Name
Frederick Benjamin Arnold
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
Frederick Arnold was born at Bedmond in the spring of 1870. He was one of six sons and two daughters born to Benjamin and Mary Arnold. Benjamin worked as a Farm Labourer and the family lived at Bedmond until after the 1911 Census. Frederick had joined up with the Bedfordshire Regiment in 1889.
It is not known when he left the Army, but in 1891 the Census noted that he was living as a Boarder with George Brown and his family at St Pancras. George worked on the Railways and Frederick’s occupation was listed as a Railway Stoker. In the 1901 Census Frederick’s occupation was shown as being a Railway Engine Driver, and at that time he lived as a Boarder with Frederick Clark, a Railway Labourer, and his wife and children at 41 Marsden Street, St Pancras.
By 1904, he had married and his first child was born. It would appear that the family was living at Bedmond as in 1906 and 1908 two further children were born, and their place of birth was given at Bedmond. In the 1911 Census the family was recorded living at 18 Marlin Square, Abbots Langley, and Frederick’s occupation was given as an Asylum Attendant, and he was employed by the Metropolitan Asylum Board.
It is not known when Frederick joined up, or with which unit he served. He was not listed in any of the Abbots Langley or Bedmond records. In November 2016 the “Back to the Front” project was notified by John Jeffries – an 84 year old retired farm worker from the local area – that Frederick was his grand-father. He had lived at 18 Marlin Square, Abbots Langley and had served as an officer in Great War. Frederick would have been 44 when the War started in August 1914, and possibly, having served earlier with the Bedfordshire Regiment, he would have been called back to service, and rapidly had been promoted to officer status.
Frederick Arnold survived the War.
Additional Information
Rank unknown
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
