No. 194443, Gunner, Reginald SHEPPARD
Aged 20
no medals awarded
Royal Garrison Artillery
formerly 58229, Training Reserve Battalion
Died by Accident on Saturday 28th June 1919
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Reginald Sheppard was born in Newmarket on 12th November 1898 (Newmarket Q4-1898 3b:499) son of James Charles and Martha SHEPPARD (née POLLARD).
1901 census...Aged 2, he was at the Workhouse, Exning Road, Newmarket, with his widowed mother Martha SHEPHERD [29] born Soham, Sister Winifred [8] born Newmarket, sister Millie [6] born Swainesford, Norfolk, and brother Ernest [5] born Newmarket. Reginald is given as born in Exning, but this may be anywhere along Exning Road, past the gasworks. His parents married in 1892 but so far unable to find death particulars of his father. 1911 census... Aged 13 he was at 9 Semper Cottages, Jarvis's Yard, Newmarket with his widowed mother, brother Ernest Frederick groom in racing stables, sister Millie and sister Marjorie [7], born in Newmarket. They are now SHEPPARD. |
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He enlisted in Bury St Edmunds. This was in the Training Reserve Battalion, he was later compulsorily transferred to the Royal Garrison Artillery. There are 87 images of his Army records available through Ancestry. These are taken up mainly with the court of enquiry into his death He gave his date of birth on enlistment on 2nd September 1916, he was living at Herringswell Road, Kentford, was 5' 5.25" (165.7 cm) tall, chest 36.5" to 39" (92.7 to 99.1 cm) and weighed 132 lbs (60.1 kg). He gave his next of kin as Uncle Ted Pollard of Lacey's Lane, Exning (later changed to sister, Mrs Winifred Maud Edser of 108 Sussex Road, Holloway. He never served overseas, being stationed in Aberdeen. On 28th June 1919, whilst firing a salute at Torry Point, Aberdeen (in celebration of the Peace Treaty being signed to officially end the Great War), the 9th blank shell he loaded into the over-heated 6" gun exploded, amputating his arm and he died very soon after. The court of enquiry held that the Officer in Charge (who also died ) was to blame for failing to correctly instruct the gun crew, failing to ensure that proper procedures were carried out to clean and cool the gun between rounds (and a single gun should never have been used for this salute). There is available the full list of evidence given to the Enquiry via Ancestry. He was buried in Aberdeen (Trinity) Cemetery. It took some time for the Army to get the relevant details to his next of kin as Uncle Ted Pollard was not at the address given and eventually they traced sister Winifred. Sister Marjorie also was in touch, but via the Rev W Waddington at Brinkley who wrote the letters. His connection with Kentford seems to have been fleeting and nothing has been found specifically dealing with that. |
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