Name
Frederick William Reynolds
22 Dec 1884
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Gunner (Signaller)
90102
Royal Garrison Artillery
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
Frederick William Reynolds, the eldest son of Robert and Rebecca Louisa Reynolds (nee Ray) was born on 22 December 1884 in Colney Heath. The record of his enlistment in the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) in December 1915 reveals that, Frederick, aged 31, was employed as the Head Gardener at Roestock Hall, Colney Heath.
Married to Eliza Elizabeth Eames on 11 March 1905 at St Mark's Church, Colney Heath, by the time Frederick enlisted the couple were already parenting four young daughters - Ida Beatrice, Freda Elizabeth and twins Bethia and Emma. During the course of Frederick's wartime service a further three children were born - triplets Miriam, Percy and Frederick.
His army service record shows that in September 1916 Frederick passed a class of instruction as a First Class Signaller, and from May to October of that year he was deployed on Home Service, details of which are unclear. On 6th October 1916 Frederick was posted to the 234th Siege Battery of the RGA and by January 1917 was with the British Expeditionary Force in France where he served until May 1917. There is a note on the record which suggests that he may have been sick or wounded at one stage but again the date and details are not clear.
By 18th September 1917 Frederick is to be found at the Royal Garrison Artillery Command Depot in Ripon, Yorkshire. Just over a year later from November 1918 to January 1919 he is serving, rank given as gunner, at a Prisoner of War Receiving Camp in Ripon.
Transfer to Class "Z" Army reserve took place on his demobilization on 15 March 1919 and he returned home to his family in Colney Heath. The address on demobilization is given as The Gardens, Roestock Hall, St Albans, so it is likely he returned to his previous employment. However, by the mid 1920's Frederick, his wife and family had relocated to Shefford in Bedfordshire, where he died in 1965. The 1939 England and Wales Health register records his occupation at that time as a Master watchmaker and also noted that he was a special constable for the County.
He was the recipient of the British War and Victory Medals.
Acknowledgments
Anne Roberts
