Site Home
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Great War Home
Search
Add Stories & Photos
Library
Help & FAQs
Features
Allied Army
Day by Day
RFC & RAF
Prisoners of War
War at Sea
Training for War
The Battles
Those Who Served
Hospitals
Civilian Service
Women at War
The War Effort
Central Powers Army
Central Powers Navy
Imperial Air Service
Library
World War Two
Submissions
Add Stories & Photos
Time Capsule
Information
Help & FAQs
Glossary
Our Facebook Page
Volunteering
News
Events
Contact us
Great War Books
About
211238Pte. William James "Titch" Barnett
British Army 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment
from:Reading, Berkshire
My father, William Barnett joined the Militia in 1899 as a 15 year old. He then transferred to the regular army in 1902 when he signed on for a 12 year engagement with the 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment when his Regimental number was 7039. He served in Egypt and for two years then did Home Service until 1914 when WW1 was declared.
His regiment was sent to France on 12th August 1914 where they landed at Rouen. They were involved in action for almost the whole of the rest of 1914 and 1915. He was wounded in March 1915 and then for a second time at the Battle of Loos in September of 1915. This battle is known for the fact that the British used gas for the first time. It was a disaster as the wind changed and blew the gas back to the British lines. It is also known as the battle where the the son of Rudyard Kipling was killed. My father's wounds were bad enough for him to be sent back to Blighty where he underwent treatment at Tooting Hospital in London. He was there for 10 weeks by which time his 12 year engagement ended on 31 December 1915.
This story now becomes rather sketchy. He was awarded the 14 Star, British Medal and Victory Medal. On his medal Index Card at the National Archives at Kew the first two medals are shown as awarded while he served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment but the last, the Victory Medal was awarded while serving in the R.E. This must mean that he volunteered again after serving his 12 year engagement but I have been unable to find out anything about this. I have tried researching his R.E. number of 163123 without success so if their are any kind souls out there could point me in the right direction I would be forever grateful.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.