Sadler, Henry 1914.

Henry J Sadler. Died, 26 October 1914

Henry was born in 1886 to father Henry and mother Ellen in Wokingham, Berkshire. He was the first born and had six siblings, three brothers and three sisters. By the age of 14, Henry had become a butcher and was living with his parents on the Barkham Road, Wokingham in 1901. By 1911 Henry was now a bricklayer and living as a lodger in Matthews Green, Emmbrook.
Sometime possibly before 1914, Henry was a regular in the Royal Berks, 1st Battalion, which was part of the regular army (as distinct from Kitcheners volunteers). He would have been part of the early British Expeditionary Force and moved straight into the Retreat of Mons and held the German advance at the Marne. However, Henry was to reach his end early in the war and during what is known as the 1st Battle of Ypres (both armies were attempting to out flank each other as they raced to the French and Belgian coast). John Chapman, a local military historian provides the day by day story gathered from a multitude of different sources on: http://www.purley.eu/H142P/P189-ypre.pdf. Henry Brant and Alfred Warwick (both of the Wokingham Memorial) were also killed during this action.

A small obituary appeared in the Reading Standard in December 1914 telling of Henry’s death and giving his address as 25 Barkham road.

Name: SADLER, HENRY JAMES
Initials: H J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Royal Berkshire Regiment
Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Date of Death: 26/10/1914
Service No: 6658
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 45.
Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL

Barkham Road, Wokingham, Berkshire
Matthews Green, Emmbrook (1911)