Pte
Fred Halsall
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1890 |
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Place of birth: Warrington, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 105 Mill Fold Road, Middleton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Butcher |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 33628 |
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Enlistment place: Middleton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Lancashire Fusiliers, 11th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 10/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Sexton House, 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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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: LXI Row: A Grave: 7 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Fred Halsall was the son of Margaret and James Wilmot Halsall. He was born around 1890 in Warrington, Lancashire. Before the war he worked as a butcher and lived in Middleton, Lancashire. Fred enlisted in the British army and was part of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (74th Brigade, 25th Division).
Fred was killed on 10 August 1917 during the capture of Westhoek, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The brigade took up positions that ran from Rabbit Villa to in front of Glencorse Wood, with the left flank of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers situated on the Ypres-Roulers railway line. The objective was to capture the hamlet of Westhoek. The attack started at 4.35am. Due to an unnecessary order to provide support to the 9th Battalion Loyal North Lancs, Fred’s battalion suffered losses from artillery fire and snipers. In the morning there was persistent heavy German shelling. Consolidation was difficult. At 3.45pm, the right flank of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers was hit by heavy shelling. In addition, there was also persistent sniper fire, including from the vicinity of Sexton House. In the evening, several German counterattacks were repelled. The losses of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers were 31 dead, 45 wounded and 8 missing.
Fred died at the age of 27. His body was found after the war near Sexton House. He was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery, where he found his final resting place.
Fred was killed on 10 August 1917 during the capture of Westhoek, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The brigade took up positions that ran from Rabbit Villa to in front of Glencorse Wood, with the left flank of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers situated on the Ypres-Roulers railway line. The objective was to capture the hamlet of Westhoek. The attack started at 4.35am. Due to an unnecessary order to provide support to the 9th Battalion Loyal North Lancs, Fred’s battalion suffered losses from artillery fire and snipers. In the morning there was persistent heavy German shelling. Consolidation was difficult. At 3.45pm, the right flank of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers was hit by heavy shelling. In addition, there was also persistent sniper fire, including from the vicinity of Sexton House. In the evening, several German counterattacks were repelled. The losses of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers were 31 dead, 45 wounded and 8 missing.
Fred died at the age of 27. His body was found after the war near Sexton House. He was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery, where he found his final resting place.
Sources 3
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11 Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2246/2). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), 46-48. 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/463031 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=a246faf6-5066-4e45-9316-98f1f6e5a8dc |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5275542 |