Spr
Frank Leslie Cottrell
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1898 |
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Place of birth: City of Westminster, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: High School Student |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Sapper |
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Service number: 471666 |
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Enlistment place: Chatham, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Engineers, 77th Field Coy. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 20/11/1917 |
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Place of death: Kortebeek Farm, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 19 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 8A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Sapper Frank Leslie Cottrell served in the Royal Engineers 77th Field Company, part of the Divisional Royal Engineers of the 17th (Northern) Division.
On the 6th of November 1917, the same day the village of Passchendaele was captured by Canadian troops, the 77th Field Company Royal Engineers moved to the Yser Canal north of Ypres. They were billeted at Bard Cottage on the west bank of Canal and the Company started working at the frontline.
Throughout the month the men maintained and constructed duckboard tracks, trenches and material dumps in the Langemark area. On 15 November the Company made a transport bridge over the Steenbeek at the village of Langemark. And on the 19th and the 20th of November 1917 the 77th Field Company was working on the road and the bridge, which ran over the Broenbeek stream at the Kortebeek Farm, just north of the village of Langemark. While the Company was working at the bridge near Kortebeek Farm it suffered several casualties. On 20 November 1917 one man of the Royal Engineers 77th Field Company went missing and was believed to be killed.
This man was 19-year old Sapper Frank Leslie Cottrell. He has no known grave and is remembered at the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On the 6th of November 1917, the same day the village of Passchendaele was captured by Canadian troops, the 77th Field Company Royal Engineers moved to the Yser Canal north of Ypres. They were billeted at Bard Cottage on the west bank of Canal and the Company started working at the frontline.
Throughout the month the men maintained and constructed duckboard tracks, trenches and material dumps in the Langemark area. On 15 November the Company made a transport bridge over the Steenbeek at the village of Langemark. And on the 19th and the 20th of November 1917 the 77th Field Company was working on the road and the bridge, which ran over the Broenbeek stream at the Kortebeek Farm, just north of the village of Langemark. While the Company was working at the bridge near Kortebeek Farm it suffered several casualties. On 20 November 1917 one man of the Royal Engineers 77th Field Company went missing and was believed to be killed.
This man was 19-year old Sapper Frank Leslie Cottrell. He has no known grave and is remembered at the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 1
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77 Field Company Royal Engineers, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1993/1). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/841462 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5955c92d-717a-46eb-8e8f-30ce78bc2b85 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/973274 |