Page 674 - Reading Mercury

Fri 1st March
DIG FOR VICTORY
The Wokingham Town Council desires to draw your attention to the fact that
despite the appeal of the Minister of Agriculture they STILL HAVE A LARGE
NUMBER OF VACANT ALLOTMENTS.
You are earnestly requested to cultivate an allotment, for which application should
be made to the Borough Surveyor, Town Hall, Wokingham.

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Sat 9 March
SOLDIER’S BROADCAST FROM NAZI STATION
Message To His Mother At Wokingham
CAPTURED ELEVEN DAYS BEFORE DATE FIXED FOR WEDDING
Exactly a week before he was due to arrive in England on leave—and 11 days
before he was to have been married—John William Gray, of the Duke of Cornwall’s
Light Infantry, was taken prisoners by the Germans. Gray, whose mother and sister
live at 115, Evendon’s Lane, Wokingham, is 25 years of age, and he has seen his
family only once in the last seven years.
Broadcast From Nazi Station
Still awaiting official confirmation of her only son’s capture, Mrs. Gray was told by
a representative of this paper that he had broadcast from a Nazi radio station on
Wednesday night.
“He has written to us regularly during the whole time he has been in France,” Mrs.
Gray said. “We have sent him parcels of woollen clothes and of things to eat and we
were preparing a welcome home for him next week. Now I may not see him again for
years.”
Had been recalled to the colours
Gray, whose home is in Middlesex, joined the Army at the age of 18. Enlisting in
the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, he was sent abroad almost at once and had
seven unbroken service overseas. Most of this service was in North India, but he spent
some time in Gibraltar. He took his discharge on his return to England in the autumn
of last year and obtained employment as a telegraphist at Leamington.
Within a very short time, however, he was called to the Colours and was one of the
next contingent to go to France. In his letters to his mother he made it evident that the
only thing which caused him any inconvenience was the bitter cold—and that was not
surprising in view of his long sojourn in India.
The first intimation that her son was due to come home on leave—and that he was
due to be married—was conveyed to Mrs. Gray in a letter sent to her by the young
man’s fiancée, Miss Edith Melham of Esher Place, Esher, recently. A friend of Gray’s
serving with him, returned on leave and took the message to Miss Melham that Gray
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would be home on March 12 , and that he had suggested the wedding should be on
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the 16 .
Mrs. Gray has lived at Evendons Lane for the past five years with her daughter,
Mrs. , and her three grandchildren—two of whom are twins. Mrs. Futter, a widow,
has lived in Wokingham for the past 20 years.
According to reports Gray was one of 16 men taken prisoner from a British outpost
on the Western Front. It was the first time that we had lost prisoners on land in this
war, but the men of the particular outpost had a specially dangerous task in
maintaining contact with the enemy. A British communiqué issued from G.H.Q.
stated: “A raid took place this morning against a post in the British front line, and the

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