No.3/9784, Sergeant, Walter Henry REYNOLDS
Aged 38
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Born in Brimington, Derbyshire (1st qtr 1878 Chesterfield 7b:647) son of Walter and Elizabeth REYNOLDS (née KEMP)
1881 census...Aged 3, he was at 6 Cemetery Road, Bury St.Edmunds with his father Walter REYNOLDS [29] brewer's labourer born Bury St.Edmunds; his mother Elizabeth [35] born Bury St.Edmunds; sisters Lenora [6] born Brimmington and Ada E [6 months] born Bury St.Edmunds. 1891 census...Aged 13, he was at 27 Cemetery Road, Bury St.Edmunds with his parents; sister Ada [10]; brothers Ernest [8] and Thomas [6] both born Bury St.Edmunds. 1901 census...Not found but probably in the Army. At 5 Cemetery Road,Bury St.Edmunds were his parents; brothers Ernest and Thomas, both labourers. He married Alice May SCARFE [13-7-1881] in 1906. 1911 census...Aged 33, a mineral checker on railway, he was at 242a Prospect Road, Old Whittington, Derby with his wife Alice May [30] born Bury St. Edmunds and their daughter Ethel May [28-4-1909] born Bury St.Edmunds. Alice had lost one child of her three. Their son Walter James [16-12-1906] yet to be found They had a further son Reginald Henry [24-5-1913] at 38 Tayfen Road, Bury St.Edmunds His widow married James COPPING in 1919 in Bury St.Edmunds. |
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He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds. On the 13th September, the 9th Suffolks were part of the attack on the Quadrilateral, got through the German outpost line easily but the were checked by machine gun fire from the Quadrilateral. Several attempts were made but eventually they had to dig in only half a mile from their start point. On the 15th the objective for the 71st Brigade was the ridge between Morval and Lesboeufs. This was the opening day of the Flers-Courcelette battle.. Zero hour was 6:20 am, but the Suffolks, in support of the 9th Norfolks were not required to move until 90 minutes later, by which time the barrage had increased and once again, withering machine gun fire from the Quadrilateral made forward movement impossible. All the senior officers were killed or wounded, leaving Lieut. Allerton in command. They were relieved around midnight. Lt Col Murphy's "History of the Suffolk Regiment" puts the casualties as 4 officers killed and 35 O.R. - 7 Officers wounded, 99 O.R. and 2 officers and 93 O.R. missing. Many of the missing were later reported killed CWGC has 9 killed on 15th, but 100 on the 16th of which only 21 have identified graves.
also on Old Whittington war Memorial click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
