Name
Frank Victor Baker
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
22/06/1917
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
202810
Essex Regiment
11th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PHILOSOPHE BRITISH CEMETERY, MAZINGARBE
I. R. 45.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial,
St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin,
Not listed on the Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Frank is thought to have been born in Islington, London, circa 1896, and was the son of Joel and Ann Baker. However he is difficult to place in the census because his father’s profession was given as a veterinary surgeon in his son’s wedding document in 1915 and no one in 1901 or 1911 seems to fit. Perhaps he became a veterinary surgeon after the census, which seems unlikely, so there is more work to be done!
According to a newspaper report Frank resided in Hitchin, had worked for Hitchin Urban District Council and his home was 5 Barnard's Yard, Hitchin. However, in other records 11 Barnard’s Yard is mentioned – it is of course possible that both were true.
He married Catherine Jane Russell (b 1897) on 20 September 1915 at St Mary’s Church, Stepney: Cable Street, Tower Hamlets, and they had a daughter Harriet Alice born 5 August 1915, which explains why in some records she is referred to as Harriet Alice Russell.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Hertford on the 19th April 1915 and was initially given the service number 4831 in the Hertfordshire Regiment and, after training, he went to France on Christmas Day 1916. At some point, probably early in 1917, he was renumbered to 266543 and later transferred to the Essex Regiment with the service number 202810. The ‘Soldiers died’ database confirms that he was in the 11th Battalion of the Essex Regiment, which was in the 18th Brigade, 6th Division, I Corps in the 1st Army. He was killed in action.
Two days before he died the Battalion had entered the trenches relieving the 1st West Yorks between Cameron Alley and Boyau 52 – Railway Alley – the relief was recorded as quiet. It wasn’t until 1:30am on the 24th that any activity was recorded in the war diary. Then they were trench mortared prior to a German raid. The Germans were driven off, but with 12 other ranks were wounded and 1 was missing, Frank was recorded as killed on the 22nd, and reported in the local newspaper as to have been killed that night by an "aerial dart".
He is buried in Plot 1, Row R, Grave 45 in the Philosophe British Cemetery at Mazingarbe in France. Mazingarbe is between Bethune and Lens in the Pas de Calais.
Additional Information
When Frank was reported to have been killed, the newspaper also recorded that his wife’s stepfather had been missing for 10 months, and that her brother, Sergt. Frederick Russell R.F.C. was a prisoner of war in Germany.
The documents relating to the following information were confusing because Frank’s wife’s story becomes intertwined with another soldier, William Jeffrey Sell (also of Hitchin) and later another man, Edward Thomas Cotton.
Catherine remarried after his Frank’s death. In fact she remarried twice.
Frank’s original pension record has several amendments but knowing that Catherine remarried twice has allowed the amendments to be understood and placed in the correct order.
Catherine received a pension of 18s 9d in respect of Frank and also two sums of money, £13 7s 17d – probably pay owing, and then a grant of £3 – presumably the war gratuity. The original address is 5 Barnard’s Yard, Queen Street, Hitchin, amended to 11 Barnard's Yard – probably at the time that their daughter, Harriet Alice Baker’s birth was recorded and as she was born on 5th August 1915, sometime after that. These are the amendments made when Frank was alive. The next amendment records Catherine had remarried: “Widow married on 25.3.18, William Jeffery Sell a civilian”. That may be misleading as he was Private 265330, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, but had been transferred to the Army Reserve to allow him to work in the munitions industry. This amendment also records that she was paid a remarriage gratuity of £35 11s 1d on 24th April 1918 and noted that the “Childs pension is being paid to her mother as guardian”. These are all written in one hand and in red ink.
William’s biography can be read at "Here" . He died on 18th August 1918 and is buried in Hitchin. At that time she was pregnant with William’s child, who was born on 31st October 1918 and named William Arthur Frederick Sell. She made a claim for child allowance in November 1918 when she was living at 14 Chapman’s Yard, Hitchin. The military form completed was witnessed by H A Mills, a certified midwife.
Having now been tragically widowed twice and having two children, she must have been desperate, however she met and married Edward Thomas Cotton in Hitchin (where he was born) in the second quarter of 1919, and lived at 11 Kindale Road, Hitchin. There is another address for Catherine, 67 Sheridan St, St George’s, London, E1, but it is not clear when she lived there, other than it was while she was Mrs Sell.
There is also a record dated 5 May 1924 for Edward Thomas Cotton of the Bedfordshire Regiment (15001) and a pension for him being paid for Harriet Alice Russell – a stepchild, this record also names Frank, and correctly lists his service number and regiment. So Edward had also served, in fact Edward had fought, been wounded and captured on 22nd March 1918. Edward and Catherine were still together in 1939, living in 115 Salisbury Rd, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, with daughter Catherine Wheeler (née Cotton) and son William A F Sell.
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
