Name
Bertram (Bert) Wilsher
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
31538
Machine Gun Corps
107th Company
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Pirton School Memorial
Biography
The name Bertram Wilsher appears in the Hertfordshire Express of July 11th 1914, which reports him as a member of the organising committee for the Pirton Transept Fête.
Bertram appears on the School War Memorial, confirming that he attended the school. The Hertfordshire Express of April 28th 1917 reports him as one of four brothers serving, whose parents were Mr and Mrs J Wilshere of Andrew’s Cottages - the three cottages at the bottom of the High Street.
Parish and census records confirm they were James Wilshere and Sarah (née Larman). In all it would appear that four brothers served, of whom three survived - refer to Arthur Wilshere for more family details.
By 1911 Bert was the only one of the children recorded as living in the family home. He was twenty-one and, like his brother Arthur, was earning a living as a cowman on one of the local farms.
Bert is recorded in the Parish Magazine of July 1916 as enlisting between October 21st 1915 and March 2nd 1916 and serving in the Bedfordshire Regiment. In fact, he signed his attestation papers on November 12th 1915 in Hitchin, aged twenty-five. Previously a labourer, he became Private 23186, Bedfordshire Regiment, joining his Regiment on the 17th at the Ampthill Depot for training. He was unmarried and his next of kin given as his mother, Sarah. Later, after he married on February 19th 1916, this was changed to his wife Mary (née Males) of Holwell Road Cottages, also known as the ‘Twelve Apostles’.
Bert transferred to the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) as Private 31538 on April 12th 1916 and embarked for France on June 18th and, after a period in the Base Depot, was posted to the 107th Company on July 4th.
The Hertfordshire Express of April 28th 1917 reported Bert as serving in France and the North Herts Mail, dated two days earlier, states that Bert had been wounded. This may be an error, perhaps confusion with one of his brothers, because this wound does not appear in his service record. However, he was wounded on August 10th 1917. It is not clear if he returned to France, but he was posted three more times in 1918 and was demobilised on March 3rd 1919.
Maureen Worsley (née Wilsher) adds ‘My paternal Grandfather, Bertram served in World War One as a private in the army. Whenever anyone asked, ‘What did you do in the war?’ he would say ‘You don't want to know about such things as that’ and then shut up like a clam and refuse to say anything further!’
After the war he worked on the railway, living with Mary in Pudding Bag Alley(*1) and then later, in 1925(*2), moving to 11 Davis Crescent with their children: Alan, Dulcie and Patty. Four more children were then added to the family: Bessie, Jeffrey, Max and Terry. Bert continued working for the railway until he retired in 1955.(*2)
Another grandchild, Martin Wilsher added ‘I know my Grandfather, Bertram Wilsher, was a participant in the Great War, and I have a memory of him playing tunes on the harmonica he had given to me for my seventh birthday that he had learnt while he was in the trenches.’
His Pirton monumental inscription reads “Bertram Wilsher born 1890 died 1976”. Also “Mary Wilsher born 1895 died 1980”.
*1 Pudding Bag Alley was the name given to the alley way running behind the row of terraced cottages in West Lane at the junction with the High Street.
*2 Previously the information was incorrect and listed Bert as moving to 11 Davis Crescent upon his retirement in 1925 this was a result of carelessness by the writer, Jonty Wild apologises for the error.
Additional Information
Text from the book ‘The Pride of Pirton’ by Jonty Wild, Tony French & Chris Ryan used with author's permission
Acknowledgments
Text from the book ‘The Pride of Pirton’ by Jonty Wild, Tony French & Chris Ryan used with author's permission, Martin Wilsher (grandson), Maureen Worsley (née Wilsher) (granddaughter)
