Name
Frederick Charles Garner
1887
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
24/10/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
26280
Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
VERCHAIN BRITISH CEMETERY, VERCHAIN-MAUGRE
B. 9.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial,
St Mary's Church Memorial, Hemel Hempstead,
Not on the Boxmoor memorials
Pre War
Frederick Charles Garner was born on 5 October 1887 in Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, the son of Frederick and Sarah Ann Garner and baptised on 13 November at St John the Evangelist Church in nearby Boxmoor. He was one of six children, although his sister Alice died aged 3.
The family lived on Anchor Lane, Boxmoor, and on the 1891 Census, he was staying with his grandmother Ann Dell on Census night with his brother William and listed at 11 Anchor Lane. His parents and his one year old sister Alice were listed at 9 Anchor Lane.
By 1901 the family were living at 25 Bury Hill, Hemel Hempstead, where his father was a worker at the paper mill and 13 year old Frederick was working as a grocers errand boy. He later worked as a labourer for Arthur Nugents, the owner of the Bell Hotel, High Street, Hemel Hempstead.
He joined the Militia in 1904, something many young men on low wages did to increase their income, joining the 4th Bedfordshire Regiment. He received 63 days training and attended a summer camp in 1905, however he paid £1 for a release and was discharged in April 1906, possibly because he had obtained a better paid job. About this time he started work as a Stoker in the boiler house at the Hemel Hempstead Institution (the old Union Workhouse) which was later St Paul's Hospital, and then the Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
He married Emily Coughtrey on 18 May 1907 in Hemel Hempstead and they had three children, Frederick, Bertie and Sonny. They lived at 3 Union Square, Hemel Hempstead.
His parents had moved to Durrants Hill Road, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead on the 1911 Census.
Wartime Service
Having been in the Militia, Frederick was one of the first to be called up, and he rejoined the Bedfordshire Regiment on 31 August 1914. He was sent to Dovercourt in Harwich for training, however after two months he was diagnosed with chronic catarrh of the middle ear which made him prone to hearing loss. He was then deemed "Unlikely to make an efficient soldier" and he was discharged on 31 October 1914 and sent home.
Later in the war when more men were needed, Frederick was recalled and enlisted on 13 March 1917. He was initially posted to the Labour Company, Northants Regiment , despite a comment on his medical form that he had a slight irregularity in 'heart action' and emphysema this was not considered sufficient to cause rejection, and he served at home from 13 - 24 March 1917. (Medal Index Rolls show he also served under reg. no. 23968 (Northants Reg. Lab Coy), and 84749 (142 Lab Corps).
He joined the British Expeditionary Force on 25 March 17 and joined his battalion in the field on 4 December 1917. He was posted to the West Riding Regiment on 18 January 1918 and joined them on 31 January 1918, receiving 14 day leave in the UK from 20 March 1918 when he was able to see his young son Sonny for the first time as he had been born in November 1917.
After he returned to France in April he was transferred again three months later, being posted to the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment). He fought in the Second Battle of Arras, his first major action, and was again in action in September and October, during a series of encounters when the Allies successfully advanced towards the Hindenburg Line. On 24 October Frederick was believed to be wounded but sadly this report was later cancelled to report that he had been killed in action on 27 October 1918, aged 31.
Additional Information
His widow received a war gratuity of £9 and pay owing of £16 2s 3d. She was also awarded a pension of £1 9s 7d a week for herself and 3 children with effect from 12.5.19.
N.B. Some records show date of death as 24.20.18.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.hemelheroes.com.
