This story was originally covered in much more detail by Roger Deeks in the New Regard.
Roger Deeks, Private Reginald Thomas Packer, Grenadier Guards, and the Memorial, New Regard, Journal of the Forst of Dean History Society, No. 25, pp. 15-20.
Reginald Packer was born in Southrop, Gloucestershire, in July 1895, the son of a policeman called William Packer. The family moved to Cinderford, where William Packer was appointed Police Inspector in January 1909. The family worshipped at St. Stephen’s Church, Cinderford, where Reginald sang in the choir.
Reginald Packer was a strong young man and over six feet tall. In August 1911, this enabled him to leave his job as a brewer’s clerk and enlist in one of the elite army regiments, the Grenadier Guards. At the time of his enlistment, he was only 16 years and one month old. However, his physique enabled him to falsely claim that he was 18 years of age, which was a requirement for enlistment at the time. He served his time at the Grenadier Guards barracks in Warley, London, until the outbreak of war in August 1914.
His service records show that on Saturday 26 September 1914, he became absent without leave from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards while they were still stationed in England. He returned to Cinderford walking with a limp, using a stick with bandages on his head. He claimed he had been wounded at the Battle of Aisne and attended a church service at St Stephens on Sunday 27 September. He reported to the Dean Forest Mercury that he had left England for France on 15 September and had been involved in several desperate battles. He said he was:
keen to be back again with his mates doing what he can in the struggle in which they are so nobly doing their duty.
However, he was arrested and by 15 October 1914 was held in confinement awaiting trial. On 27 October, he was convicted of desertion by a district court martial and sentenced to 42 days’ detention in a military prison with all former service forfeited. This meant he would lose his pension rights for his service up to that point and have a seriously blemished record.
The authorities were keen to keep his desertion a secret as they wanted to use the example of his ‘heroism’ as a propaganda tool in the local press to illustrate the bravery of the British forces in France and to encourage recruitment and support for the war effort. Also, the authorities might have been keen to avoid embarrassing Inspector William Packer, who was a highly respected member of the Forest establishment.
Meanwhile, on 7 October, Packer’s battalion had been sent to France and was involved in heavy fighting. The army was in desperate need of trained soldiers and so on 9 November, after serving only part of his sentence, he was sent to rejoin his battalion. He was immediately involved in fierce fighting around the town of Fromelles and was killed on 20 December 1914 at just 19 years of age. A letter was sent to the family by one of Reginald’s comrades, William Blake, which said:
You have the satisfaction of knowing that Reg was every inch a British soldier, well liked by his comrades, and a credit to the Regiment.
Reginald Packer’s death was first reported in the Dean Forest Mercury on 8 January 1915 and further reported the following week under the headline ‘Roll for Heroes’. The story reminded the readers of his return to Cinderford in September 1914 with wounds to his head and leg, and his quick return to France to fight alongside his fellow soldiers.
Reginald Packer is buried at Ration Farm Cemetery, La Chapelle Armentieres. It is possible that only his family members and the military authorities knew of the true story of his desertion. Reginald Packers’ younger brother, Ernest, was killed in France on 3 July 1916. They are both commemorated on the Cinderford Town War memorial and on a memorial at their school, Double View, in Cinderford. In addition, the wrought iron gates at St Stephens church, Cinderford, commemorate the death of a single soldier, Reginald Packer, killed in action on 20 December 1914. There is no known explanation for his return to Cinderford and his elaborate deception.