great War and The Commonwealth War Graves Commission and it is the latter which I am using as my reference.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC, WO 363)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

18154 L/Cpl Herbert Skingley, 1st Bn, Royal Berks

18154 Lance-Corporal Herbert Skingley of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, died on the 27th March 1917. Herbert, 29 years old at the time of his death, enlisted at Chelmsford, Essex and was living in the nearby village of Highwood at the time. His number dates to May 1915 and he arrived in France on the 16th of December that year.

Herbert's 1915 Star was originally issued in the name of SKINGSLEY but was returned and re-issued in May 1920. He was the son of George and Martha Skingley and is buried in St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen. It appears likely that he died in a hospital in Rouen, probably as a result of sickness.

There are three Skingley men on the war memorial at the parish church of St Paul in Highwood. Essex. I know this to be so because I took a ride out there this morning. I picked Herbert's name completely at random today and it was just pure coincidence that he happens to have lived a couple of miles from where I am currently staying. This being the case, I thought the least I could do would be to visit his local church and try and find him - on this, the 93rd anniversary of his death.

The war memorial at St Paul's is a wooden one, probably modern, and commemorates eleven men of the parish who died during the 1914-1918 war. The Skingley men are given only one initial each: H, E and W.

W Skingley is 250892 Private William Stephen Skingley who died of wounds on the 4th November 1917 whilst serving with the 5th Battalion, The Essex Regiment. His number indicates that he joined the battalion in May 1915. He was the son of Henry and Lucy Skingley, of Montpeilers Cottages, Writtle, and is buried in the Deir El Belah War Cemetery in Israel (Palestine, at the time). He was 22 years old. Soldiers Died in the Great War records that he was living at Highwood and enlisted there.

E Skingley is Ernest Skingley who was the son of Walter Skingley of Highwood, and the husband of husband of Edith Maud Pledger (formerly Skingley) of 3 The Avenue, Woodford Green, Loughton, Essex. Ernest was a sailor, SS/108634 Stoker 1st Class, who died on the 2nd October 1917 whilst serving aboard HMS Brisk, an Acorn Class destroyer. He is also commemorated on the Naval memorial at Chatham.

I presume the three men are cousins.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

12741 Pte Alfred Edward Cornish, 2nd Bn, Royal Berkshire Regt

12741 Private Alfred Edward Cornish of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, died on the 25th February 1918. He was killed in action in the Ypres salient.

Alfred was the son of Mrs Catherine Cornish of 28 Girdlestone Road, Highgate in London. He was 20 years old when he died an, having no known grave, is commemorated on the Tyne Cot War Memorial. His medal index card indicates that he was overseas as early as 25th July 1915 whilst his number indicates that he joined the Royal Berks in September 1914.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in The Great War

8601 L/Cpl George Thomas Looker, 1st Royal Berkshire Regt

8601 Lance-Corporal George Thomas Looker of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment was killed in action on the 22nd September 1914. He was 23 years old and according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was the son of Albert and Lucy Looker of 41 Bostock Avenue, Abingdon, Berkshire.

George Looker's army number indicates that he must have joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment in late October or early November 1907 and he arrived in France on the 13th August 1914. He has no known grave and is one of nearly 4000 British soldiers commemorated on the La Ferte-sous-Jouarre memorial in France.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

7763 Pte Frederick John Blackall, 1st Bn Royal Berkshire Regt

7763 Pte Frederick John Blackall of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment was killed in action on this day, 19th August, in 1915. Soldiers Died in The Great War records his name incorrectly as Blackhall and gives his birthplace as Oxford, his place of residence as Westhill, Oxfordshire, and his place of enlistment as Reading.

Frederick was a career soldier who originally joined the Berkshire Regiment in June or July 1904. Unless he extended his period of service, he would have been on the Reserve when was was declared and in any event, arrived overseas with his regiment on the 13th August 1914.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that Frederick was serving with B Company and that he was the son of George and Ellen Blackall of 94 West Street, Henley-on-Thames. He is buried at Vieille Chapelle New Military Cemetery, Lacouture, France.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Image of Vieille Chapelle from WW1 Cemeteries.