TAFT

		Source
		CWGC	SDGW	Uttoxeter Advertiser	Other
Parents	John Thomas and Annie Taft	Yes
Parents	Mr. & Mrs. T. Taft			2b, 2c	4
Position in the family	Youngest son			2c	4
Where born	Uttoxeter		Yes		4
When born	1897 or 1898				6
Address	Smithfield Road (self)
	New Inn, Bramshall (parents)	Yes
	Smithfield-Road (parents)			2b, 2c	4
Spouse	No
Children	No
Employment Before Joining up	Booking Office, Uttoxeter Station			2a, 2c
Employment Before Joining up	Traffic Dept., North Staffordshire Railway				4, but WRONG
Military service before the war	Uttoxeter Territorials			2a
When enlisted	29^th August 1914			2a	4
When enlisted	August 1914			2b
Where enlisted	Uttoxeter		Yes		4
Regiment	North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales’s)	Yes	Yes	2a, 2b, 2c	4
Unit	1^st/6^th Bn.		Yes		1, 4
	6^th Bn			2b, 2c
	‘B’ Company				1
Rank	Private	Yes	Yes	2b, 2c	1, 4
Service Number	2522	Yes	Yes		1, 4
Date of Death	13 October 1915	Yes	Yes	2c	1, 4
Age at time of death	17	Yes		2c	4
Where Killed or died	Loos – Hohenzollern Redoubt				4, 5
Where Killed or died	France/Flanders		Yes		5
How he died	Killed in Action		Yes	2c	1, 4
How he died	Missing			2b
Location of Grave or Memorial	Loos Memorial for the Missing Panel 103 to 105	Yes
Awards
Where commemorated	Uttoxeter Town War Memorial (Market Place				4, 7
	Bramshall St. Lawrence Church Yard				4
	North Staffordshire Railway Stoke Station Memorial				4, 7
	North Staffordshire Railway Cheddleton Railway Museum Roll of Honour				4

Bertie joined-up in August 1914, ^[2b] which means that he was only 16 years old when he enlisted.^[3]

In September, barely a month after Britain had declared war on Germany, the Uttoxeter Advertiser published an article reporting that Bertram had left with the reservists of Uttoxeter. ^[2a]The article said the following:

“The North Staffordshire Railway Station staff at Uttoxeter has been largely depleted through recruiting, both passenger and goods departments having sent their quota. The decision of the men has doubtless been largely influenced by the considerate way in which the Company are treating their employees who join the colours.

..”On Saturday B. Taft left with the reservists to the Uttoxeter Company of Territorials, and on Monday H. Axson, of the booking office staff, C. Wood, T. Durose and A. Ball left Uttoxeter to join the new Liverpool Regiment which is being raised by Lord Derby....”

He was reported as missing immediately after the charge on the Hohenzollern Redoubt at Loos on the 13th October 1915, ^[2b] but it was not until November 1915 that his parents were given official notification of his death. ^[2c]

According to his obituary in the Uttoxeter Advertiser, Bertie was a courteous lad and his death was much regretted by those who knew him. ^[2c]

He had a brother, Lance Corporal Richard. H. Taft, who served in the 5^th Queen’s Regiment in India. He also enlisted at the outbreak of war and was 25 years old when Bertram was killed.^[2c]