226290 Pte. Frederick Garrington British Army 13th (Forest of Dean Pioneeers) Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment from:Birmingham (d.12th July 1916) My great grandfather was Frederick Garrington, my maternal grand father's father. He was born in 1874 in Birmingham and was married with 6 children. Before the war he worked in the brass industry and lived in the Aston area of Birmingham.
He enlisted on or around the beginning of March 1915 in Birmingham and was aligned to the 13th Gloucesters. After training during 1915 the 13th Gloucesters were assigned to the 39th Division as the Divisional Pioneer Battalion. He landed in Le Havre in France on the 4th 0f March 1916 along with his battalion and along with 39th Division, became the XI Corps in the First Army.
In April 1916 he was probably involved in the construction of an extensive barbed wire defence between Gorre, la Hamel and Les Chaquax to La Basse Canal which is to the north east of the town of Bethune near Lille.
At the end of June 1916 the 13th Gloucesters were involved in some fighting while supporting the 116th Battalion of the 39th Division near Neuve Chapelle.This was to be known as the Battle of the Boars Head. The Battalion's job was to dig communication trenches supporting the 116th brigade.
It is not known when or whether he was injured during this attack but he died of his injuries on July the 12th 1916 aged 42, and his 19th wedding anniversary. He is buried in the town cemetery in Bethune.
None of this information was known until I researched my family history. My grandfather never told any one, not only his own family, about his father's involvement in the 1st World War.
I am going over to visit his grave next year [2106 the centenary of his death] the first person in his family to do so. I doubt if his family ever knew about his eventual outcome.
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