Pte. Ernest Read

[Anneca]

I would be grateful to receive any help in finding details, no matter how insignificant, relating to Pte Ernest Read and his family.  I know his name is inscribed on a village war memorial in Harlestone which stands in St Andrews churchyard.  His service No. is 206914, KIA 24.07.1917, grave in Godewaersvelde British Cemetery France, 1.a.¹  His wife was Mrs M Reid who lived in Lower Harlestone, Northampton. This is the extent of my knowledge about this man, his family and his service.

Any assistance would be appreciated which would enable me to paint a picture of him, his family, his children if he had any, when he enlisted and what he and the 10^th Bn. would have experienced during their time in the Western Front.

 

[ss002d6252]

The war gratuity (in the soldiers effects records) shows that £6 (gross) was paid to Ernest Samuel Reid's widow, Margaret. The war gratuity was paid for 14 months service, indicating enlistment in the month from 25 May 1916.

Craig

[charlie962]

Ernest Samuel Read
born c. 1884  Lowestoft
Pte, 10th (Service) Bn, Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (part of 41st Division)

Wounded 24/7/17, GSW Compound fracture femur
Transferred 4th London Field Ambulance to No 11 Casualty Clearing Station.
Died of wounds same day.

 

The cemetery was begun in July 1917 when three casualty clearing stations were moved to Godewaersvelde. The 37th and the 41st buried in it until November 1917, the 11th until April 1918,

 

Edit- He looks like the first man buried per the headstone list, Sch A page 1, number 1.

 

 

charlie

Edited 9 June , 2018 by charlie962

[charlie962]

SDGW shows he was formerly 290713 9th Norfolk Regt. Since he was entitled to BWM and VM he went overseas after 1/1/16

 

Charlie

Edited 9 June , 2018 by charlie962

[Anneca]

20 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

The war gratuity (in the soldiers effects records) shows that £6 (gross) was paid to Ernest Samuel Reid's widow, Margaret. The war gratuity was paid for 14 months service, indicating enlistment in the month from 25 May 1916.

Craig

Craig, thank you so much.  It is great to get Ernest's widows name as Margaret/ the gratuity and also his enlistment date. Should give me more to go on.  Much appreciated.

Anneca

[ss002d6252]

'Soldiers Died in the Great War' shows he was born and enlisted in Lowestoft.
 

It looks like he married Margaret Riches in Dec q of 1907

 

Craig

[Anneca]

Wow, what great information Charlie.  Must admit I was a bit blown away by what you have found, hoping to perhaps get pointers on where to start searching. Thank you very much.

Anneca

[Anneca]

5 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

'Soldiers Died in the Great War' shows he was born and enlisted in Lowestoft.
 

It looks like he married Margaret Riches in Dec q of 1907

 

Craig

Crai, thank you again, but if they married in 1907 Ernest would only have been 10 then so this couldn't be the same person.

Anneca

[ss002d6252]

Just now, Anneca said:

Crai, thank you again, but if they married in 1907 Ernest would only have been 10 then so this couldn't be the same person.

Anneca

Post #3 has him as being born 1884, so 23 in 1907.

Craig

[charlie962]

1 minute ago, Anneca said:

but if they married in 1907 Ernest would only have been 10

Ernest was born c 1884

[charlie962]

You will find Ernest (a Draper's Assistant)  in the 1911 census for 25 Rochester Rd, Lowestoft with his wife Margaret and 2 sons

Edited 9 June , 2018 by charlie962

[charlie962]

In the Lowestoft census 1901 you will find Ernest and Margaret at the same establishment in a long list of Draper's assistants

 

Charlie

[Anneca]

46 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

Post #3 has him as being born 1884, so 23 in 1907.

Craig

Craig and Charlie my apologies.  After bereavement, then over a year of illness and recovery I am only just back to the GWF to enjoy researching again - reckon I should be demoted to Pte!. I am amazed with the information you have taken the time to find.

Kind regards, Anneca

[ss002d6252]

15 minutes ago, Anneca said:

Craig and Charlie my apologies.  After bereavement, then over a year of illness and recovery I am only just back to the GWF to enjoy researching again - reckon I should be demoted to Pte!. I am amazed with the information you have taken the time to find.

Kind regards, Anneca

No need to apologise.

 

Craig

[charlie962]

5 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

No need to apologise.

absolutely

[Anneca]

Can anyone help with this photo please.  Their names are Mathieson, Read and Sheppard, arm bands showing they were in the Queen's RWSR Cadet School. I wondered if the man in the middle could be Ernest Samuel Read.

Anne

[charlie962]

Great photo , particularly for armbands. I assume they were staff at the school.

 

Thoughts:

Man on left has a second armband on his left cuff- UO (cannot see if there is more) = Under Officer ?

Man on right wears Military Medal ribbon.

The ages of the men on the left look 35-40ish but always difficult to tell.  Read would be about 33 at the time.

 

Charlie

[Anneca]

Thanks Charlie, I didn't think about them being staff but you could be right and I did notice the armband on the man on the left but a bit vague to see.  I found on Ernest's wife's gravestone his name is also engraved with his year of birth 1881 not 1884.  It would now be interesting to know if there was another Ernest Read in The Queen's RSWR as I would like to confirm this photo is of Read No. 206914.

 

Thanks again Charlie and for noticing the MM ribbon.

Anne

[FROGSMILE]

I don’t think that they are ‘staff’, as such men always had a proper Army rank and the associated badges.  These are trainee cadets and as Charlie suggested the U.O. invariably preceded by another letter refers to Under Officer, a standard appointment for cadets told off for the supervision of small groups in order to get them to the right place at the right time and organise minor tasks.

Edited 7 July , 2018 by FROGSMILE

[Anneca]

Thanks for this Frogsmile.

Anne

[kenf48]

On 21/06/2018 at 11:51, Anneca said:

 I wondered if the man in the middle could be Ernest Samuel Read.

Anne

 

 

I doubt it.

 

Your 206914 Ernest Samuel Read appears to be in a draft from a reserve TF Unit of the Norfolk Regiment who were posted to France on the 16 June 1917 and were originally destined for the 8th Bn Norfolk Regiment.

Transferred to the 10th RWS on the 10th July 1917 at the IBD, joining the Battalion in the field on the 12th July. (Draft of 26 O.R. and 132 O.R. arrived on the 12th and 17th).

 

Having just returned from a few days away some three miles from Harleston, South Norfolk suggest there may be some confusion as to the location of the war memorial. Harleston is less than twenty miles from Mutford Suffolk, which is in turn just outside Lowestoft.

 

Ken

[Anneca]

Thanks Ken - the poor chap didn't last long at the Front.  He was born in Lowestoft, enlisted in Lowestoft, married in Mutford and lived in Lower Harlestone.  It is difficult to trace the War Memorial.

Anne

[PRC]

On 08/07/2018 at 22:06, kenf48 said:

 

Having just returned from a few days away some three miles from Harleston, South Norfolk suggest there may be some confusion as to the location of the war memorial. Harleston is less than twenty miles from Mutford Suffolk, which is in turn just outside Lowestoft.

 

 

He is not on the Harleston, Norfolk War Memorial

http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Harleston.html

 

Nor is he remembered in the War Memorial Chapel in St Margarets, Lowestoft, (400+ names), although there is a Great War Roll of Honour book held in Lowestoft Museum which has another couple of hundred names in it.

 

He does however appear to be remembered at Harlestone, Northamptonshire - http://www.harlestonevillage.co.uk/memorial.html

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

[Anneca]

Peter, it is great you found Ernest's name on a War Memorial.  I was beginning to think he was not remembered on any Memorial and thanks to you I now know he is remembered at St Andrews in Harlestone Village.

Anne