Berkshire Chronicle Reading 12-1915

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d~~rt~'b;e:;'~_~~~:~~;~~~~i~~~'~1~;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~9~;

p\&yed by : but
Regimentin
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DOW,
25th and tho
in which ' tho · b'alt..Uon,. &gain

will

losing several valuabie - offiam, '
wounded , and many of ' .t1Ie " re.D.k'
whilst, unfortulla~ly, owing to the , stren'gth
the Germ ans, it was not possible to ,hold
posit!on in the spooial bi~ of figh~ing .;in
the .battalion were concel'lloo. 0lI_. Septljmber 28th '
at. F OSlle 8. Tho oooa.s<Qn _will, bbwevell, be .;ever
' memorabl~ in the &nn~ of" the ' 're~nl ,~ 1IiQd
the battalion) fl)r one o~ th-e :dfficers, 'Second
, Lieutenant AleJ:. B.~ 'l'urnerl , lIOil of ' li~~r
Turner,C.C .• 'ot Tl!6~.am,had . the 1 6UI>~~
distincti0!1 of, ' winn.iJ1g Ute V,-C:, 1 . -lor.:"Bi~"1
- bravery, to tho neHol'Il).an~e of :w!twh he recel!ed
the wounds that, unhappIly; . proved ratal;', It
wllS the fi~t"V.e. ~On by one of " the Ber!</lli:ire '
line battaholl!l dunngo'the war, a.nd· was ' all ' the
niore popular. beclwse i~ MI ' to tho, · lst; · lWYal
J3 erks b!\ttalion, which -had bo:me 80 uiU(jh ;ijf -the !
brunt' of. the b e avy_ fighLing during thew.a t.
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BRAVE .DEEDS AT CUINCHY. _.

held at
time was
the cb.oir
by the con-

T . 'Barnes
Iallre .

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.uphill; wiflr"tlie'
, w.ere ..8~ongly ~n.
,o.dvalltage o_vor ' ,USj
1411 round with , their'
'JJi~e 'progrc es- ~p;. -the

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For the ' four days ~f' the boml'iaNiment pre- '
liminary to" September ' 25th tae 1st , &Jyal
Berks vividlf realisGd the .tettibl~ possibUiiiea:
of mod ern warfare.
Th&t J>enod was character·
lsod by a cConspicuous , Bot of gaUa.n~ _ wJUlih
gained the D.C_M. for9830 Acting Serg" .... t ·A;
D . Walter ' and 1720il L/l-D<:e--Corporal A. -nrooks. ·
At 10.30 p.m. on Thursday, Septemoor 23rd; 'at
CuincllY. during the" .bomba.Niment, Aetinp:
Sergeant A. D _ W&1to'r and Lance. Corpor-atBrooks cra"led out th-rough the mine cratel'8:; a.
distance of 100 y...ros from our front line; ' and
la!<i II charge of gun~otton . under the ' Germa.n
.. ,
\VIre. The chorge. ~ lL!! HU<lcessfully exploded, ' _re~ -or
maki ng ' a b N?a.d hreacJI in the wire and destr<>y- . to retiNi
in ~ ",bout 30 ys.-rds of the enemy's trench Bnd..
werf now
. machine-gun. The night was very bright, and
the wire clese. up to the ·enemy's trench.
A d ay OJ' two ' later ' Sergea.nt Walter _ wall
wounded, and he is now in_a ' conval.'e!aeent camp
fit Sutton Park, SultOn CoMfield, , Birminll'nam;
This ' is the second t;me he hilS bacO
n hoine
wounded. }Ja is 20 yem of ..ge, -a.n,j has been
in the Royol B erksllire R egimeut upwa.rds of
three years.

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ROYAL BERKS. ._
·. ii~·Ei" · ~~r -the
ot·_, ~¥-Dgl~oll1:n.I!'
of ' 't ho -- Hght!ng,

,?oii!bs down : tipo~
· , -,u., .
-th!l 611g!,ltes~. ·w_ e", .

.were tw ice .the

ze ·m

. lot '.-' of .·our offi(lers
-"".m·ora. . being .. 'one of
the'
so dark : that it w ....
. e8C8'ped a.nd: who did
intention' of the enemy
, . lloel.tiC?lt• . w!lieh we never-

'tel'&cl~u~ly un~il ·we .

wera·com. ·
murde:r:ous
1 am told
of tbe : Germa!:l6' . strongest
BBBBej!, ~<:l. this I quito
" Wa6 ser.ious. We - cOri-

lI. li~Ue ' owtpg. to the
the ~nemy 1<eptup. ·

A t\n~

.Companiell, .W
.....,nt 0",
have to
. willed out. But
'; ,The " Germe.ns
' bombs at.. us, as it
.we~e _ and
came one of the " DI "r"'~"t de..ds
which will
in the !IJlD31s of the reg:ment.!'
' Ii was. th~ . epl.9I)<did . ond 61lstnined br;.very of
. Lieuton&\1t Turner.
sayed the battalion from
terrible loss. -/'
E.·M .T . ..
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COLONEL
' I WILSO
' N'S THAN
- 'KS' FOR

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CIGARETIES•.

CAPTAIN WHEELER KILLED.
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I On September 25tb Ute battalion had the mis.
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To ~ JM.itor o~ the "CM6nicl-e.' ~
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fonlln8 to loSe ' Captain Charles Palliser Wheeler,
Su-,- Loend YOII herew,th copy of a furthor. letter
who was Idlled, as well ell his orderly. Captain
I -havo ' ro6ceivQU from LieutCn&n\-C"I'oool Wilson:
Wheeler's 'death waB a great blow to a.ll rank8., D.S.O., M.P.• fin, rela.tion to · the Cis'A,eu,o ' FUJKl
The captain. who. was twel}ty-su years of ago" whillb. the RdU:ling · and Di.Otrict Licensed V ictualW·a8 the only son of Colonel and Mrs. Wheeler,
lora' Aosoci ..ti-on have ar""ngad.
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! Y Dura fa.i thfully,
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The R :>ek. KiI~ enny, Ireland . Educated . at
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EDWIN
T.
HATT:
Hailoburv Md Sandhurs t. h e obtained his 0000'
Town Hall (:ha.moors, Reading. - .
niission in 19l0, and ~ e Mhed captain's rank in
· l)eromOOc 8~, '1916.
May, - 1915. Captain
was in tho retreat from 1\Ione, and ..-"" wounded . .!'t the pattIe
. H=wko Ba.tt~lion, . . i
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of the _Aisne. ~t was after those 8a.r ly <t~ys of
R.N. DlV1<Uon, D.M.E.F.
liard maTching th ...ta wounded sergeant'(of the
. Novomber 6th, ' 11)15.
Royal Berkshire Rej.!iment paid a line' tribute to·
_Do... Mr. Ratt.- :Your lett.er of ~ 22nd Scp·
the officers, who could uot get a.a
rest 8.8 tombcir b"" 'just ~od me- in Ale xandria, whe,e
the . meti_ He eaid: (~As soon as they hal~. th'e y I hAvo been in h06Pjt.,,1 with a -touc!t of dyaentary.
go round ' and see tbat. the meli have ,their fQOd bu~ I am -much oobior now and hope to got back
and drink, see that they have the'ir emergency ill .. fortn.ight~ I need hardly "'1, how grwful WI>
ell ..." to the Lioen~ Victuallers' Association; lor
rations, repleniBh ' &mmunitiou, and see , thal ./the thojr
funlier kindnm in ",,,,anRinl!:. to di8p&tch nnriftes aTe c1ean , Jell ,off for va.ri,?~, du~~e~,. ,. ft.n.d
o-th:er--50;OOO ,clgar_~ -~amok"" ar,,-- 80 · f~
Rener.u.lly make ffllI'O that. all the m ~ n are c.om·
aOprooided and the ,.rat.itude of tho m.>n 010 rohl
fortabl e before. fhey can thlnk of resting -them- . that I tru.t tho membera will feel ·oompen...ted for
eelvetf. Orten I -hll.ve known Mr_ Wheeler go out their generosity. , I am afraid I oh,,11 not be ahlll,
to· tho nearest vil!n~ to try and get cigarettes . but I will try
send aom-e to the Yeonw.n.ry-they
and t~bacco for his
Even whon
\vas ' !lte oert~nly' on or nea.~ tho- ~~nin.ula • . but not
downrigbt. tired
be always thonght of his In 6Ie ...me .,,,.,a ill I 1IoIIl. I think I may be able
- men first ,-and wben goi.nll[ into action was olwa)'s to redirect ' oQme 00""" and g..t t.hem to th~ rep:;·
well in front with' a ' Come ob. la.ds: ·let 'em ment, hut Lf~I C&JlIl(l<t do so' to th e ArtiUo ry, who
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have it_' I haye heard the men say thsj w.o~1d · .. "" 'in E)n1>t on I,h e ~DI>L
Please· t.h ..nk .1>e oommittee v"-ry much indood ' fOr
follow him anvwhere."
Of him ' Corporol S. I their.'
good wisbes. Nothing will give mn gren.f:er
BAttv said: "c..!lta.Ln Wheeler was one ,of _the pleallUro, ~ha~to retum a.OO tak., u!' a!>,ain my ~ula<6
, finest tvpo< of officers any man could serve imder.
in ' my cnnsfritu8ncy .. n<l me"" "IfAm all my fnenM.
He bud only b~ D au;point-ed to oonun&oo A Com· hut, until . peace i. dedaro<!, I .! ,f con"", cannot .
COIJ'liO.
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p a nv t'K9 or three da.vs before he W8.8 killed. "
Aga.iq. very nmny ;thl>nk. to you for ,,\I your kind.i .
Wh ile the grea.t nttiwll1 -was',n progress the
nees. i
O.
1st
BerkS were in reserve to th" South
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Yours _sincerely,
.
Btaffords. Tbev hod come . un " fr<lm .Cui.bcby;
LK~LJK WlJ,80K.
a.t.d ' bivona-cked behind VermeUea ' fQr . a c~ple
of days . . The seventy ,ot the fighting was brought
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hom e to them v-erv forcibly. for the remmmt8 of
the 8th RoY"'\ Bet/<s came" ma.rcbing .aloug the
.roo.d Ilofter their fij,st ~d co~tfy nttack.
In the "eVerB fio:h~ing of Sentember 28th th"
offic erB~ cas)lalty list, vt'atj ·as . follows:-'F~ the Editor .of tho «,Chronicle."
KIT.LED.
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Sir,~I
a.m hopU;'g t~ raise '" fu~d to provide a
Captain M'lurke .C. Radford, D ,S.O,
Chr~tmM Idiuoor fOT the .men of the (3rd) 4th
Lleutonant J:. W ; Bhzey (offici&lly reported Battalion : Roy&1 .Berbhil'8 i ~ egiment,
now
missing).
6te.tioned in Reading, many of whom' will shortly
Second L:eutennnt A_ C, D' A. Lynes.
. be serving iu 'the trenches.
. , DIED OF WOUNDS.
Will auy oCyO'W" reo,ders follow: the .Mo.yor's .
Second Lieutena";'t AleL It Turner, V.y.
genero)is load? ,
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'Don&tio~8 ,will be gr!ltefuUy received by ' me a.t
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. WOUND~D.
headquarters,- m .-·MarY's Butts.
' M&]or L. W. B1Ni.
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_ 'aathfully jonr8,
Capt a.in .and Adjutant I t;:. St. Q. 0 .. ; Full- .
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L:rt~TENAN1'.COL9NEL.
brook-Legiratt. D.S.U.
Comm&nding' -<;tro)] 4th·· RoiaJB~rks Regiment.
Lieutenant E . F:_ E,rgar.
Lieutenant D . - Ward .
.. !'elldingr - Q.091lm~er: '1: h,..,1915i. · .
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. Second Lie)iteDlUlt R.·: -Haigb.

Wheeler

much

men.
loimself,

ana

lIe

Roval

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CHRISTMAS DINNER' FOR THE ' (3rd)
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IM'PO-JtTANT··~
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'Al~TERAT:I()N
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'HOURS
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. '4th .'BERKS•

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·: l~H;f}~#:nlts'. i~ :~eading bfg t~ . ~v:eNoti~ 'I

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mSSING_

Captain E. N. GeUfug_

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tha~, on l·an~ _.~fter

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MONDAY; 13th

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.- IBERKs'
"ftOMbTIONS.
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Lieutenant G. F. -M; H&ll (first
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wounde4 only).
'Lieutenant P_ C: Rawscn.
Second Lieute1jant R . A . 'sUU\Jllers . .
THE ATTACK.ON FOSSE 8.

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