Pte
Frederick John Wakely
Information about birth
|
Year of birth: 1897 |
|
Place of birth: Wimbledon, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
Army information
|
Country: England, United Kingdom |
|
Force: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Private |
|
Service number: 38243 |
|
Enlistment place: London (City), Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
|
Units: — Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment), 2nd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 01/12/1917 |
|
Place of death: Encore Wood, Passchendaele, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
|
Age: 20 |
Cemetery
|
Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XLVIII Row: F Grave: 4 |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal |
|
Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Frederick John Wakely was born in 1897 at Wimbledon, Surrey, England. He was the son of Frederick John and Rebecca Jones. He enlisted at Londen and initially served as a gunner in the Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Company. By late 1917, Wakely served as a private in the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, part of the 25th Brigade, of the 8th Division.
During the night between the 1st and 2nd of December 1917 the 8th Division took part in a local attack north of Passchendaele. The division attacked with the 25th Brigade, which in turn attacked with three battalions. The 2nd Bn. The Rifle Brigade attacked on the left flank, the 2nd Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment in the middle and the 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment on the right flank. The jump-off line ran from a point just south of Teall Cottage to a point east of the five-pointed crossroads north of Passchendaele Village.
The attack was launched at 1:55 a.m. Although the commencement of the attack remained unnoticed for some minutes, the Germans were expecting an attack. In the moonlit night they had observed British troops gathering near the front line. The attacking troops suffered from heavily rifle and MG-fire from the Northern and Southern Redoubt, and the trench connecting them. The 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment managed to advance to the objective and one some men briefly fought over and captured the Southern Redoubt. However, since the troops on the left flank had not managed to advance, they withdrew form their exposed position. By the end of the day, the 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment had only advanced about 100 meters. On the December 2nd the Germans tried some counter-attacks but the situation remained unchanged. The 25 Brigade was relieved form the front line in the night between the 2nd and 3rd December 1917. The war diary of the 2nd Bn. Berkshire Regiment reports 6 officers and 148 other ranks as casualties.
Frederick John Wakely, aged 21, was killed in action on December 1st, 1917. The remains of Private Wakely were recovered between Enlist Farm and Encore Wood (28.E.1.d.2.4), east of Passchendaele village. His reinterred at Tyne Cot Cemetery on 30 October 1920 and is buried on plot XLVIII, row F, grave 4.
During the night between the 1st and 2nd of December 1917 the 8th Division took part in a local attack north of Passchendaele. The division attacked with the 25th Brigade, which in turn attacked with three battalions. The 2nd Bn. The Rifle Brigade attacked on the left flank, the 2nd Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment in the middle and the 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment on the right flank. The jump-off line ran from a point just south of Teall Cottage to a point east of the five-pointed crossroads north of Passchendaele Village.
The attack was launched at 1:55 a.m. Although the commencement of the attack remained unnoticed for some minutes, the Germans were expecting an attack. In the moonlit night they had observed British troops gathering near the front line. The attacking troops suffered from heavily rifle and MG-fire from the Northern and Southern Redoubt, and the trench connecting them. The 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment managed to advance to the objective and one some men briefly fought over and captured the Southern Redoubt. However, since the troops on the left flank had not managed to advance, they withdrew form their exposed position. By the end of the day, the 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment had only advanced about 100 meters. On the December 2nd the Germans tried some counter-attacks but the situation remained unchanged. The 25 Brigade was relieved form the front line in the night between the 2nd and 3rd December 1917. The war diary of the 2nd Bn. Berkshire Regiment reports 6 officers and 148 other ranks as casualties.
Frederick John Wakely, aged 21, was killed in action on December 1st, 1917. The remains of Private Wakely were recovered between Enlist Farm and Encore Wood (28.E.1.d.2.4), east of Passchendaele village. His reinterred at Tyne Cot Cemetery on 30 October 1920 and is buried on plot XLVIII, row F, grave 4.
Sources 5
|
2 Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/1729/1). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
|
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
|
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
|
Headquarters: 25th Brigade (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/1727/5). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
|
UK, World War I Service Medal and Awards Rolls, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
More information 2
|
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=0e92ef2e-1cb1-4626-bef3-51b8d4ad6d01 |
|
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/465009 |