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Gnr Richard Bartholomew Sweet
British Army "A" Bty. 210th Bde Royal Field Artillery
from:Bearwood, Birmingham
(d.8th October 1918)
My great uncle, Richard, was a volunteer, enlisting into 3rd South Midland Brigade of the RFA (part of the Territorial Force) at the age of 17 in May 1914.
He embarked for France on 22nd May 1916 and underwent specialist training, eventually being attached to V61 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery. He endured a prolonged period recovering from Trench Fever between September 1917 and June 1918, after which he joined the 210 (Territorial) Brigade RFA under the command of the 42nd East Lancashire Division.
We believe that Richard was mortally wounded near Vaucelles and was evacuated to the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station near Ytres, where he died on 8th October 1918. He is buried in the Rocquigny-Eqauncourt Road Cemetery. The chaplain who was with him in his final hours wrote to Richard's parents and we have since discovered that the Rev John Oswald Murray reported for duty at 3rd CCCS for the first time on that fateful day. In addition to his last resting place in France, Richard is commemorated at six locations to our knowledge:
- St Mary's Church, Bearwood Memorial Cross (where he lived)
- Tewkesbury Abbey Memorial (the Sweet family home)
- Tewkesbury Cross War Memorial
- Tewkesbury Cemetery - a family memorial
- Birmingham Hall of Memory
- The 'lost' Birmingham Corporation Gas Department memorial currently in the care of Birmingham Museum Collection Centre undergoing restoration
