Name
Frederick Swayne (poss Swain)
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
20/07/1917
28
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
201399
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st/5th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
GAZA WAR CEMETERY
XXX. A. 12
Israel and Palestine (including Gaza)
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
St Albans Citizens Memorial,
Town Hall (old) Memorial, St Albans,
St Michael's Church Memorial, St Albans,
St Leonard's Church Lychgate, Sandridge,
We are not aware of any memorial in Gorhambury
Pre War
Fred was born in 1887 in St Albans. He married Emily (Daisy) Cooper, on 9th May 1914 and had two children; Dorothy Emily (1914) and Agnes May (1916).
The three census returns in which he can be found give three different locations but they are all around St Albans.
Address given as Maynes Cottages, St Albans.
Wartime Service
Killed in action.
In formation from the War Diary and www.bedfordregiment.org.uk give the following information:
Casualties from the first Raid, 20th July 1917
The Bedfords' War Diary Appendix includes the casualties inflicted onto the Turkish during the raid, and only includes those that the Bedfords themselves inflicted:
'Enemy Casualties. No count was possible in COVER ALLEY & STAY ALLEY & those killed by our guns are not included. The counted casualties are: ECHELON TRENCH 24, FRONT TRENCH & CROSS CUT 15. Side TRENCH 1 officer, 30 O.Rs. DUGOUT ALLEY 35 Total (Turkish Casualties) 105.'
Usually for Other Ranks, the diary also lists the British casualties:
"21 Jul 1917 The dead of the expedition including [7] RAMC, 1 Div Sig Coy, 1 484 Coy RE & 1 M.G Coy, 1 unknown & 16 BEDFORDS were buried in a cemetery near HQ of the Raid viz K 39 trench."
However, there were actually 24 men from the 5th Bedfords and 7 from the 2nd/1st East Anglian Field Ambulance, RAMC killed during the first raids against Umbrella Hill on 20th July 1917, as shown below, including:
The Hull brothers from Luton, neither of whom were found
Three friends from Ipswich serving in the RAMC were all killed whilst rescuing survivors in no-man's land as the Turkish barrage plastered the assembly area after the raid.
Additional Information
His brother Charles Henry was also killed and is commemorated in St Albans.
Emily Swain (nee Cooper)'s brother, Harry Cooper was also killed during the war and is also commemorated on the Sandridge lychgate. He died in France and is buried at the Hooge Crater Cemetery. Emily lost her husband, her brother and a brother-in-law in the same year.
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild, Gareth Hughes, www.bedfordregiment.org.uk, Mark Collins (Great Grandson)
