Pte
Frederick John Loosley
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 11/02/1885 |
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Place of birth: Boxmoor, Herfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Baker |
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Religion: Church of England |
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: 267661 |
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Enlistment date: 14/08/1914 |
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Enlistment place: Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 1/1st Bn. (Buckinghamshire) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Hillock Farm, St. Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 32 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 97 A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Frederick John Loosley was born in 1885 in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire and worked as a baker prior to enlisting in the 1/1st Battalion Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, part of the 145th Brigade, 48th Division. At the moment he lived in Waddesdon, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire together with his wife Edith Mary and his two boys, Ashley Frederick and Kenneth Alfred Loosley.
On 16th August 1917 the 1/1st Ox & Bucks was involved in het Battle of Langemarck. The 145th Brigade crossed the Steenbeek stream and attacked the ruined village of St. Julien with the 1/5th Gloucesters and the 1/1st and 1/4th Ox & Bucks Light Infantry. The 1/4th Royal Berkshire was in reserve. The Gloucesters took Border House and Gun Pits, but were held up, East of the village, by machine gun fire from Janet Farm. The 1/5 Gloucesters cleared St Julien, digging-in as they came under cross-fire from Hillock Farm, Triangle Farm and Maison du Hibou, to the North of St. Julien. Hillock Farm was eventually taken by Frederick’s Battalion. A few Ox & Bucks were even seen to reach Springfield Farm near the objective; but no further gains were made. The 1/1st Ox & Bucks were held up on the right by impassable terrain, which was covered by several German machine guns. Every attempt to advance resulted in casualties. On the left, near Triangle Farm and Maison du Hibou, the German resistance intensified and Frederick’s Battalion suffered heavy casualties, due to sniper and machine gun fire. The 1/1st Ox & Bucks were eventually forced to withdraw from Hillock Farm. Towards the evening the Germans retook the initiative and launched several counter-attacks with varying degrees of success. The Germans recaptured positions to the North of St. Julien, but failed in approaching the village itself.
The 1/1st Ox & Bucks suffered heavy casualties. Of the 629 men in the battalion, 44 men were killed, 49 went missing and 196 were wounded. Nearly half of the battalion had been wounded, killed or missing. Frederick John Loosley, 32, was killed in action on the 9th of October 1917. His remains weren’t identified and John is remembered on Tyne Cot Memorial.
On 16th August 1917 the 1/1st Ox & Bucks was involved in het Battle of Langemarck. The 145th Brigade crossed the Steenbeek stream and attacked the ruined village of St. Julien with the 1/5th Gloucesters and the 1/1st and 1/4th Ox & Bucks Light Infantry. The 1/4th Royal Berkshire was in reserve. The Gloucesters took Border House and Gun Pits, but were held up, East of the village, by machine gun fire from Janet Farm. The 1/5 Gloucesters cleared St Julien, digging-in as they came under cross-fire from Hillock Farm, Triangle Farm and Maison du Hibou, to the North of St. Julien. Hillock Farm was eventually taken by Frederick’s Battalion. A few Ox & Bucks were even seen to reach Springfield Farm near the objective; but no further gains were made. The 1/1st Ox & Bucks were held up on the right by impassable terrain, which was covered by several German machine guns. Every attempt to advance resulted in casualties. On the left, near Triangle Farm and Maison du Hibou, the German resistance intensified and Frederick’s Battalion suffered heavy casualties, due to sniper and machine gun fire. The 1/1st Ox & Bucks were eventually forced to withdraw from Hillock Farm. Towards the evening the Germans retook the initiative and launched several counter-attacks with varying degrees of success. The Germans recaptured positions to the North of St. Julien, but failed in approaching the village itself.
The 1/1st Ox & Bucks suffered heavy casualties. Of the 629 men in the battalion, 44 men were killed, 49 went missing and 196 were wounded. Nearly half of the battalion had been wounded, killed or missing. Frederick John Loosley, 32, was killed in action on the 9th of October 1917. His remains weren’t identified and John is remembered on Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 2
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1 Bucks Battalion Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), British Army war diaries 1914-1922, WO 95/2763/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: the Day-by-Day Account. (Londen: Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018), 54-55 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/833162 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=394c1a35-e422-4fc4-9bf0-9659493f467b |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5420868 |