We will remember them

 

The village war memorial made by the estate carpenters, was placed in the church in 1920. It has only four names from the First World War though we know that more men from the village and the surrounding houses paid the ultimate price. Of those who died in the First World War the four mentioned are Albert Freemantle, William Seymour and the Willcox brothers, Sidney and Harold.

 

At this time Mayridge Farm was in the parish of Sulhamstead so two others, Leonard and Thomas Nash, are commemorated on the Sulhamstead War Memorial in St Michael’s churchyard. However so were Mayridge Hill Cottages where William Seymour lived yet he appears on the Englefield memorial not the Sulhamstead one.

 

Likewise, North Street was in the parish of Theale so anyone from there is commemorated on the memorial at Holy Trinity. Among these are Herbert Parsons and Herbert Marshall. Also on the Theale memorial is Owen Wyatt, then living in Theale but born in Englefield.

 

John Griffin is listed in the parish magazine, living in at Lone Barn in the parish of Bradfield.

 

Frederick Huggins lived in Englefield as a boy and although he had married and moved to Wokingham his parents were still at Wickcroft Cottages.

 

Arthur Hazell emigrated to Australia in 1911 from North Street, where his parents remained, but returned with the Australian Army.

 

The photo of George Slyfield in the Reading Standard is captioned “Englefield” but it is not known where he lived.

 

Commemorated by an inscription on his father’s grave in the churchyard at Englefield is Frederick George Horne who was killed in action at the Battle of Loos on 28 September 1915, aged 20, while serving with the Grenadier Guards. His father was David Horne and Frederick was born in the village but moved to Cardiff with his mother after David Horne died in 1903.

 

The additional section with only a single name from the Second World War was added in 1949. At least one other man associated with the village was killed in that war: John Hayward came originally from Corsham in Wiltshire but was married to Renee Cook from the Post Office and they lived at North Street.