Former mayor of Winchester shares precious letters from World War One

Eileen Berry, who served as the mayor of Winchester for a year in 2014, has shared family treasures that tell the tale of a soldier who died in World War I, without having met his son.

After the death of her husband, 18 years ago, Eileen felt a duty to the Berry family line to keep the memory of her husband’s grandfather alive.

Frederik Berry (1889 – 1916) died as a non-commissioned officer, a position given to enlisted soldiers of the working class who worked their way up the ranks.

Eileen has kept letters between Frederick and his wife Rosanna, photos, army booklets, census records and medals at her home in Harestock which were passed down in the family.

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She said: “I have nothing but admiration for Sergeant Frederik Berry who married the love of his life, had a son but never saw him and went to war on the front line.

“Apparently all his men adored him and died with him in the trenches. He was so loved by his men that it became important for him to be recognised. I want to honour him and give him a voice.

“Before having read all these letters, I already had huge respect for him. He’s everything most people would believe to be impossible. Reading his letters touched me deeply. Nothing in my life could compare to what he suffered.”

After reading one of the letters from Frederik to his wife Eileen said: “He’s written this in a dugout, he’s being shelled and covered in mud. This letter is the saddest thing I have ever read.

“I cried because this man and had given his all and sounded like he was giving up but still had the old-fashioned way of wishing the old Mr and Mrs Berry a happy Christmas.”

The former mayor felt a connection to Frederik Berry before she knew of the family. As a 16-year-old she would run from Park Road in Abbots Barton to St Mary’s Church in Kings Worthy and sit among the graves, unaware there was a cross there for Mr Berry.

After meeting her husband John, Eileen was still going to the churchyard and learned from her father-in-law (Frederik’s son) that Frederik had a grave there.

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Mrs Berry once attended a meeting in one of the railway cottages and she was later informed by some historians that the Berrys used to live there.

Eileen continued: “Something was talking to me. I’m very curious about deep things that I can’t account for. When my husband died I knew I had to do the best I could for the Berrys.”

The Harestock resident has since visited the communal cemetery in Cuincy village in France, where the sergeant was buried. Eileen hopes to have someone transcribe all the letters from the old cursive writing, so they can be read forever more.