James Turner. Died 20 December 1915
James was the first born in 1881, in Hurst, to parents Alfred and Emma. As with many of the men in Wokingham and the surrounding areas, James became a general labourer to the farming community and by 1906 he was married to a Mortimer girl, Martha Annie Weston. By 1910, they already had two girls, Elsie (1908) and Winifred (1910).
James was in his thirties when he joined the Royal Berks. As the volunteers were joining thick and fast, the 5th had already reached its full complement by September 1914 and therefore he joined the newly created 6th Battalion.
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The 6th trained at Colchester from October 1914 and by the following May were moved to Salisbury ready for the journey to France in the July. Their first job was to come in late August when they held the line at Mametz and missed out on engagement at Loos. However, it was during one of the 6th’s inactive periods (and preparation for the Somme) in December 1915, that James Turner lost his life. Even outside of the main battles, there was always continuing trench fighting and the British were losing 300 soldiers a day right across the lines.
Name: TURNER, JAMES
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Royal Berkshire Regiment
Unit Text: 6th Battalion.
Age: 34
Date of Death: 20/12/1915
Service No: 16393
Additional information: Son of Alfred and Emma Turner, King’s St., Wokingham; husband of M. A. Turner, of Four Houses, Embrook, Wokingham, Berks.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: A. 15. 38.
Cemetery:ST. SEVER CEMETERY, ROUEN
‘Four Houses’, Emmbrook, Wokingham, Berkshire (James and his family)