Pte
Frederick George Rogers
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 12/10/1890 |
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Place of birth: Martock, Somerset, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Printers Assistant |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 30553 |
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Enlistment place: West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — South Staffordshire Regiment, 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Angle Point Post, Madonna, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 27 |
Cemetery
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Cement House Cemetery Plot: XIII Row: E Grave: 11 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 16/10/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 16/10/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Private Frederick George Rogers served in the South Staffordshire Regiment, 8th Battalion, part of the 51st Brigade, of the 17th (Northern) Division. The Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele, a stage of the Third Battle of Ypres.
During the Battle it operated on the northern edge of the operation, flanked by the Guards Division on their left and the 4th Division on their right. It attacked with one Brigade. The advance of the 51st Brigade was carried by the 10th Sherwood Foresters on the right, the 7th Lincolns in the center and the 8th South Staffords on the left. The South Staffords were to attack north of the Ypres-Staden Railway.
At 5.25 a.m. the British barrage opened and the advance began. The German barrage started slow and was irregular. The men were able to quickly clear the field of fire and the Battalion suffered only slight casualties from the German shelling. Although the shelling was ample, the German machine-gunners north of the railway were alert. The German defenders opened up a heavy machine-gun fire into the left flank of the South Staffords. Casualties rapidly mounted up and the Staffords strafed to the right, trying to escape the relentless machine-gun fire. This created a gap between the Guards and the Staffords and left the German defenses near Angle point, immune from attack. The German machine-guns were now firing into the right rear of the Guards.
After the Battalion had reached its first objective near Aden House it was decided to fill the gap. A platoon of “A” Company and a platoon of “C” Company were sent up to secure the left flank. They were however not able to fulfill their task until, the rest of the Battalion had passed Aden House. This to make sure the Germans could not enfilade both platoons while they were making their way up to Angle point. Once the left flank had been secured and Aden House had been cleared the Battalion was able to secure the final objective. Around 7 a.m. the South Staffords started to consolidate a line roughly running from Turenne Crossing to the Angle point area. Although the 8th South Staffords had suffered heavy casualties, losing many officers, they were able to secure most of their objectives and consolidate the gains. The Battalion was eventually relieved from the front line on the 14th of October 1917.
Private Frederick George Rogers was killed in action during the First Battle of Passchendaele. He was buried in the field next to his best friend Private Albert Lovatt. Both men were buried to the north of Angle Point. This may indicate that both friends were among the men who were sent up to secure the left flank. The remains of Private Rogers and Private Lovatt were exhumed after the war and the two friends were interred alongside each other at Cement House Cemetery.
During the Battle it operated on the northern edge of the operation, flanked by the Guards Division on their left and the 4th Division on their right. It attacked with one Brigade. The advance of the 51st Brigade was carried by the 10th Sherwood Foresters on the right, the 7th Lincolns in the center and the 8th South Staffords on the left. The South Staffords were to attack north of the Ypres-Staden Railway.
At 5.25 a.m. the British barrage opened and the advance began. The German barrage started slow and was irregular. The men were able to quickly clear the field of fire and the Battalion suffered only slight casualties from the German shelling. Although the shelling was ample, the German machine-gunners north of the railway were alert. The German defenders opened up a heavy machine-gun fire into the left flank of the South Staffords. Casualties rapidly mounted up and the Staffords strafed to the right, trying to escape the relentless machine-gun fire. This created a gap between the Guards and the Staffords and left the German defenses near Angle point, immune from attack. The German machine-guns were now firing into the right rear of the Guards.
After the Battalion had reached its first objective near Aden House it was decided to fill the gap. A platoon of “A” Company and a platoon of “C” Company were sent up to secure the left flank. They were however not able to fulfill their task until, the rest of the Battalion had passed Aden House. This to make sure the Germans could not enfilade both platoons while they were making their way up to Angle point. Once the left flank had been secured and Aden House had been cleared the Battalion was able to secure the final objective. Around 7 a.m. the South Staffords started to consolidate a line roughly running from Turenne Crossing to the Angle point area. Although the 8th South Staffords had suffered heavy casualties, losing many officers, they were able to secure most of their objectives and consolidate the gains. The Battalion was eventually relieved from the front line on the 14th of October 1917.
Private Frederick George Rogers was killed in action during the First Battle of Passchendaele. He was buried in the field next to his best friend Private Albert Lovatt. Both men were buried to the north of Angle Point. This may indicate that both friends were among the men who were sent up to secure the left flank. The remains of Private Rogers and Private Lovatt were exhumed after the war and the two friends were interred alongside each other at Cement House Cemetery.
Sources 3
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8 Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2007/2). http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |
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Bostyn F., Passchendaele 1917. The Story of the Fallen and Tyne Cot Cemetery, (Roeselare, Roularta Books, 2007), pg. 126. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 134-135. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/98057 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=24d191f1-570c-46ea-97f6-35f31ee7cbee |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3806814 |