Gunner Bertram NEVILLE-GRENVILLE (102242)
Royal Field Artillery

Date of birth: 20th January 1880
Date of death: 5th April 1950

Died aged 70
Unknown
Bertram Neville-Grenville was born at Worcester Street, Christchurch in New Zealand on the 20th of January 1880 the son of Louis Neville-Grenville, an engineer, and Ada Isabel (nee Rouse) Neville-Grenville later of 28 Holywell Street, Oxford.

He was educated at Hazelwood School until July 1893 when he went on to Haileybury School where he was in Melville House from September 1893 to December 1897.

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Marine Light Infantry on the 1st of September 1898 and went on to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich from the 30th of September 1898 to the 31st of July 1899. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st of July 1899. On the 1st of August 1899 he was posted to the Chatham Division until the 8th of July 1900 where it was reported that he showed "a total lack of judgement." On the 9th of July 1900 he was posted to HMS Jupiter for mobilisation for the war in South Africa. While he was there one of his superiors, referring to the earlier report, noted that: -

"Informed that a repetition of such a report will militate against his advancement."

He left on the 24th of August 1900 and returned to the Chatham Division the following day where he remained until the 4th of October. On the 5th of October 1900 he was posted to the cruiser HMS Diadem and returned home on the 25th of November 1901. He was awarded the Queen’s Medal with two clasps for his service during the war. He returned to the Chatham Division on the 26th of November 1901, serving there until the 28th of December when he was posted to HMS Vivid at Devonport. He was posted to the Plymouth Division from the 2nd to the 10th of January 1902. He served in the Cape Mounted Rifles from 1902 to 1908, rising to the rank of Lieutenant after which he returned to New Zealand.

He went back to England on the outbreak of war to enlist as a Gunner 102242 in the Royal Field Artillery and served from 1915 to 1919 during which time he served overseas.

He was married to Gertrude M. (nee Thompson) on the 11th of October 1919; they had two daughters, Margaret Roberta and Edith Beryl, born on the 16th of March 1925. He and his wife moved to Kericho in Kenya where he farmed from 1920 until their return on board the SS "Watussi" on the 4th of April 1930. After returning from Africa they lived in France and later at “The Old Cottage”, Combe Batch, Wedmore in Somerset.

He died in Somerset.


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