Name
Fred Eames
23 February 1896
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1915
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
15903
Hampshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
HAMEL MILITARY CEMETERY, BEAUMONT-HAMEL
I. D. 19.
France
Headstone Inscription
HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, Leverstock Green National School Memorial, Not on the Leverstock Green Village Memorial, We are not aware of any memorial in Adeyfield
Pre War
Frederick (Fred) Eames was born on 23 February 1896 in Leverstock Green, nr Berkhamsted, the son of Walter and Rebecca Eames, and baptised at Leverstock Green on 12 March 1899. He was one of nine children, six of whom died at a young age.
Fred was educated at Leverstock Green School from 1902, leaving in 1909 to start work when he was aged 13. On the 1901 Census the family were living at 9 Wood Lane, Hemel Hempstead, where his father was working as a brickmaker. His mother died in 1910, aged 57, and by 1911 Fred was living with his family at 14 Adeyfield Terrace in Hemel Hempstead and working as a House Boy in a Gentleman's House.
His father later lived at 8 South Hill Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Guildford, Surrey in early 1915 (perhaps because he was working there) and joined the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. After basic training in Winchester he was sent to France on 20 July 1915, joining his Battalion north of Beaumont-Hamel with a draft of 115 other men a week later and they relieved the French forces in the trenches at Hamel.
The circumstances of Fred's death are unclear but he was fatally wounded at some point in the last days of July and died from his wounds on 31 July 1915. He is buried at Hamel Military Cemetery, France.
N.B. A local newspaper reported that he was killed in action at Hooge on the 31st July 1917 (sic), although other official records show that he died of wounds. The newspaper also reported on a memorial service at St Paul's, Hemel Hempstead to commemorate those from the parish who had been killed, which included William Miller, Leonard Ellison, John Parish, Fred Eames and Frederick Cole.)
Additional Information
His father, Mr W Eames, 8 South Hill Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts., ordered his headstone inscription: "HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS". His father received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £2 14s 9d.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, Barbara Chapman, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., lgchronicle.net/1914501918, www.hemelheroes.com.
