JonS Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Just over two days since the initial request. Amazing. It's for moments like these that I really loves teh intarwebs 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhorse Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Just over two days since the initial request. Amazing. It's for moments like these that I really loves teh intarwebs Oh my god yes..absolutely!! Stunning actually... with correspondence from the living relatives no less!! This is friggin HUGE!! Makes me want to visit and see James Berry's marker. Affen, I recommend you get hold of the regimental history. You never know, James Berry might just be listed and/or named in there. Perhaps there is a photo of him out there somewhere as well. I'll keep an ear to the ground and an eye open. Fantastic stuff this. The one thing I was thinking though was damn..what a shame...he was KIA less than three months from 11/11/18... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 Thanks so much to Blackhorse and SMLE. It's kind of spooky to see my nan's name on the service record as a dependent child. I do believe I might have seen a photo at some stage as a child, when my nan was still alive. One of those typical posed portraits before going off to the front. God knows where it is now. I was not so close to that grandma. Partially because she was one of those truly strict and humourless Edwardians, but mainly because we moved to Australia when I was 5 and the only time I saw her after that she was dying of cancer and in great discomfort, which kind of exacerbated her natural personality! One wonders what James Berry the tea blender made of the quality of the brew available in the trenches! I will try and get hold of the the regimental history and the battalion diaries for the 1st and 10th Rifles. IIRC, someone on this board has a quote from a Rifles recruiting poster in their sig line. Maybe they're a fan! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 The one thing I was thinking though was damn..what a shame...he was KIA less than three months from 11/11/18... Yeah, I had the same flash. A lot of guys died in the last three months. I've pondered once or twice whether it is worse to die at the start of a war or almost at the end. If you die at the start, you miss all the ensuing drama and never know how it all turned out. If you die near the end, well, a few more days or months and you might have made it out alive. Bottom line is it sucks to get killed at any time. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 I've read of American* arty batteries tying extra long lanyards to their guns so all the guys in the unit could pull together one second before the armistice and thus be able to say they "fired the last shot of the war". But you think then "Who did that land on?" Some poor German (or friendly!) getting obliterated for the sake of a gag. *Not saying Americans were the only ones to do this. Just that I actually read of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalins Organ Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Anyone else recall the Sapphire & Steel story set in a train station that revolved around the ghost of someone killed 11 minutes after the armistice?? 11.11 on 11/11...... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 OK....for extra points and difficulty... I note on the service record that an older brother, Frederick Berry is listed. Now just on the off chance, I fed that into CWGC. There are plenty of F or Frederick Berry listed as KIA. About three of them are also in the Rifle Brigade, KRRC or London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers). Coincidentally, one of them Private F D BERRY S/14982 has a KIA date about a month prior to my great-grandfather's enlistment date. I wonder if that's his brother and if that prompted the enlistment? It's a big assumption to say that both brother went and were both KIA though. There would need to be some cross-referencing on the siblings entries of the records, or possibly some commonality in place of birth (Borough/Camberwell/Southwark). Anyway, there are many other F Berry on the KIA list, but I think it's safe to rule out those from non-London regiments. And even some of the other London or generic Corps list parents from other parts of the UK in the CWGC certificates, so it helps to narrow down. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhorse Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 FREDERICK DAVID BERRY Regiment, Corps etc Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) Battalion/etc 11th Battalion. Details Surname Berry Christian Name Frederick David Initials F D Born London Enlisted Walthamstow Residence Walthamstow, Essex Rank RIFLEMAN Number S/24982 Died Date 18/09/1916 Died How Killed in action Theatre of War France & Flanders 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhorse Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Here is the 1st Bn's War Diary entry for 20 August 1918: On 19th August the Battalion sent patrols out and established a line 150 yds west of Paradis road, and at 1.30 pm a further advance was made east of the road. On 20th the line was again advanced another 900 yds but the enemy's resistence was stiffening and casualties became quite heavy. Orders were given for the Battalion to dig in. On the evening of the 20th the Battalion was relieved and went into support. Received from a bloke named Martin over on the Great War 1914-1918 forum. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154009&st=0&gopid=1484206entry1484206 Note: This places the 1st Bn approx midway between Bethune and Lestrem to the NE. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 Here is the 1st Bn's War Diary entry for 20 August 1918: On 19th August the Battalion sent patrols out and established a line 150 yds west of Paradis road, and at 1.30 pm a further advance was made east of the road. On 20th the line was again advanced another 900 yds but the enemy's resistence was stiffening and casualties became quite heavy. Orders were given for the Battalion to dig in. On the evening of the 20th the Battalion was relieved and went into support. Received from a bloke named Martin over on the Great War 1914-1918 forum. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154009&st=0&gopid=1484206entry1484206 Note: This places the 1st Bn approx midway between Bethune and Lestrem to the NE. Yes and so his cemetery is kind of mid-way between those towns, forming the point of a triangle. Great stuff. Looks like the F Berry above was not his brother then. Good that they didn't lose both sons. My dad is thrilled with all this info. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.