LCpl O Wyatt

 

Owen Robert Wyatt was born in Englefield in 1882 and lived until at least 1901 with his parents George and Maria at 53 Parker’s Corner. George Wyatt was a painter and paperhanger on the Englefield Estate and Owen became a carpenter and joiner. By 1911 the family had moved to Crown Lane in Theale.

 

Owen was in the Berkshire Yeomanry so may well have been one of those who enlisted before the War, after the creation of the Territorial Force in 1908. At the time of his death, however, he was a Lance Corporal attached to 3rd Battalion the Worcestershire Regiment.

 

During the second half of May 1917 the 3rd Worcestershires were heavily involved in preparations for the coming Battle of Messines. These preparations were carried out with some difficulty as the enemy on the ridge were able to watch every move. On 6 June the 3rd battalion moved moved forward after dark from Ravelsberg Camp, through Neuve Eglise to take up their positions and by 2130 they had reached their assembly trenches just behind the front line, coming under intermittent shell-fire on the way. The British artillery fired continuously during the night to cover the noise of the troops moving into position but the intensity decreased as the time of the attack drew near. Suddenly, at 0300 on 7 June, nineteen mines of up to 100,000 lbs each exploded under the enemy trenches, the noise paralysing the waiting British troops who had not been given any warning. The German salient at Ontario Farm to the right of the Worcesters was shattered by one mine and the defences of Kruisstraat Farm to their left were blown up by another.

 

Quickly the British soldiers regained their wits and the officers led their men forward over the front line into the open, with B and C Companies leading, under a storm of shell-fire. Very few of the enemy remained alive in the shattered front line when the attackers reached it after only seven minutes and those who did quickly surrendered. The leading two companies dug in and A and D companies moved through them to continue the advance to the second objective of Bell Farm. After ten minutes they reached the ruins of the farm but were checked by German machine gun fire.

 

Owen Wyatt was killed in action on 7 June 1917 and is buried in the Messines Ridge Cemetery.