Frank Palmer. Died 3rd July 1916
Frank was born in Binfield, Berkshire in 1882 to father, Martin and mother Catherine. He was the last born and had eleven siblings, five brothers and six sisters. By the age of 19, Frank had become a husband to Rose Ethel, but were still childless some nine years later. In the Census of 1911, however, they were nursing a two year old called George Harris Smith. At that time Frank was a house painter and were living at Pear Tree Cottage, on the London Road in Wokingham.
Frank joined the territorial 4th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment around 1914, which was eventually sent to France. From here, Frank’s death becomes something of a mystery. His report in the newspaper (see photograph) tells us he was missing and eventually he is named at Thiepval, a memorial in
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memory of the missing. The date given, is the 3rd of July 1916, but the active battalion’s during the Somme attack does not refer to any action on that day or around that period (for both the 1st Fourth and the 2nd Fourth). The 4th Battalion’s ranks had been swollen by men who volunteered in response to Kitchener’s appeal and for those who had been in the 4th Battalion pre-war they were given the opportunity to sign the Imperial declaration which enabled them to serve overseas.The men who signed formed the basis of the 1st/4th Battalion and those that didn’t formed the 2nd/4th. The 1st/4th was then filled to complement with the new volunteers and the remainder were formed into the 3rd/4th which promptly moved to Aldermaston to begin training the new men. However it very soon moved back to Reading with the men billetted in the town.
Name: PALMER, FRANK
Rank:Corporal
Regiment/Service: Royal Berkshire Regiment Unit Text: 4th Bn.
Date of Death: 03/07/1916
Service No:11327
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Pier and Face 11 D. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Peartree Cottage, London Road, Wokingham Berkshire