Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of John Chapman a builder, born 1843 in Horncastle, Lincs., and his wife Elizabeth, born 1848 in Uppingham, Rutland. Bertie was born in 1887 in Uppingham, Rutland, his siblings were, Fred R., born 1870, Nellie, born 1877, Fanny, born 1880, Gertie, born 1881 and Robert, born 1885, all his siblings were born in Uppingham, Rutland, in April 1891 the family home was at High Street, Uppingham, Rutland. In March 1901 Bertie was residing in the family home at High Street, Uppingham, Rutland, together with his father, now a plumber and painter, his mother and sister Miriam, born 1875 in Uppingham, Rutland, also residing in the family home were his nephews, Frank R. Parmiter, born 1890 in Kingstone, Herefordshire and Wallace A. Parmiter, born 1893 in Fenny Stratford, Bucks. In April 1911 Bertie was employed as a plumber and was residing as a boarder at 62, Horringer Road, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. In the April, May, June quarter of 1912, Bertie married Alice Louise Bainbridge in the Dunmow, Essex marriage registration district. In the October, November, December quarter of 1921, Bertie’s widow Alice married Harry S. Davie in the Hampstead, Middlesex marriage registration district and they resided at 15, Mansfield Avenue, Blackley, Manchester, Lancashire. Prior to the war he was farming in Winnipeg, Canada. Shortly after war began he enlisted in Lord Strathcona’s Horse, and came over to France with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in January 1916, and with the Winnipeg battalion took part in the heavy fighting on the Thiepval Ridge in October 1916 taking many prisoners and capturing some machine guns. In March 1918 he was engaged at Moreuil Wood, where he was killed, supposedly blown up. He was last seen riding towards the enemy, when both horse and rider went down under machine gun fire, only four of the company returned from the charge, and though a search was later made, no trace of him was found. Like many others, he went down to death, and an unknown grave, but his name will live in the records of Rutland, as one who answered the call of the blood in defence of the homeland.