Name
Frederick Alfred Elve
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
03/07/1916
26
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
G/4579
The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
6th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 11 C
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Stanstead Abbotts memorials
Pre War
Born in 1890 in Stanstead Abbotts to parents Mary and James, he had three brothers and two sisters. In 1891 they were living in Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts, and his father was working as a malt maker. By 1901 his father had died, and his mother was working as a dairymaid. In 1911 Frederick had moved away and was working as a gardener at Pabo Nursery in Conway, North Wales. At the outbreak of war he was living at 2 Carew Road, Hampton, Middlesex.
Wartime Service
Frederick enlisted at Hounslow and joined the Royal West Kent on 19/11/1914 and was posted to France on 1/6/1915. They went into the front line for the first time on 23rd June and fought during the battle of loos. The battalion was moved to Somme area and took part in the First Somme battle from July 3rd, 1916. They were scheduled to attack enemy positions at Ovillers La Boiselle and take the village, which had been one of the objectives of the first day. The West Kents attack at 3.15am was met by ferocious enemy machine gun fire and even though they managed to reach to second German line the attack had failed by 9.00am and it was here that Frederick died but his body was not recovered.
Acknowledgments
Terry & Glenis Collins
