Name
Cecil Charles Frederick Gledhill
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
02/10/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Sergeant
890409
Royal Field Artillery
"D" Battery, 298th Brigade
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
VADENCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY, MAISSEMY
III. C. 11.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hertford Town Memorial, Christchurch Plaque, now in Holy Trinity Church, Bengeo
Pre War
Born 1st December 1898, in Kennington, to parents Charles, Redmond and Minnie, his baptism record, on 3rd December 1898 shows the family as living at 13 Chancery Street, Lower Edmonton, and his father’s occupation was an electrician.
Research shows that Cecil was born in St. Saviour's workhouse Southwark on 1st December 1898 to Minnie Gledhill and baptised two days later in St. George the Martyr Southwark, clearly deserted by his father Cecil Redmond Gledhill who was later back living with his parents.
In 1901 Cecil aged 2, was being fostered in West Hanningfield, Essex by Mary Pinnock; his mother Minnie becoming a domestic servant living in Aldbury.
In 1901 Cecil is living with foster parents in West Hanningfield, Essex, by 1911 he had been adopted by William and Clara Farrow and was living with them in Jenningsbury Cottages, Brickendon Lane, Hertford.
In 1905 Cecil attended the Cowper Testimonial School, Hertford.
Wartime Service
Enlisted at Hertford. His unit, D Battery 298th Brigade RFA, was sent to France in 1917 as part of the 59th (North Midlands) Division. They took part in the attacks on enemy forces as they retreated in the Somme area towards the Hindenburg Line in April. Following this they were taken out of the line for further training until August when they were moved to the Ypres salient. From September they took part in the Third Battle of Ypres, at Menin Road Ridge and Polygon Wood.
In October they were moved to the Lens sector where they stayed until the end of 1917. In March 1918 they were in action at St Quentin and Bapaume before moving to Poperinge in the Lys sector, where they suffered heavy casualties. Before moving again, this time to Passchendaele, where they remained until April. After taking heavy losses they were reconstituted and stayed in the Lys area until August when they fought at Albert. Finally, they took part in the final Allied advance in Artois beginning on October 2nd and it was on this day that Cecil was killed. just seven weeks before the end of hostilities and just two months before he would have reached 20 years of age.
Additional Information
Medal roll shows a previous service number, 1438, but no brigade reference and does not show him as A/Bombardier but as a Driver. His date of entitlement to the 1915 Star would make him 3 weeks short of his 17th birthday.
Cecil's name is on the Farrow family headstone.
Acknowledgments
Malcolm Lennox, Terry & Glenis Collins
