Reginald John Tucker was born on 5 October, 1894, at Crow Green, in Cullompton, Devonshire, the youngest son of Edward Tucker, a dairyman and yardman on a farm, and Elizabeth Tucker (formerly Brooks). He had six siblings, one elder brother and five sisters: Edward George (1884); Sarah Mary (1886); Ethel Elizabeth (1887); Laura Annie (1889); Edith Ellen (1892); and Florence Jane (1903). All were born at either Tiverton or Cullompton, and from 1891 onwards the family lived at Crow Villas, on Crow Green, Cullompton.

Reginald John Tucker was employed as a shop assistant and draper in Cullompton in 1911, but by 1916 he had moved to Manchester, where he was employed in the same occupation by Affleck and Brown Drapers, in Oldham Street, Manchester. He was living together with his brother at 24 Scholes Street, in Cheetham Hill, Higher Broughton, Manchester, and was unmarried, although he had a sweetheart, May Holdsworth, who lived at 147 Heywood Street, in Cheetham Hill.

Reginald John Tucker originally enlisted on 12 January, 1916, for the duration of the war, at Pendleton, in Lancashire, as a Private, in the Manchester Regiment, number 33262: he was aged 21 years and 4 months. He was described as being: 5' 6½" tall; with light brown hair; blue eyes; a fresh complexion; and a chest measurement of 31½"/33½"; moles on his right forearm, right buttock and right auxila. He was issued with armlet number BB16698, to signify he had enlisted, and transferred to the Army Reserve.

He was mobilized just two days later into the 25th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment, at Southport, Lancashire, and posted to the regimental depot. On 19 February he was posted to the 14th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment, at Brockton, Cannock Chase.

On 9 May, 1916, Reginald John Tucker was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), within No. 4 Group, with the number 35149, and he qualified as a range taker.

On 15 July he committed an offence on active service, by being absent from tattoo until apprehended by Military Police in Grantham town at 1 am on 16 July: his punishment was to be confined to barracks for seven days. 

His record states that on 11 September he was a casualty in the field, but the details are not known.

Five days later, on 16 September, he joined the 166th Company, Machine Gun Corps, and two months later committed a further offence, by being late on parade and was deprived of seven days' pay.

He repeated this offence on 26 February, 1917, being late on parade at 9.30am, and received the same punishment.

Reginald John Tucker entered France and Flanders in July, 1917, with the 166th Company MGC, and undoubtedly saw action on the opening day of Third Ypres offensive on 31 July.

By 2 September the unit was at Nordavsques, and on 14 September marched from there to Audricq, where it entrained and travelled to Peselhoek. At 10.00 pm it proceeded on foot to Goldfish Chateau, north of Ypres. At 6.00 pm the following day, 15 September, it moved to the area of St. Jean and Wieltje, east of Ypres. During the night, three days later, it was withdrawn to, and remained in, the village of St. Jean.

The next day, 19 September, the section officers reconnoitred and marked out the sites to be occupied as barrage positions, and at 11.00 pm the gun teams left St. Jean and moved in to the line, for the third stage of the British advance - the battle of Menin Road.

By 2.00 am on 20 September, all the guns were in position and the men dug in. Shortly before zero hour one gun team sustained six casualties (four killed and two wounded), but the gun was undamaged. From the timing and ratio of casualties it is presumed that this incident was caused by enemy shell fire.

In the absence of any further mention in the war diary of casualties on this day, it is assumed that Private Reginald John Tucker was one of the casualties killed in this incident.

At 5.40 am, zero hour, and after a 24-hour bombardment, the attack was launched on the enemy's lines in conjunction with the corps on the company's left, and the army on the company's right.

The machine gun barrage expended some 100,000 rounds of ammunition. Two guns were put out of action and were replaced by two guns from St. Jean.

Over the period 20-22 September the enemy made several counter attacks which were broken up by artillery and machine gun fire.

Reginald John Tucker was 22 years old when he was killed.

His total service amounted to 1 year and 251 days, all but the first 116 days of which had been spent with the Machine Gun Corps: he had served one year and five days with the 166th Company, of which approximately three months had been spent in France and Flanders.

His death was reported in both the Tiverton & East Devon Herald and The Manchester Evening News, on 9 October, 1917. The latter contained two memorial notices, one from his brother and the other from his sweetheart, which read: From his brother: 'His tender words and smiling face Are pleasant to recall, He had a loving word for all, And died beloved by all.' And from his sweetheart: 'There is a link that death cannot sever, Love and remembrance live forever.'

Reginald John Tucker has no known grave, being commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

He is also commemorated on the Cullompton town war memorial, as well as on the war memorial tablet inside St. Andrew's Church.

Reginald John Tucker's service earned him the British War Medal, 1914-20; and Victory Medal, 1914-19.

On 25 April, 1919, the Army Form W5080, in respect of the preparation for Reginald John Tucker's memorial plaque and scroll, was posted to his mother, Elizabeth Tucker, who returned it, completed, on 1 May. A memorial plaque and memorial scroll were also prepared for issue to his parents, commemorating his sacrifice.