Name
Frank Harradine
1894
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
17/05/1915
21
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
4/6760
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
GUARDS CEMETERY, WINDY CORNER, CUINCHY
IV. H. 15.
France
Headstone Inscription
THY WILL BE DONE
UK & Other Memorials
Ashwell Village Memorial, St Mary’s Church ROH, Ashwell
Pre War
Frank Harradine was born in Ashwell in 1894, the son of Arthur and Emma Harradine and one of seven children, although one died in infancy. He was baptised on 1 July 1894 at Ashwell, Herts and educated at Merchant Taylor's School, Ashwell.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Mill Street, Ashwell where his father was working as a farm labourer. They had moved to Mill House Yard in Ashwell by 1911 at which time 16 year old Frank was also working as a farm labourer.
He was a member of the Ashwell Football Club and regularly played for the team.
Wartime Service
Frank enlisted in Ashwell on 30 December 1912 and joined the Bedfordshire Regiment, being promoted to Lance Corporal, serving with the 2nd Battalion, arriving in France on 11 November 1914.
He was killed in action at Festubert on 17 May 1915. The battalion did not attack the enemy positions until 19.30 pm when it was dark. The ground was unknown to them during the attack which was met with heavy shell, rifle and machine gun fire. Additionally, it was found that there were numerous trenches running across and parallel with the line of attack. These water filled ditches claimed the lives of many wounded men who were unfortunate enough to fall into them.
Although he was initially listed as missing, at the end of the war, his body was found buried with others and reinterred in the Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuichy, France.
Additional Information
His mother received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £2 5s 3d. She also received a pension of 4 shillings a week (later rising to 5 shillings a week).
Although listed as serving with the 1st Battalion on the CWGC website and some other military records, Frank is recorded on the Soldiers Died in the Great War list as serving with the 2nd Battalion. Also, the original CWGC documentation shows that the men from the Bedfordshire Regiment who died on the same day as Frank Harradine, and who were found, exhumed and re-buried at Cuinchy, were all from the 2nd Battalion or attached to it, except Frank.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Adrian Pitts, Paul Johnson, www.ashwellmuseum.org.uk
