Lest We Forget: In Memory of Maidenhead and Maidenhead Norfolkians Players Who Lost Their Lives in The Two World Wars Part Five: First World War

18/11/2022  -  3.52

Mark Smith and Matthew Shaw

This is the fifth in a series of articles that commemorates the lives of Maidenhead and Maidenhead Norfolkians players who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War One and World War Two, based on the Maidenhead United FC match day programme series entitled Lest We Forget.

Frederick Joseph Maskell

Frederick Joseph Maskell was born in 1889 in Maidenhead, the son of Charles and Frances Maskell of Belmont Rise. On the 1911 census, his occupation is given as a Domestic Chauffeur. Frederick, who was also a keen runner, played for the Maidenhead Norfolkians First XI and Reserve side together with his brother Charles for several seasons. In the 1912/13 Frederick was elected onto the Maidenhead Norfolkians FC committee but he seems to have only served for just the one term.

Frederick was a member of the Royal Army Service Corps in Macedonia but on November 28th 1918, with the area having been liberated by the Bulgarians he, and many of his comrades, succumbed to an outbreak of influenza and Frederick subsequently died of pneumonia.

At the time of his death he was married to Matilda and they had a young son. He is buried in the Skopje British Cemetery in Macedonia and is commemorated on the Maidenhead War Memorial (photo below)

Source: Carrie Pike

Known Maidenhead Norfolkians FC 1st team appearances = 4
Presumed Senior team debut – 10th December 1910 v Maidenhead (Berks and Bucks Senior Cup)
Presumed Final appearance – 17th April 1911 v Maidenhead (Great Western Suburban League)

Known Maidenhead Norfolkians Reserves appearances = 6, 1 goal (detailed information unavailable)

John Anthony Ottrey

John Anthony Ottrey was born in Windsor in 1895, the only son of Mr and Mrs Harold George Ottrey of 30 St. Leonard’s Road. John’s father was a painter and decorator. He was educated at Mr. Wicks Commercial School and, in 1909, entered Windsor Boys School. In 1910, he was successful in passing the Oxford Local Examinations and joined the Civil Service as an assistant clerk in the claims department of the Inland Revenue at Somerset House.

John took part in many sports including Boating, Cycling, Cricket and Football and played for Windsor and Eton FC Reserves. He was a friend of Harold Jefferies, the Maidenhead Norfolkians goalkeeper, and made one appearance for the “red and whites” in April 1914, against Uxbridge in the Great Western Suburban League fixture.

John made repeated requests to his office to be allowed to enlist, and he was finally granted this in June 1915. He joined the 1/15th Battalion London Regiment (Prince of Wales’ Own Civil Service Rifles) and was sent to France in May 1916, as a First Class Machine Gunner. He took part in the Battle of the Somme in September 1916 and was 21 years old when he was killed in action near Ypres on the 12th January 1917. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium (photo below) and on the Windsor War Memorial. A “house” at Windsor Boys School is still named in his memory.

Source: Carrie Pike

Frederick John Muggridge

Frederick John Muggridge was born between April and June 1896, the first child of William Muggridge and his wife Margaret, who came from Merthyr Tydfil. Two siblings followed - Gwenllyan Mary born around 1901 and Percy George, five years later. Frederick's birth was registered in Maidenhead and he attended Gordon Road School. In the census of 1911 he is given as living at 3 York Road with his father, who by then was a Grocer's Manager whilst Frederick became a hairdresser's apprentice and played for the Maidenhead Juniors FC. The Juniors assisted Maidenhead FC Reserve side during the latter half of the1913/14 season.

Frederick joined the 1st/4th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment and fought in France. In August 1916 the regiment were fighting in the Battle of the Somme. On the day that Frederick died there does not appear to have been any major attack but the Regimental Diary states that the Battalion earlier that day moved forward to engage in a counter attack whilst another regiment had to abandon the 6th Avenue Area the previous night near Orvillers. The Royal Berks were, in turn, relieved by early that afternoon and one casualty was reported. Frederick's body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial (photo below).

Source: Carrie Pike

Alfred George Woodley

Source: Carrie Pike

Alfred George Woodley was born in Maidenhead in 1897, the youngest son of Frederick and Ann Woodley who lived at 15 The Broadway. In the 1911 Census, Alfred’s occupation is listed as an Auctioneers Clerk.

Alfred was the Maidenhead Juniors FC goalkeeper from 1912 to the end of the 1913/14 season and it seems from all the available match reports that he played in all the teams’ competitive matches in the Maidenhead and District League.

He joined up soon after the start of the war and became a member of the 1/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment. He had been fighting on the Western Front for at least a year when he was injured in action on the 17th August 1917. Alfred was taken to the 3rd Australian Clearing Station but sadly died of his wounds the following day.

Alfred is buried in Brandhoek New Military Cemetery, Belgium (photo below) and is also commemorated on the Maidenhead War Memorial.

Source: Carrie Pike

There were some people omitted from the “Roll of Honour” that was affixed to the old Grandstand such as Herbert Hedges Barford and Walter Folley 

John William Dance, the Captain of the Maidenhead United Reserves, receiving the Curzon Shield, awarded to the winners of the South Bucks and East Berks League for the 1922/23 season.  He too fought in World War One and was a Sergeant in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Source: John Dance

Source: Maidenhead Advertiser

However, there were also individuals listed on the RBWM “King & Country” website who might have played for Maidenhead FC but that fact could not be established.

We conclude the First World War “Lest We Forget” series of articles with some of these individuals:

Albert Edward Grubb

Source: Paul Melia

There is a player called Grubb listed three times in 1905/06 season playing for the Reserves. Once the name is given as A. Grubb, but these games are the only ones known for that season although at least 21 matches were played in total. It has just not been possible to ascertain if Albert Grubb is A. Grubb. Albert Grubb was born in 1887 and lived with his parents in Vine Cottage, Furze Platt Road. He joined the 2nd Battalion Dragoon Guards in March 1909 and in April 1910 joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner at No. 1 depot. Although discharged from the Army at his own request on July 20th 1914, he relisted in August. He survived through the war only to lose his life from disease on the 8th December 1918, aged 31, at the 3rd Canadian Stationery Hospital at Doullens in France. He is buried at the Doullens Cemetery in France.

Arthur Ernest Beckley

There is a Beckley who played regularly in goal for the Reserve team during the 1913/14 season but in the first match he played he is listed as W. P. Beckley and there is one match when two Beckley’s (brothers?) were listed in the line-up. It has not been possible to ascertain whether Arthur Beckley, who was born in 1892 and died in Sedan on the 8th September 1918, played for Maidenhead Football Club.

Maidenhead War Memorial. Source: Emma Barnett

Arthur Belcher or Frederick Belcher

A person named Belcher played twice in the 1913/14 season but it was impossible to ascertain whether this might have been Arthur or Frederick. Arthur was born in 1891 and was a member of the 115th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery and was killed at Ypres on the 13th November 1914, aged 23. Frederick Belcher was born in 1877 and was a member of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, and he died aged 37 at Ypres on the 26th October 1914.

Maidenhead War Memorial. Source: Emma Barnett

Albert Church or Walter George Church

There is a S. Church listed in seven first team fixtures during 1907/08, a Church played in one first team friendly in the 1912/13 season and player with the surname Church played in six Reserve team fixtures in the 1913/14 season but no initial is given. On the “King & Country” website listing those who lost their lives during the First World War, were people named Albert Church and Walter George Church but, again, it was impossible to deduce whether they played for the club. Albert Church was born in 1899 and served in the 11th Battalion, Essex Regiment and was killed at Trefcon on the 17th September 1918. Walter Church was born in 1879 and served with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment and was killed at the Somme on the 1st July 1916 aged 37.

Maidenhead War Memorial. Source: Emma Barnett

Additional Information and Sources

Berkshire Yeomanry Museum website
Emma Barnett
Mary Bentley
Dave Cannon
Nicola Carpenter
John Dance
Gillian Healey
Paul Melia
Lesley Norris
Carrie Pike
Steve Roberts
Steve Rolls
Malcolm Summers
David Tubby of the Great Yarmouth History and Archaeological Society

Biographies

Mark Smith attended his first Maidenhead match in March 1976 and continued to watch games fairly regularly for the next forty years. He was responsible for producing the club’s first ever “Handbook” in 1978, and has researched and chronicled the club’s history ever since. He was responsible for organising five exhibitions on the club, two at Maidenhead Library and three at the Maidenhead Heritage Centre (“The Magpies Story”). He has also written four books – Maidenhead FC 1870 – 1914; Maidenhead United 1919 – 1995; Maidenhead United 1995 - 2005, and, to coincide with the club’s 140th anniversary, published a 352-page detailed history entitled “One for Sorrow, Two for Joy” in 2011.

Aside from writing many series for the match programme (such as “Past Maidenhead Greats” and “An A-Z of Maidenhead United”) together with standalone articles, Mark also compiled “One of the Fifteen” on the fifteen players who appeared in the first ever Maidenhead FC match in December 1870, and “Lest We Forget” on those associated with Maidenhead FC and Maidenhead Norfolkians who lost their lives during the two World Wars. He also arranged to have the Maidenhead United Heritage website created - www.mufcheritage.com in 2009.

Matthew Shaw has played for several local football teams and became interested in the history of local football as members of his family have always been involved in football in the Berks and Bucks Counties as far back as the 1870s.

When researching family involvement in clubs in the combined counties, Matthew focused on pre First World War local football and the impact the war had on local teams.

Matthew has researched the Maidenhead Norfolkians FC in depth and helped the Maidenhead United FC Historian Mark Smith on all things Norfolkians. This meant he was also greatly involved in Mark's series "Lest We Forget" that was featured in Maidenhead United home programmes, as Matthew had already researched a large number of the town's footballers from both Senior and Junior clubs who had lost their lives in the Great War.