Frederick James Read

Story:
Frederick James Read was born on 16th January 1871 in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, the son of William Read and Selina Read (née Fletcher).  He lived in and around East Knoyle for all of his early life including 2 Church Hill.   He had enlisted as a Private with the 3rd Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment on 21st January 1892 (Service No. 3379). He served in India from 13 Sep 1893 until 15 Dec 1905 until discharged on 5th January 1906.  He re-enlisted on 27th April 1915 with the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 14337) as a Private and was immediately attached to the Royal Engineers 14th Labour Battalion. He was transferred on 14th December 1916 to the 11th Garrison Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment (Service No. 38395) and served with them in France & Flanders from 9 Feb 1917. During this period he received bomb wounds at Meharicourt, France. Following his recovery he was attached to the Devonshire Regiment (Labour Company) and then to the Somerset Light Infantry (Service No. 52622).   On the 21st November 1917 he returned to the UK and transferred to the Labour Corps (166th Labour Company) followed by the 651 Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps (Service No. 99317).  He was discharged on 1st March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals.   The 1921 Census shows him living with his brother at The Green, East Knoyle, Wiltshire, described as a General Labourer (out of work). He married Minnie Ayres in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1924 but she regrettably died in 1927.  There appear to be no children of the marriage.  By the 1939 Register Frederick was living at 17d Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset, working as a casual labourer.  He died in 1952 in the Blandford, Dorset, Registration District and was buried at the Town Cemetery, Shaftesbury, on 29 Feb 1952. (NB. He was registered at birth as Frederick but all later records give his name as Frederick James (the second name could have been added at baptism but no record can be found)).