FEARN, FREDERICK
Photograph with kind permission from the Uttoxeter Advertiser
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Source |
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CWGC |
SDGW |
Uttoxeter Advertiser |
Other |
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Parents |
Frederick and Ellen Fearn |
Yes |
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Mr. & Mrs. F. Fearn |
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1b, 1c, 1d |
3 |
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Where born |
Uttoxeter |
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Yes |
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3 |
When born |
About 1997 or 1898 |
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6 |
Address |
55, Stone Road, Uttoxeter (parents) |
Yes |
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1c |
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Stone Road, Uttoxeter |
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1b, 1c, 1d |
3 |
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Uttoxeter, Staffordshire |
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Yes |
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Spouse |
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Children |
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Employment Before Joining up |
Turner at Messrs Bamfords |
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1b |
3 |
Where enlisted |
Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire |
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Yes |
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Previous service number and regiment |
39707, North Staffordshire Regiment |
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Yes |
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Regiment and unit at the time of his death |
Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) |
Yes |
Yes |
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3 |
Machine Gun Corps |
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1b |
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9th Bn. |
Yes |
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Rank |
Private |
Yes |
Yes |
1b, 1c, 1d |
3 |
Service Number |
172073 |
Yes |
Yes |
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3 |
Date of Death |
17 October 1918 |
Yes |
Yes |
1b, 1c |
3 |
Age at time of death |
21 |
Yes |
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20 |
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1b |
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Where Killed or died |
France |
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1c |
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France/Flanders |
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Yes |
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Ypres salient – 3rd Ypres (Passchendaele) - Harlebeke |
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1d |
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How he died |
Killed in action |
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Yes |
1b, 1c, 1d |
3 |
Killed by a small piece of shell through the heart |
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1d |
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Location of Grave or Memorial |
Around Harlebeke |
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1d |
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Harlebeke New British Cemetery - Grave VII. C. 8. |
Yes |
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Uttoxeter Town War Memorial |
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3 |
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Awards |
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Frederick was the eldest son1b, 3 and his father was well-known in Uttoxeter1b and the immediate district as a master plumber1b.
Before the war Frederick was a Turner at Messrs. Bamfords in Uttoxeter1b, 3.
Frederick was one of the first to leave Uttoxeter to go to war. He was a member of the Uttoxeter Territorials1a, 3 and left Uttoxeter to join the North Staffordshire Regiment on the 6th of August 19143, only two days after the outbreak of war.
He initially served as 39705 in the North Staffordshire Regiment3, 4. He was serving with the Machine Gun Corps at the time of his death.
It must have been a particularly cruel blow for his parents that he died less than a month before the end of the war.
His obituary was published in the Uttoxeter Advertiser on 13th November 19181b, two days after the end of the war. This pointed out the fact that with the present rejoicing in the cessation of hostilities there as an added poignancy in the sad news of his death received by his parents.
He had been wounded during the early part of the year1b, 3 and had returned to the front line after recovery only two weeks before he was killed1b, 3. Given that he was killed in October, this implies that his wounds had been serious, because he had taken a number of months to recover from them.
It was not until April 19191d that details concerning the circumstances of his death were learnt. In a number of cases people had to wait for the return of prisoners of war to find out what had happened to their loved ones, and it is possible that this was the case here.
The Uttoxeter Advertiser1d published extracts from a letter which Lieutenant MacLean sent to the Reverend W. Armstrong:
..”During the action on the River Lys in Belgium, at the town of Harlebeke (about five miles from Courtrai), Pte. Fearn, along with the other men of his section, were returning from action after being relieved when, just on the point of recrossing the bridge over the Lys, he was killed outright by a piece of shell.
“I regret I am unable to state positively his place of burial, but have reason to presume that he was laid to rest in the civilian cemetery of Harlebeke, as close on 100 of our Division, who were killed around Harlebeke during the same action, were buried there. I am pleased to state that an eye-witness – his Section Sergeant – informs me that his body was not mutilated at all and that death was instantaneous, a small piece of shell having pierced the heart”.