Name
Frederick John Sansom (*1)
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
03/05/1917
20
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
G/14230
Royal Fusiliers *2
4th (City of London) Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ARRAS MEMORIAL
Bay 3
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Croxley Green Village Memorial, Croxley Green, All Saints' Church Shrine, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth Urban District Memorial, Not on the Redbourn memorials, Not on the Watford memorials
Pre War
Frederick was the eldest child of Harry (Henry) and Margaret Sansom (nee EVANS) of Cassiobridge. He helped his father run their watercress business. Both he and his father were born in Redbourn.
His parents married 16 May 1896 at St Ann’s, Tottenham, Middx. Margaret died 1897 in Redbourn, Herts, aged 20, the same year that Frederick was born, and was buried 10 March at St Mary’s, Redbourn. Henry remarried 1899 in the Luton, Beds, district to Lillie/Lily LUCKETT, and died 7 March 1941 aged 65; Lily died 26 June 1942 aged 65; both in Rickmansworth, Herts.
Frederick’s birth was registered in the St Albans district in the second quarter of 1897. The family seem to have moved to the Rickmansworth area about 1900.
On the 1901 Census, aged 4 he lived in Rickmansworth, with his father, step-mother and one sibling. On the 1911 Census, assisting in the [watercress growing] business aged 14, he lived in Watford, with his father, step-mother and four siblings.
Officially recorded as born in Redbourn and was living in Watford when he enlisted in St Pancras.
Wartime Service
Lance-Corporal, 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 9th Brigade, 3rd Division.
He was entitled to the 1914-15 Star medal, his qualifying date, when he began overseas service, being 4 November 1915.
On 2 May Frederick’s battalion was at Monchy-le-Preux, near Arras. They attacked the German lines at 3.45 am on 3 May and managed to get about 100 yards when they were caught by heavy artillery and machine gun fire. The British barrage had failed to dent the German defences. Strong German counter-attacks resulted in the leading companies being cut off and the attack failed with heavy casualties. 4 officers were killed, 4 wounded and 3 missing; 30 other ranks were killed, 156 wounded, 99 missing and 3 suffered from shell shock.
Frederick was presumed killed in action on 3 May 1917.
Additional Information
*1 A 'Jack' Sansom appears on the Redbourn memorials and we suspect that it might be this man. CWGC puts him in the 4th Bn. Royal Fusiliers but his Medal Roll Index Card says that he was in the 2nd Bn. and entered the Balkans on 5 Nov 1915. The 2nd Bn. left the Balkans after the retreat from Gallipoli and landed at Marseille in Mar 1916 which fits with him being killed at Arras. After Frederick’s death the Army paid his father £12 1s 1d including a war gratuity of £9. SDGW Cousin of John & Ralph Sansom.
*2 More correctly London Regiment (Royal
Fusiliers).
Acknowledgments
Gareth Hughes, Brian Thomson, Croxley Green in the First World War Rickmansworth Historical Society 2014, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH online via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
