Regiment: Royal Fusiliers, 22nd Battalion (formerly with Royal Field Artillery)
Service No: 61505
Date & place of birth: April-June 1887, Petworth
Date & place of death: 18 February 1917, Western Front
Family background
Reginald Bartelot (sometimes spelt “Bartelott”) was baptised at St. Mary’s Church, Petworth on 5 August 1887. He was the second child of William and Mary Bartelot, who had four other sons, William, Bertram Gordon, Archibald and Douglas. William Senior had a bewildering range of careers: in 1890 he is an innkeeper and bailiff, a clerk in 1893, an ironmongers’ assistant in 1889 and 1901 and an auctioneer’s clerk in 1911. By then the family lived at 4 New Street, Petworth. At the time of the 1911 census, Reginald was visiting his brother William in Croydon and gave his job as grocer, possibly in Petworth.
Military service
Private Bartelot enlisted in Hove at which time he was resident in Portslade. He was originally in the Royal Field Artillery (service number 3148) and was then transferred to the Royal Fusiliers. His battalion had taken part during 1916 in the battles of Delville Wood and the Ancre; as he died of wounds early in 1917 when less fighting was taking place it may have been in one of those Somme battles that he received the fatal wounds.
Death and commemoration
Private Reginald Bartelot died of wounds on 18 February 1917 aged 29. He is buried in Courcelette British Cemetery on the Somme. He was awarded the Victory and British medals.
Subsequent family history
When he died, Reginald Bartelot left an estate of £176 11s 6d.