Reginald Cripps was born on Friday, July 2nd 1897 in Hemel Hempstead and baptised along with two of his siblings, Sidney and Ivory Hilda, in St Mary’s church on Friday, 2nd March 1906. Reginald was the fourth child born to Adam Cripps and Clara Ivory who had a total of six children together. Reginald’s siblings were; William Percy, Florence Lizzie, Freddy and Ivory Hilda. His younger brother Freddy died when he was only three days old.

Reginald’s father Adam worked as a Furnaceman in an iron foundry where he spent most of his working life. It seems likely that Adam worked for Herbert Flint who, along with a small foundry, had an ‘Ironmongery’ shop at 22 High Street in the town. On leaving school aged thirteen, Reginald followed his father into the trade also joining H&A Flint to work as an ‘Errand Boy’.

Reginald grew up at 38 Bury Road and it was from here that he left to enlist in May 1915. Records show that he went to Hertford, probably because two months shy of his eighteenth birthday, he was too young to join the colours. Nevertheless, he successfully enlisted with the 1/1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment.

On the outbreak of war, the 1st Battalion was still a part-time unit but with the formation of a second line battalion in September, the 1st Battalion was renamed the 1st/1st. In November 1914 it was mobilised for foreign service and sent to France as part of the 4th (Guards) Brigade under the orders of the veteran 2nd Division which resulted in the occasional name "Hertfordshire Guards".

Reginald spent the next year training before he finally left for France round June or July 1916, when he joined his Battalion west of Bethune now under the orders of the 118th Brigade in the 39th Division. He soon saw action in the trenches and in October he fought in the Battle of Ancre Heights which included the capture of the Schwaben Redoubt and Stuff Trench. One month later Reginald was in action again, this time in the Battle of the Ancre, the last large British attack in the Battle of the Somme.

It was here under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Page DSO that the Battalion achieved the notable success of advancing 1600 yards and holding its position. This action came at a cost with seven officers wounded and a further 150 men killed or wounded. Reginald fortunately survived the battle. By the end of the month he had moved with the Battalion to Ypres. The 1/1st Herts spent the next six months holding the position on Canal Bank at Ypres and on the 7th July the battalion war diary records “Bn relieved 1st Cambs Regt. in Front Line system, HILL TOP sector.”

It was here three days later that Reginald suffered wounds to his chest and arm which resulted in his evacuation to No. 10 Casualty Clearing Station. He succumbed to his wounds late the same day and he died at 7.10pm on Tuesday, 10th July 1917. Reginald’s death was reported in the Hemel Gazette eleven days later.

Just over a month later on the 25th August a letter received by Reginald’s mother Clara appeared in the Hemel Gazette in which the ‘Sister-in-Charge’ described his passing. 

Reginald is Remembered with Honour in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Grave: XV.B.1. The inscription on his headstone, requested by his mother Clara, reads “SLEEP ON DEAR ONE”.

He was only 20 years old when he died.

Reginald was eligible for the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.